There are 33,098 museums in the United States alone, a remarkable number for a country this size. If you were to visit every one of them, you would gain knowledge on everything from dinosaurs to World War II to the Renaissance. You could also visit every museum in any state to get a flavor of the unique history and culture of that place. But the question remains, what is the best museum in the world? What is the most interesting art collection?
Across the world, museums are being used to revitalize post-industrial cities. One example of this is the Guggenheim Bilbao in Bilbao, Spain. The Basque government agreed to pay for the museum, which had to cost $100 million, which was highly controversial. However, it has paid off financially for Bilbao, as it welcomed more than 1.1 million visitors in 2015.
Aside from museums, there are zoos, which are regarded as “living museums.” The purpose of these places is to educate visitors, encourage action, and study the collections they have. Famous zoos include the London Zoo, the Tarong Zoo in Sydney, and the Frankfurt and Zurich zoos. But what is unique about zoos is that they do not sell any of the animals they house.
The Egyptian Museum in Cairo was founded in 1835, and contains more than 120,000 art objects from prehistoric times. In Dresden, Germany, the Gemaldegalerie Alte Meister is renowned for its collections of music, literature, and art history. In New York, the Guggenheim Museum promotes contemporary art appreciation while the Louvre in Paris was founded in 1793. In London, the Tate Gallery holds more than 200,000 pieces of art and cultural heritage from five thousand years of British art.
Among the top museums in the world, the Metropolitan Museum of Art in New York is renowned for its extensive collection of European and Asian paintings. Visitors can enjoy works by artists like Rembrandt and Da Vinci here, as well as the world’s largest collection of Japanese paintings. You can even visit the Zhejiang Art Museum in Beijing, which features more than a million works of art. It is also famous for hosting The Met Gala, where world-famous celebrities mingle with prominent fashion designers.
The National Museum of Natural History in Washington DC is an educational place for the whole family. It tells the story of our planet, from its fiery beginnings to the evolution of life. Visitors can explore skeletons from giant sea turtles and flying fish in the Bone Hall. There is also a Hall of Human Origins. It’s worth taking some time to visit museums in these cities to learn more about their unique cultures.
General museums are widely scattered throughout the world. Their origins range from ancient Greece to modern times, and they are often based on civic pride and the desire to spread knowledge about their region. Generally, they focus on one or more topics such as history, science, or the arts. Some even focus on the culture of the host region, including a specific religion or nationality. The diversity of cultures is reflected in the types of artifacts found at these locations.
