Google's Cultural Institute is an exemplary example of a modern virtual museum. Started in 2011 as a project dedicated exclusively to art museums, the resource now includes a section on history, as well as the most amazing places on the planet. In addition to viewing high-resolution pictures, the site offers a virtual tour with an impressive interface and audio guide. Here you can see sites such as galleryTate in London, galleryUffizi , Metropolitan Museum of Art in NYC, Uzey Orsay in Paris, Royal Museum in Amsterdam and others. Recently Google digitized the last Venice Biennale contemporary art. The project about Street art from all over the world Street Art.

Guggenheim Museum

But most famous museums today consider it necessary to form a virtual collection on the Internet, once again confirming their ownership of masterpieces and distributing high-quality reproductions of their paintings. In particular, the Guggenheim Museum has created an online collection with a convenient category by name and direction, thus uniting the collections of all four cities where the museum is located, and other projects of the Guggenheim Foundation. The virtual museum includes many options: among other things, it is an informative site with lectures and videos on various topics.

Virtual tours of the Paris Louvre

The Louvre is not represented in the Google cultural project (discussed above); it prefers to develop its own online platform. On its website, the museum allows you to walk through several rooms. The foot of the walls of the royal palace on the first floor of the museum, a hall with relics of antiquity and Ancient Egypt can be seen as a virtual panorama.

Oxford History and Science Museum

On the website of one of the world's most famous science museums you can see photographs and panoramas of the exhibitions. All this is part of one big virtual Oxford tour . One of the notable exhibits of the virtual museum is the board on which Einstein wrote during his famous lecture at the university in 1931. A whole nostalgic project has been created on the museum website Goodbye board! » , which featured British celebrities like Brian Eno and Robert May. It turned out nice.

Virtual George Washington Museum Mount Vernon

Free walk through the cradle of American democracy - the George Washington Museum Mount Vernon. The place where America's first president worked and lived has been digitized by the museum's creators with incredible care. Detailed online tour with photographs, information blocks, audio guide on English language It is also supported by a video of actors in costumes from the late 18th century. Everything to immerse yourself in the atmosphere of a historical place.

Virtual Museum of Things Thngs.co

The young project, which has already won recognition among IT industry specialists and ordinary users, will appeal to those who are interested in the history of things and are inclined to create their own collections. The authors themselves call their site a Facebook for things. Each item or category of items has its own timeline, where you can track the evolution of the object from a historical perspective. The viewer is offered only facts: year, place and appearance. The focus on objectivity and simplicity sets this project apart from others. In particular, it will help to verify this selection items of Soviet heritage. The project was launched recently, but promises to develop and grow rapidly.

Europeana Project

Rather, this is a project of an encyclopedic nature, but due to the emphasis on visual culture, it deserves the title of a museum. The resource allows the user to go on a real virtual tour of a subject that interests him, be it bicycles of the early 20th century, antique vases or postcards with views of St. Petersburg. You just need to enter the data, the era - and the resource will provide a list of images, texts, videos and audio tracks to help make the perception of the subject as voluminous and complete as possible.

World Digital Library

Similar to Europeana, but already Russified, the World Digital Library project can also provide useful facts and images on any topic. The site is aesthetically pleasing and easy to use, so you can get stuck for a long time studying the legislative acts of the times Kievan Rus or a chronicle of the 1947 US Baseball Championship out of simple curiosity.

National Museum of Natural History in Washington

American National Museum natural history allows you to walk through the halls, examine in detail the fossils of ancient creatures, collections of insects and birds, and even Egyptian mummies presented in the exhibition. In general, fully immerse yourself in the history of natural history, even if you do not have the opportunity to visit a museum in real life. The site also has a large section with interactive materials and videos on topics.

NASA Museum

Fans of space themes cannot ignore this virtual project dedicated to the history of the world-famous US space agency. The launch of the resource was timed to coincide with the fiftieth anniversary of the organization in 2008. In addition to the successes of the American astronautics, the technical details of spaceship construction and launching of spacecraft are quite clearly shown here, and a good-natured robot will show you what to click on next.

Brazilian writer and poet Paulo Coelho advised travelers: “ Avoid visiting museums. Being in a foreign city, I would be more interested in learning about the present of this city than about its past. You need to visit museums, but you need to have enough time for this.” And the Polish satirist Ryszard Podlewski, once said: “ there are things you have to see to know they are not worth seeing.”

Guided by words famous people, we offer links to virtual tours of famous museums around the world. Having previously familiarized yourself with the exhibits on display, you will be able to decide for yourself whether it is worth going here and how much time to allocate for visiting this museum on a real trip.

Grab a cup of coffee, sit back comfortably and explore the museum's exhibitions.

Virtual tours to the most famous museums in the world

Louvre– the largest and most visited museum in the world (about 10 million tourists per year). The ancient royal palace, where the art collections of French monarchs are exhibited, is located in the center of Paris, on the banks of the Senne. Its popularity means inevitable queues to enter, in which you can stand for several hours!

If you spend 10 hours exploring the entire museum, you will only be able to devote 1 second to each exhibit. Fortunately, online travelers are given the opportunity to explore the Ancient Egyptian Halls, the remains of a medieval fortress built under King Philip Augustus, and the recently restored Appalonian Gallery.

Five museums on Museum Island are part of the association State museums. IN Old Museum A part of the Antique Collection from the collection of ancient Greek art is on display. New Museum after opening in 2009, it hosted the exhibition of the Egyptian Museum and the collection of papyri. Many tourists come here to see the famous bust of the ancient Egyptian queen Nefertiti. The New Museum also houses a prehistoric exhibition dating back to stone age and other very ancient eras.

Museums of fine arts, natural sciences, modern art, secular or religious. There are hundreds of museums that each of us would like to visit, but they are usually located in another city or, worse, in another country. But in modern world You don’t have to travel far to do this. “Mel” has compiled for you a list of 15 museums that you can visit in any weather and at any time, completely free, without leaving your couch.

The museum complex on the Capitoline Hill in Rome is not just a few buildings with paintings and statues, it is almost an entire city in miniature. Three palazzos (Palazzo Nuovo, Palazza dei Conservatori and Montemartini Central) are located on the Capitoline Square, in the creation of which Active participation accepted by Michelangelo. And it’s not hard to believe: almost every meter of the complex breathes art. The museum contains the original of the Roman “She-Wolf”, try to find it.

Perhaps the most famous museum and palace complex in St. Petersburg after the Hermitage. The main exhibition occupies five buildings: the Mikhailovsky Palace with the Benois exhibition building, the Mikhailovsky Castle, the Marble and Stroganov palaces and the Summer Palace of Peter I. In addition, the museum territory includes several gardens and parks - there is a lot to see. A virtual tour allows you to visit all parts of the Russian Museum, and this is not always possible to do even on a trip to St. Petersburg.

The second name of the museum is the Museum of Fine Arts. Considered the largest museum in France after the Louvre, it contains about 2,000 paintings and 1,300 sculptures. All these works of art (from the 15th century to the present day) are placed in 70 galleries, detailed panoramas of which are on the website.

The museum was built on the site of an old theater: Dali once noticed the ruins and turned them into a colorful and memorable complex. The basis of the museum's collection is, of course, the works of the artist himself. There are rooms here that are part of the exhibition in themselves. The theater-museum is best described by the words of Dali himself: “I want my museum to be a monolith, a labyrinth, a huge surreal object. This will be an absolutely theatrical museum. Those who come here will leave feeling like they were in a dream.”

There is probably no person in the world who has not heard anything about Madame Tussauds. This is a museum of wax figures (actors, politicians, directors, philosophers, athletes), which are made with incredible precision. A curiosity and peculiarity of this particular London building is the Cabinet of Horrors. It contains copies of various revolutionaries, murderers, psychopaths and other dangerous criminals.

The Louvre is a citadel of European art, the most popular and majestic place in Paris, always full of tourists. So complete that it is sometimes impossible to see the paintings themselves. The Louvre was originally built as the residence of the king, so everything in it breathes splendor. There are currently only three routes available for virtual tours of the museum: Egyptian exhibits, a tour of the former moat that surrounded the building, and the Apollo Gallery. But the routes are constantly updated, keep an eye on the website.

It was here that the residence of the king moved from the Louvre; this complex is a work of art in itself. Since the end of the 17th century, Versailles has served as a model for the ceremonial country residences of European monarchs and aristocracy, and it is also included in the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage List. Not stored in the palace famous paintings, but there are unique frescoes on the ceilings, and the interior of the castle itself, with its huge corridors and spacious halls, will make anyone gasp.

One of largest museums world and the main historical and archaeological museum of the United Kingdom. It contains exhibits from all over the world: China, India, Africa, Oceania, South America. In addition, of course, the history of Britain itself is told. The length of the museum is four kilometers. British museum is also a national library, the collections of which number about seven million volumes of printed publications.

The gallery was founded by a merchant who owned one of the largest collections of domestic visual arts. There is probably not a child in Moscow who would not go on an excursion to the old red building on Lavrushinsky Lane. But if you still don’t have the time or opportunity to visit the museum, walk around it virtually: the tour is incredibly detailed.

A museum in Washington that you can't miss: it's huge both outside and inside. In terms of the set of exhibits, the museum resembles our Darwin Museum, but the exhibition is much more impressive. Such a collection of butterflies and sea reptiles preserved in alcohol (giant squid, for example) cannot be found anywhere else in the world. The museum’s section with huge dinosaurs and other fossils has also been closed for three years, but you can still walk through these halls online!

Under the capacious sign “Vatican Museums” hides a whole galaxy of exhibition halls and galleries. The most venerable exhibitions are five centuries old. During this time, museum curators managed to collect a stunning collection of sculpture, paintings, manuscripts, household items and religious art. And museums began with just one statue. Online you can walk through St. Peter's Basilica, the Basilica of San Giovanni in Laterano, the Basilica of St. Paul outside the city walls, the Church of Santa Maria Maggiore and, as a bonus, walk through the Sistine Chapel.

The museum complex includes six buildings, but online you can only walk through one, the main one. It contains an impressive Greek hall with a statue of Apollo, replicas of the tombstones of the Borgia brothers and artifacts from the excavation of Troy. The Egyptian hall with a copy of the sarcophagi of the pharaohs looks especially mysterious.

Without a doubt, the largest palace in St. Petersburg, which incorporates not so much painting and sculpture as history itself: the Hermitage has been the royal residence since the time of Peter I. The museum is huge, in some places you can even get lost inside, but, as in the Louvre, size does not always mean space. There are so many visitors to the Hermitage that you have to stand in a long line before entering, and it’s not always possible to get to the necessary exhibits. No one will disturb you during the virtual tour. There is also an overview of selected collections and exhibits on the museum’s website.

Space is a mysterious and alluring space, which the Planetarium introduces visitors to in an interesting and beautiful way. The museum is located on four floors and consists of several exhibition options: the Urania Museum, the Lunarium, the small and large Star Halls. By the way, the Star Halls deserve special attention: they show on huge screens educational programs, which will be of interest to both children and adults. Unfortunately, you can’t watch them online, but you can walk around the halls of the museums and even go to a cafe!

You can also check out the website at your leisure. Google: ArtProject. It contains millions of exhibits from thousands of museums: Google was the first to start digitizing exhibits. And there you can walk to many places. Here, for example, St Paul's Cathedral in London.

There is no doubt that any historical artifact or work of art is best seen in person. But not always and not everyone has the opportunity to travel a lot around the world. Fortunately, today, in the modern digital age, it is possible to visit some of the world's most famous museums from the comfort of your own home. Our review contains some of the museums that invite you to virtual tours.

1. Louvre

The Louvre is not only one of the world's largest art museums, it is also one of Paris's most iconic historical monuments. The museum offers free online tours, during which you can see some of the Louvre's most famous and popular exhibits, such as Egyptian relics.

2. Solomon Guggenheim Museum

While it would be worth seeing for yourself the unique architecture of the Guggenheim building, which was designed by Frank Lloyd Wright, you don't have to fly to New York to see some of the museum's priceless artifacts. You can see it online works by Franz Marc, Piet Mondrian, Picasso and Jeff Koons.

3. National Gallery of Art

Founded in 1937 National Gallery of Art open to the public. For those who cannot come to Washington, the museum provides virtual tours of its galleries and exhibitions. For example, you can admire masterpieces such as paintings by Van Gogh and sculptures from ancient Angkor. "

4. British Museum

The British Museum's collection contains more than eight million objects. Today, a world-famous museum from London introduced possibility of viewing online some of its exhibitions, such as "Kenga: Textiles from Africa" ​​and "Objects from the Roman cities of Pompeii and Herculaneum". In collaboration with the Google Cultural Institute, the British Museum offers virtual tours using Google Street View technology.

5. National Museum of Natural History at the Smithsonian Institution

The National Museum in Washington, which is one of the most visited museums in the world, offers the opportunity to take a look at its beautiful treasures through an online virtual tour. An online guide welcomes spectators into the rotunda, followed by online tour(with a 360-degree view) through the “Hall of Mammals,” “Hall of Insects,” “Dinosaur Zoo,” and “Hall of Paleobiology.”

6. Metropolitan Museum of Art

The Met is home to more than two million works of fine art, but you don't have to travel to New York to admire them. The museum's website features virtual tours of some of the most impressive works, including paintings by Van Gogh, Jackson Pollock and Giotto di Bondone. In addition, the Metropolitan also cooperates with Google Cultural Institute to make even more works available for viewing.

7. Dali Theater-Museum

Located in the Catalan city of Figueres, the Dalí Theater and Museum is entirely dedicated to the art of Salvador Dalí. It houses many exhibitions and artifacts related to each stage of Dalí's life and career. The artist himself is buried here. The museum offers virtual tours from some of their exhibitions.

8. NASA

NASA is offering virtual tours of its space center in Houston. An animated robot named "Audima" acts as a guide.

9. Vatican Museums

Curated by Popes for centuries, the Vatican Museums have an extensive collection of art and classical sculpture. You can take advantage of the opportunity to tour the museum grounds, seeing some of the most iconic exhibits on your computer screen, including the ceiling Sistine Chapel, painted by Michelangelo.

10. National Women's History Museum

Management of the National Museum women's history in Alexandria, Virginia, states that the museum was founded to inspire the study of the past and shape the future "by integrating the history and culture of women's lives in the United States." In mode virtual tour] You can see museum exhibits showcasing women's lives during World War II and the struggle for women's rights throughout American history.

11. US Air Force National Museum

National Museum of the United States Air Force located at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Dayton, Ohio. There is a huge collection here military weapons And aircraft, including the presidential planes of Franklin Roosevelt, Harry Truman, Dwight Eisenhower, John F. Kennedy and Richard Nixon. The museum also offers free virtual tours of its grounds, where you can see decommissioned aircraft from World War II, the Vietnam War and the Korean War.

12. Google Art Project

To help users find and view important works of art online in high resolution and detail, Google works with more than 60 museums and galleries around the world to archive and document priceless works of art, as well as provide virtual tours of museums that use Google Street View technology.

Not everyone has the opportunity to travel abroad and visit world-famous museums, art galleries and other art monuments. But if you really want to experience beauty, then why not try to travel online to museums?

Someone tell me what to see cultural heritage on the monitor screen - not at all as interesting as live. But virtual travel also has its advantages:

You can see the objects you are interested in right from home, at a time convenient for you;
online tours are free;
on the computer screen you will see everything in the smallest detail;
on virtual travel portals it is possible to see what is not available for viewing in a real museum.

In 2011, Google, together with seventeen museums, created the project. Now we have access to the most famous world museums: the Tate Gallery, the Thyssen-Bornemisza Museum, the Hermitage, Tretyakov Gallery, Van Gogh Museum, Versailles, etc. In total, thanks to the Art Project, we can see 385 halls, more than 1000 paintings.

It's easy to start your journey online. Go to the project website and select the museum you are interested in from the list. After this, you will see a panorama of the museum hall and will be able to “move” from room to room.

When photographing museums and galleries, special technologies were used that make it possible to examine the smallest details of works of art. Each museum that participates in the project has paintings photographed in very high quality. On them you can easily see details that are inaccessible during normal viewing. For example, these are paintings by Van Gogh, Manet, Botticelli, etc.

In addition to the Google Art project, there are many more interesting portals with virtual excursions.

We recommend visiting:
Portal
Contains virtual tours of Russian museums, estates, churches. You can visit the Ostrovsky house-museum, the Bakhrushin theater museum, etc. The site has easy navigation. Here it is very easy to find a tour that is interesting to you; you can include comments on the exhibits.

Website Opening of the Kremlin
On this resource, everyone can visit the Kremlin, see the Chamber of Facets and the Alexander Hall, the courtyard, as well as places that are not visited by regular excursions.

Virtual Travel Portal
Provides the opportunity to visit museums, cathedrals and art galleries in the Czech Republic. Although the site is in Czech, finding the tour you are interested in will not be difficult.

Resource
The site offers a visit to the Taj Mahal, the UK Botanical Gardens, St. Paul's Cathedral, Westminster Abbey and other equally interesting sites.

Portal
Will allow you to see Madame Tussauds wax museum, European cathedrals. Contains about 360 excursion tours.

Site tour of the Louvre
Created for those who dreamed of wandering through the galleries of the legendary Louvre. You will be able to view it in three dimensions.


Everyscape portal
It differs in that little-known small museums from different countries are represented here.

Russian Railway website
Here you can visit the Steam Locomotive Museum. A short educational excursion for those who are interested in the history of trains.

The proposed resources will be useful to children, students, as well as anyone interested in art and history.