The Royal Ontario Museum is a magnificent building with 40 galleries, included in 7 contemporary architectural wonders of the world. Tourists from all over the world flock here, keen on different cultures and history: the museum displays exhibits from different parts of the planet, modern and prehistoric. According to the museum staff, many tourists rush to get here, only arriving at the airport, and only after visiting the museum they go to the reserved hotel. Plan a visit to the Royal Museum while traveling in Canada, get acquainted with the huge collections and a masterpiece of modern architecture.
History and features of the museum building
The Royal Museum was opened in 1857 - at that time it was called the “Museum of Natural History and Fine Arts”. In 1912, the Canadian government decided to reorganize the museum into the Royal - then it was part of the University of Toronto. In 1968, the museum expanded significantly and became isolated, however, it still collaborates with the university in terms of research and expert assessments of exhibits.
A talented artist with extraordinary ideas was invited to build a new museum building: the initial sketch was created on a paper napkin, but the development of the project took 7 years, the construction took another 4 years. The project is presented in the form of mineral crystals: the architect was inspired by crystals stored in one of the museum's exhibits. After the construction of the new building, it was possible to significantly expand the space and place new collections, the building became known throughout the world.
Five floors of wonders
The first room, which opens to visitors, is called the “House of Spirits” - it demonstrates natural sounds that combine with the voices of people. Further, tourists will be able to visit various compositions and galleries on 5 floors, each of which will meet in a special way:
- The first floor after the "House of Spirits" will surprise you with a luxurious staircase with thousands of exhibits behind glass
- The second floor will impress everyone - both adults and children: here is a gallery of dinosaurs - the remains of ancient reptiles with petrified artifacts
- The third floor meets halls with works of art from Africa, the Americas and East Asia.
- The fourth floor is an exposition of contemporary art from different parts of the world.
- The fifth floor is a huge observation deck and a cozy restaurant with delicious cuisine and polite staff.
At the Royal Museum, each gallery is interesting in its own way: these are the sarcophagi of Ancient Egypt with mummies, and fragments of ancient Chinese temples, and Indian sculptures with a long history, and medieval armor of various armies of the world, and exotic musical instruments of Africa. Most visitors separately highlight the collection of minerals, which served as an inspiration for the architect of such an unusual building: among them are precious stones and meteorites - the cerussite "Desert Light" is noted by experts and visitors as the most beautiful mineral.
Ticket price for an adult is 20 CAD $, for a child under 12 years old is 14 CAD $.
Interesting Facts
- The number of exhibits - 6 million
- More than 1 million tourists visit the museum annually
- In the halls of the vernissage you can buy a picture for a personal collection
- The museum’s only weekend is December 25th.
The object belongs to museums.
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