This book tells about the history of various museums in the world, about their founders, about famous collectors and their collections. How long ago did the museums themselves appear? Which of them was the first? Where was it opened? Why is the museum called a museum , and not in any other way? What is the science of museology studying? What separate groups are divided into a huge number of museums in the world? Our book from the series "What is what" tells about all this and about many other things . Among the attractions of any city, almost the first place belongs to museums .. Moscow in the minds of many is associated primarily with the Tretyakov Gallery and the Museum of Fine Arts named after A. C. Pushkina, St. Petersburg - with the Hermitage . the Russian Museum . Kunstkamera . Paris is famous for the Louvre, London - the British Museum, Madame Tussauds Wax Museum and the museum-apartment in 221b Baker Street, but in addition to the famous museums there are less famous, but no less interesting. In the same London - museums of tea and coffee, cinema and television Bank of England, War Regalia, London Transport... In St. Petersburg - museums of zoological, artillery, military-historical, not to mention numerous memorial museums of great writers, artists, scientists, and, of course, wonderful museums are open not only in capitals, but also in large and small cities of different parts of the Earth. "What Is What" is a series of thematic encyclopedias published from 1994 to 2001 by the publishing house "Word" and aimed at school-age children. Initially, it was translated materials of a similar German series "Was ist was", but later, as part of the series, the publishing house began to produce works by domestic authors. The abundance of illustrations, fascination, diversity and accessibility of the presentation of the material predetermined the great popularity of the series. "What is What" easy reading - serious knowledge!Other books in the series "What is What":Byzantine Wolves of Heaven. Flags Calendar. Caves of the Cat. Time. Dolls. Butterflies Sculpture. Our Body . Ancient Greeks Ancient myths Myths of Slavs Sun Apes Ancient China . Painting Orbital Stations . Underwater exploration of the Earth Planet Ancient Greece. Trees. Forest. Poisonous plants . Money from Russia . Multimedia and virtual worlds Natural Disasters Mountains Pyramids Museums Travelers . Crusaders Weather. Bees, Bumblebees, Wasps Moors Elephants Fish Birds Ships Gladiators Samurai. Pirates. Water. Bridges . Geographic Maps of the Witch Star. Internet Seven Wonders of the World Predators Nuclear Power Arctic and Antarctic. Indians Horses Dinosaurs Ancient Russia . Moscow Rus Revival . Mysterious Treasure Phenomena . Tropical Forest