Description of the attraction
The Taylor Museum is a renowned museum of art, natural history and science in Haarlem and one of the oldest and most interesting museums in the Netherlands and definitely worth a visit.
The history of the Taylor Museum began in 1778 after the death of the famous Dutch merchant and banker of Scottish descent, an active supporter of the Enlightenment and Mennonite Peter Taylor van der Hulst, who bequeathed his unique collection and two million florins for the development of religion, science and art in his hometown. So in Haarlem, the Taylor Foundation was created, and then the Center for Research and Education, for which a new building was specially built next to the house where Peter Taylor van der Hulst lived, where books and various exhibits could be stored, exhibitions and thematic meetings, as well as organize lectures and seminars and conduct experiments. Due to its unusual shape, the building was named "Oval Hall". The grand opening of the Oval Hall took place in 1784, and in fact it became the first public museum in the Netherlands, although at that time it did not yet have the status of a museum.
Gradually, the Taylor Museum, whose collection was regularly replenished and required additional exhibition space, was substantially expanded, while the Oval Hall remained almost in its original form, with the exception of some changes that were made around 1800. For example, a reading room was added in 1825, new galleries were completed in 1825 and 1838, and by the end of the 19th century a new entrance was built overlooking the Sparne River, the library was expanded, an auditorium and several exhibition halls were added. A new wing was also built in the 90s of the 20th century, and in 2002 the building adjacent to the museum (next to the main entrance) was converted into a museum shop.
Today, the Taylor Museum is one of the most visited attractions in Haarlem. The collection of the museum is vast and varied and includes various scientific instruments, medals, coins, an impressive collection of fossils, minerals, paintings, prints, drawings, etc. Here you will be able to see sketches of the legendary Michelangelo, including previous paintings by the master of the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel and graphic works by Rembrandt and Adrian van Ostade, as well as works by Raphael, Lorrain, Goltzius and Guercino, a large electrostatic generator of the 18th century, an Archeopteryx fossil and much other. The observatory of the museum undoubtedly deserves special attention, as well as the library, which houses a wide variety of books and periodicals, including quite rare ones, as well as a unique archive that illustrates in detail the history of the museum since its inception.
