British Museum United Kingdom

Legendary

The first public national museum in the world with a collection of over 8 millions works.

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When the British Museum first opened its doors, visitors couldn't just walk in. They had to apply for tickets in advance, and only well-connected people usually got a personal tour from the museum's own trustees.

The museum opened on January 15, 1759, in a grand old mansion called Montague House in London. It was the first free, national, public museum anywhere in the world.

The whole idea started with one man's massive personal collection. Sir Hans Sloane, a doctor and scientist, spent his life collecting objects from around the world, from plants and animals to books, art, and ancient artifacts.

By the time Sloane died in 1753, he had gathered more than 71,000 items. He left his entire collection to the British nation, on one condition: Parliament had to pay his family a fair sum and create a public museum to house everything.

Parliament agreed, and the British Museum was born. Sloane's collection became its founding core, along with a few other important libraries added around the same time.

Over the centuries, the collection grew enormously. Explorers like Captain James Cook brought back objects from voyages around the globe, and the museum kept expanding decade after decade.

Today, the British Museum holds about 8 million objects, spanning roughly two million years of human history. It remains completely free to enter, welcoming millions of visitors from around the world every year.

Walk through the Enlightenment Gallery to see some of the museum's oldest displays, still using cases designed in the 1820s. Visit the Rosetta Stone, one of the most famous objects in the entire collection. Explore the Great Court, a stunning glass-roofed courtyard at the heart of the museum.