The British Museum is one of the oldest museums in the world, and its collection is impressive and definitely worth seeing. Every year, this museum is visited by around 5 million people, which puts it on the same level as the Louvre, the Vatican Museum and the Metropolitan Museum in New York.
The museum officially opened in 1759, with its original collection belonging to Sir Hans Sloane. This British physician and art collector owned a total of around 400 thousand books and antiques dating back to ancient Greece, Rome, America and the Middle East. Sir Hans wanted his collection to be shown to the world, thus outliving him. In 1852, a new building was prepared, designed in Greek style, and the British Museum was officially moved there in the same year. As the new building couldn’t keep the entire collection, the natural history portion of the collection was moved to the Natural History Museum in London. The permanent collection has been expanding thanks to private donations.
In 1801, the museum obtained some Egyptian relics, including the famous Rosetta Stone. In 1823, George IV donated his father’s library to the museum, after which it became necessary for the museum to be moved into a new building.
The big square in front of the museum is truly breathtaking. It is covered by a glass roof and it contains a reading area, where the main British Library’s reading room once stood. Among the most significant halls of the museum, we highlight Ancient Egypt Hall, which is considered to be have the second-largest collection of Egyptian artefacts, behind only the Egyptian Museum in Cairo.
Entrance to the British Museum is free of charge.
Opening hours of the British Museum
The museum is open every day from 10:00 am to 5:30 pm
On Fridays, the museum is open until 8:30 pm
Closed: January 1, December 24, 25 and 26.
