Museums around the world beckon visitors to explore new cultures and ideas through their carefully curated collections and transcendent exhibitions. But for those who are quick to dismiss museums as boring or stuffy, it’s time to think again. From Senegal to Japan, these museums have mastered the art of making visitors rethink society through their collections and exhibits. Whether you’re looking for an immersive experience or just want to learn something new, these are the best museums in the world to visit.
A not-for-profit, permanent institution in service of society and its development, open to the public, which acquires, conserves, researches, communicates and exhibits tangible and intangible heritage for education, enjoyment, reflection and knowledge sharing. Museums act ethically and responsibly, in partnership with their communities and foster diversity and sustainability.
As institutions that collect, preserve and interpret the primary tangible evidence of human activity and the natural world, museums differ from libraries in that their items are unique, removed in time, place, context and circumstance from their original environment and they communicate directly with the public. As such, the museum is a heuristic field for the research of cultural and natural history (Noble 1970).
In recent years, many museums have taken on additional economic roles such as urban revitalization. The Guggenheim Bilbao in Spain is a good example of this, as it was built to help revive the postindustrial city. In other cases, museums have developed as centers for tourism, such as the National Palace of Brazil in Rio de Janeiro, which has become one of the most popular attractions in the country.
While some museums have seen their visitor numbers dip in recent years, others have experienced steady or increased attendance. Statista, a data company that aggregates and analyzes museum visitation figures, has released its list of the most visited museums in 2019. From iconic landmarks like the Metropolitan Museum of Art to lesser-known venues, these are the museums that have made it onto this year’s list.
Although the list consists of mostly European museums, there are a few other standouts from around the globe. London’s Natural History Museum, for instance, is the most-visited museum in Europe and is renowned for its Hintze Hall, where past residents include Dippy the diplodocus and Hope the 82-foot-long blue whale.
As the international community of museums continues to adapt to changing societal needs, it’s important to revisit how we define the museum. At the Icom Extraordinary General Assembly in Prague, Icom members voted to adopt a new definition of a museum that is more aligned with some of these key changes. The new definition, which will be adopted by Unesco and is based on the CC model, emphasises inclusivity, participation and sustainability. Read the full text of the new definition here. Icom also has created a dedicated space for committees and members to consult documents related to the reformulation of the museum definition, called ICOM Define. It’s an excellent resource for those interested in learning more about the new definition and its process.