One of the main attractions of Great Britain is the London Museum of Victoria and Albert. To date, it has collected more than six million rare exhibits that cover the entire history of mankind. Here is the heritage of many of the world's richest cultures, so real fans and connoisseurs of art can spend many days in a row in its galleries, but still can’t get around all the collections. Inspecting the expositions, you can better learn the history of different peoples, following their development from ancient times to the present day.
How did it appear?
The V&A Museum was founded in the mid-nineteenth century. He got such an original name thanks to Queen Victoria and her husband, Prince Albert. They were inspired to create it after the World Exhibition of Industry of All Nations was held in London, the proceeds of which went to the construction of a building for exhibits in South Kensington.
It was planned that in the galleries of the Victoria and Albert complex (museum) there should have been such household items that would be able to instill in the London public and all guests of the British capital a taste for everything elegant and beautiful. Therefore, at first this institution was devoted to decorative art.
Gradually, there were more and more exhibits, so in 1987 this cultural complex was supposed to move to a new place, which today houses the collections of Victoria and Albert (museum).
In the twentieth century, its exposure continued to increase. Therefore, in 1983, another hall was added to the building, which subsequently housed exhibitions of photographs, art exhibits and original engravings. Currently, the Victoria and Alberta complex (museum), in addition to its main building, also has several branches, also located in London.
Description
The total area of all galleries with such a huge number of exhibits is approximately fifty thousand square meters. The Victoria and Albert Museum is owned by the British state. Therefore, there, as in other institutions of a similar type located in this country, admission is absolutely free for everyone.
The entire museum complex is divided into one hundred forty galleries and six levels. They collected exhibits from Europe, South Asia, Japan, countries of the East, China, Africa and America. Here you can see whole collections belonging to completely different eras.
For the convenience of visitors, each exhibition hall has large touch screens that display background information. In addition, the museum provides an hour-long free tour covering the most interesting collections of the institution. Some of them should be described in more detail.
Expositions
The Victoria and Albert Museum in London is divided into four parts, which contain exhibits dedicated to the culture and life of Asian, European, African and American peoples. These departments, in turn, are divided into 145 galleries, which contain collections of fabrics, furniture, ceramics, various sculptures and beautiful glass objects.
For example, in the department of Asian art, which has more than 170 thousand various exhibits, you can admire the magnificent collections of oriental carpets, kimonos and interesting artifacts. In addition, there are collections of amazing Chinese vases made of porcelain, the head of a Buddha made of bronze and much more from the life of the countries of the East.
In the department devoted to fashion and fabrics, there is the largest exposition of clothes, in which ceremonial dresses are presented, perfectly complemented by collections of jewelry.
In the exhibition halls devoted to architectural art, you can look at the beautiful models of the most famous buildings and structures, as well as all kinds of original interior models.
The Victoria and Albert Museum also has various picturesque collections. The works of artists from different eras are collected in one place. There are more than a thousand diverse paintings, sketches and watercolors. Sculptures and books are exhibited in the next gallery, but the main pearls of this exposition are the di Vinci’s diary, the sentence of Joan of Arc and the early works of Sophocles.
In addition, the complex has a large collection of interesting samples of decorative art, dedicated to a variety of eras and countries.
Reviews
All tourists who have been to London strongly recommend visiting the Victoria and Albert Museum. Photos taken in his exhibition halls are truly mesmerizing and stunning the imagination.
People who have visited his galleries say that they are very huge. Therefore, it is not possible to get around in one day. There are a wide variety of exhibits, so that each visitor will find something interesting and fascinating for themselves. The scope of some exposures is simply amazing. For example, a column from the central square of Rome, which has the dimensions of a multi-storey building, or a large entrance gate to the Catholic Church, will not leave anyone indifferent. It is simply amazing that all this is gathered under one roof.
Where is?
All those who will be on excursions or travel to the capital of Great Britain should definitely visit the Victoria and Alberta complex (museum). It is located in London on Cromwell Road near South Kensington Underground Station. As mentioned earlier, admission there is absolutely free, it works every day from 10 am to 5:45 pm.
How to get there
If you are not far from the museum, then it will not be difficult to walk there. It is located just a short walk from the famous Hyde Park.
You can also take the bus to the museum complex using routes C1, 14, 414 or 74. They all stop on the Cromwell Road side, not far from the building itself.
Of course, this is just an amazing institution, which has no analogues in the whole world. There is a lot of interesting and informative things, so at least once in your life you should definitely visit this London museum.