MUSEUMS

There are many interesting places to go and many exciting places to visit in London. Let's go round the most important museums of London.

British museum

The British museum was the first public natural museum in the world containing one of the greatest collections of human history and culture. It's situated in the north of Covent Garden.

The famous circular reading room in the centre is open for the public to use. Many famous people like Karl Marx, Gandhi, Lenin, Thomas Hardy went there to do their work.

The most famous collections of British museum are:

• The Elgin Marbles, consisting of architectural details from the Parthenon at Athens.
• The Rosseta Stone, which provided the key to reading ancient Egyptian hieroglyphs.
• The Black Obelisk

The National Gallery

The National Gallery was founded in 1824 to house one of the greatest collections of European paintings in the world. It's situated on the northern side of Trafalgar Square.

There are 2.300 paintings filling its rooms and halls. They are some of the finest examples of European art.

There are also works belonging to Botticelli, Monet, Constable, Van Gogh and Rembrandt. From the early Renaissance to the Post-Impressionism, every stage in the development of painting is represented in its collection.

The Victoria and Albert Museum

The Victoria and Albert Museum is located in London's "Albertpolis", an area of cultural, scientific and educational importance. It is near the Science Museum.

It has one of the largest collections of arts and crafts including furniture, jewellery, ceramics, textiles, sculpture, prints, drawings and photographs.

Science museum

The Science Museum is part of the National Museum of Science and Industry and it is located in South Kensington, near the Natural History Museum and the Victoria and Albert Museum.
It is a big place where you can see an exhibition of many of the objects which exist in the physical scientific world.

As well as many ancient and modern machines, there are many hands-on working displays where you can have a go.

There are also some historic relics of a scientific nature which are entirely educational. Although some people say "Science is an academic subject", at the Science Museum you can experience scientific things for yourself and see how it makes sense.

Madame Tussaud's Museum

During the Revolution, Marie Tussaud made death masks of royalty and decapitated revolutionaries. Later she organised an exhibition of her work. She travelled about the country for 30 years presenting her exhibition which became world-famous. In 1835, she settled in London. The museum has got a collection of realistic wax figures which are joined in five themed areas.

1. "The Spirit of London" re-create the visual aspect, sounds and smell of London life through the ages.
2. "200 years of Madame Tussaud's"
3. "Grand Hall" brings together several of the world's most important people, such as kings and queens, statesmen, religious leaders and artists.
4. The "Chamber of horrors" brings the story of crime and punishment to life through realistic sound and visual effects.
5. "Hollywood Legends" brings all-time great stars back to life.