American Museum of Natural History - New York, USA
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| American Museum of Natural History |
What to see
The American Museum of Natural History is housed in a historic three story building from the late 19th century, built in a recognizable Victorian style. The permanent exhibition occupies 45 rooms, in addition, you can visit the ultra-modern Rose Center for Earth & Space planetarium, watch an educational film at the IMAX cinema, and admire insects at the Butterfly Gallery from September to May.
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| InSapphoWeTrust / Flickr |
The museum artifacts are distributed thematically, chronologically and geographically in the halls. It makes sense to start your acquaintance with the collection with an exhibition dedicated to biodiversity and the environment. A vivid portrait of the beauty and abundance of life on Earth is displayed on an 800-meter diorama of rainforests - one of the most diverse ecosystems on the planet. Spectrum of Life presents more than 1,500 animal species in the context of 3.5 billion years of evolution. In the North American Forests Hall, you can see a cut of a 90-meter sequoia tree and a 24x magnified model of forest soil, while in the Ocean Hall, 14 diorama represent 8 different ocean ecosystems.
The paleontological exposition is the pearl of the museum. In the four halls of this section, giant and microscopic skeletons of the ancestors of modern animals and birds are presented - from the pterosaur (the first flying dinosaur) to the tyrannosaur, recognizable by visitors of all ages, with a meter-long jaw and 15-centimeter teeth.
Do not forget to look into Theodore Roosevelt's rotunda - not only to learn about his contribution to the creation of the museum, but also to admire the skeleton of a brontosaurus - the tallest prehistoric animal (the ceilings of the halls were too low for him).
From the early forest kingdoms of Africa and communities of the Pacific islands to the heritage of the Indians of South and North America and Asian civilizations, the halls of the Department of Human Origins and Culture of Humanity introduce all the ways of organizing society. And of course, you cannot pass by the 20-meter Indian canoe!
History:
The first building was founded in 1874, and the official opening took place in 1877. Initially, the collection was based on stuffed animals and skeletons. Gradually the congregation grew, new buildings were built.
At the end of the 19th century, the museum ran into difficulties. A lot of money was spent on the purchase of exhibits and the organization of the museum space. However, the public showed little interest in the collections, which put the museum on the brink of bankruptcy. Morris Ketchum Jesup, a philanthropist who was one of the founder, saved the day. Under his leadership, the museum flourished, collections are replenished, new departments were founded.
Exposition:
Thematic rooms are as interactive as possible, which gives visitors a wealth of information and a lot of impressions. Ideally, a few days should be devoted to a visit to the museum in order to enjoy it to the fullest.
Some of the most popular are the Hall of Minerals and the adjacent Hall of Gem's. The minerals inside the illuminated glass containers look amazing.
In the Hall of Human Origins there is a permanent exhibition that consistently and intelligibly tells about the period of the formation of the species Homo Sapiens. There are the remains of a boy dating back to 1.7 million years old and a skeleton, which is 3.2 million years old. A huge number of handicrafts of ancient people are mesmerizing.
The Hall of Fossils will introduce you to the remains of other living creatures, including mammoths and dinosaurs.
The recently opened "Hall of Ocean Life" looks luxurious, where under the dome is a blue whale in all its splendor, and a giant screen shows the stages of the origin and development of life in water.
You can't list everything. The Natural History Museum in New York also houses an impressive planetarium and popular science movie theater.
Interesting Facts:
- The total number of storage units is about 30 million. Only a small part of them can be displayed at the same time.
- The museum is visited by 5 million tourists annually.
- The museum's cinema shows fascinating educational films. Many have been voiced by famous American actors, including Liam Neeson and Meryl Streep.
- The skeleton of an ancient Barosaurus is so large that it did not fit into any room. It was decided to install it in Theodore Roosevelt Rotunda.
- In 1964, jewelry worth $ 400,000 was stolen from the museum. Most of the jewelry was returned.
Helpful information
How to get there: You can get to the museum by metro along lines A, B or C.
Address: Central Park West and 79th Street, New York, NY 10024-5192, USA
Official Website: https://www.amnh.org/
Opening hours: Daily from 10:00 to 17:45. The museum is closed for Christmas & Thanksgiving.
American museum of natural history tickets:
Adult - 23 USD, children - 13 USD, seniors and students - 18 USD. Prices on the page are for end of May 2021.
