The main treasury of the United Kingdom: interesting facts about the British Museum

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British Museum — most visited in the United Kingdom. He is among the top museums around the world. Here are exhibits of different peoples from the most ancient eras to our days. We collected the most interesting facts about this landmark place and shares with you!

The British Museum — The museum's second most visited art museum in the world after the Louvre.

The museum's collection contains at least 8 million objects and covers two million years of human history.

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In 2005, the famous street artist secretly placed in the British Museum a painting on which was depicted a caveman, pushing a cart from a supermarket. The museum found and removed the canvas only a few days later, citing the fact that it was just a temporary exposition.

At the end of 2013 — in early 2014, the museum hosted an exhibition of Japanese artistic erotic art. For three months it was visited by almost 88 thousand people. It has become one of the most popular in the history of the British Museum.

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In the extensive collection of the museum there is Rosetta stone with texts in the ancient Egyptian language, statues that adorn the ancient Greek temple Parthenon, as well as several mummified cats from ancient Egypt. In 2004, a visitor stole from the British Museum earrings and other jewelry dating from 700 CE. ., just putting them on yourself. And in 2002, it was unclear how the thieves managed to steal a marble head from the Greek Gallery.

Photo: shutterstock

Before the present building of the museum was built, it was planned to place it in the Palace of Westminster, where the British parliament is now holding meetings, and even in Buckingham House, known today as.

For a long time the main treasury of the museum was its library. The famous reading room, located in the rotunda building, worked the greatest minds not only of Britain, but of the whole world. In 1972, the collection of the library became so large that it was decided to separate it from the British Museum and move it to a separate building.

Photo: shutterstock

The British Museum covers an area of 92 thousand square meters.

Fans of history can see the exhibits of the British Museum without leaving home. From the end of last year, you can stroll through the halls of the museum thanks to Google Street View.