While already in antiquity places like the Temple of Peace exhibited collections (here of bounty of war), the first museums of modern times started to open only in the Renaissance:
The Dresden Renaissance Stable was originally much more lavishly painted and contained - partly still existent - ancient collections of arms, saddles as well as figurines and was openly visitable in guided tours from 1588 onwards.The first publicly visitable collection of art pieces, exhibiting beside 128 valuable Italian riding art horses some 50 sleds, carved figurines of Black Riders, horses, saddles and arms as well as a painting gallery, was contained in the Dresden Electoral stable, opened to the public in 1588. The collection itself dates however already from the 14th century.[1]
The Capitoline Museums, the oldest collection of art in the world, began in 1471 when Pope Sixtus IV donated a group of important ancient sculptures to the people of Rome. It was however only opened to the public in 1734.[2]
The Vatican Museums, traces its origins to the public displayed sculptural collection begun in 1506 by Pope Julius II.
Ambras Castle (Schloss Ambras Innsbruck), Austria, is not the oldest art collection, but it is the earliest collection still to be found in that very building created especially for its museum purpose (1572–1583, Supplement 1589).
The Lower Castle of Ambras Castle, Innsbruck was one of the earliest buildings explicitly intended for use as a museum and still exists today in its proper function, showing the original collections.
The Livrustkammaren in Stockholm is one of the oldest museums still in use. Created 1628 by Gustavus Adolphus during the thirty years war. The collection also has the oldest inventory in the world still in use. It has collections from 1558 still on display.[3]
The Royal Armouries in the Tower of London is the oldest museum in the United Kingdom. It opened to the public in 1660, though there had been paying privileged visitors to the armouries displays from 1592. Today the museum has three sites including its new headquarters in Leeds.[4]
Rumphius built a botanical museum in Ambon in 1662, making it the oldest recorded museum in Indonesia. Nothing remains of it except books written by himself, which are now in the library of the National Museum. Its successor was the Batavia Society of Art and Science, established on 24 April 1778. It built a museum and a library, played an important role in research, and collected much material on the natural history and culture of Indonesia.[5]
The Amerbach Cabinet, originally a private collection, was bought by the university and city of Basel in 1661 and opened to the public in 1671.
The British Museum in London, was founded in 1753 and opened to the public in 1759.[7]Sir Hans Sloane's personal collection of curios provided the initial foundation for the British Museum's collection.[7]
The Uffizi Gallery in Florence, This art collection was begun in the 15th century by Cosimo de' Medici, enlarged by his descendants, and in 1743 bequeathed by the last heir of the House of Medici "to the people of Tuscany and to all nations". The Uffizi Palace (built 1560–1581) was designed by the Renaissance painter and architect Giorgio Vasari. The top floors were converted to gallery space, open to visitors on request, and then opened to the public as a museum in 1769 by Grand Duke Peter Leopold.[8][9]
The Museum of the History of Riga and Navigation is the oldest in Latvia and the whole of the Baltics, and one of the oldest in Europe. It was founded and opened to public in 1773 by the Riga Town Council as Himsel Museum. The rich and diverse collections of the museum originated from an art and natural sciences collection of Nikolaus von Himsel (1729–1764), a Riga doctor. Today the Museum of the History of Riga and Navigation collections number more than 500 000 items, systematised in about 80 collections.
The Louvre Museum in Paris (France), also a former royal palace, opened to the public in 1793.
The Brukenthal National Museum, erected in the late 18th century in Sibiu, Transylvania, Romania, housed in the palace of Samuel von Brukenthal—who was Habsburg governor of Transylvania and who established its first collections around 1790. The collections were officially opened to the public in 1817, making it the oldest institution of its kind in Romania.
↑ Ortrere, Ulrike (2024). Kurfürstlicher Stall and Stallhof Dresden - Das erste Museum der Neuzeit[The Dresden Electoral Stable and Courtyard - the first museum of modern times.] (in German). Tredition. ISBN979-8302604828.
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