Galileo Museum

The Galileo Museum is one of the most famous museums not only in Florence, but throughout Italy. The exhibition was located in the ancient Castellani Palace, built in the 11th century. For a long time it was called the Institute of the History of Science. Today it is a scientific and technical museum, which owns one of the most important collections of scientific instruments in the world, they prove the connection between the activities of the Medici family and the Dukes of Lorraine with the development of science and technology.

History of creation

The Galileo Museum was founded by Duke Cosimo de' Medici, who began collecting original instruments and unusual devices. But for a long time the exhibits were not available to the general public, accumulating in the rooms of the palace. The first time scientific wonders were exhibited in the Uffizi Gallery was only two centuries later. Subsequently, the collection was transported to the Museum of Zoology. It was only in 1930 that the Science Museum was founded, where a fairly large collection was moved. Today, the Galileo Museum boasts the largest collection of scientific instruments, collected over several centuries by two of the greatest families of Florence: the Medici and the Lorraine.

Brief description

The Galileo Museum begins with the famous sundial, capable of correctly determining noon at any time of the year. In total, the museum occupies 18 halls, located on two floors. In addition to the exhibits, there is a library containing works on mathematics and physics, written by scientists of the Renaissance, as well as modern researchers.

The museum also has a modern digital applications laboratory that helps preserve priceless works of ancient technology and science through the centuries. On the ground floor is the Medici collection, where Galileo's belongings (including telescopes and objective lenses) and rare artifacts of the 15th-17th centuries are located. The second floor presents exhibits from a later period: they were already collected by the Lorraines. Here are chemical sets, electromagnetic apparatus, the first mechanical and medical instruments, microscopes and compasses. However, most of the exhibits are in working condition and are real works of art. In those days, it was customary to decorate one-piece specimens with precious stones, engravings, exquisite carvings and not always use them for their intended purpose.

Museum Features

At the end of the exhibition of the Galileo Museum there is a cozy bookstore. The third floor hosts international meetings and temporary exhibitions. It will take at least two hours to view all the exhibits. Modern technologies make it possible to obtain information about each exhibit in any language using barcodes, so it is quite possible to do without a Russian-speaking accompanying person. You can also download the mobile application on the official website of the museum.

A visit to the Galileo Museum will be useful for both young tourists and their parents and older relatives. And for young visitors, lessons in ancient crafts, in which you can directly participate, are of additional interest.