Description of the attraction
The Vancouver Museum was founded in April 1894 as the Vancouver Art, Historical and Scientific Association and did not have its own premises for quite a long time, displaying its collections at various temporary exhibitions. In 1903, an impressive collection of the association was officially handed over to the city, and in 1905, the first permanent exhibition of the Vancouver City Museum was inaugurated at the Carnegie Library building.
As the years passed, the collection of the museum was rapidly replenished and in 1958 the library moved to a new building, and the City Museum became the only inhabitant of the Carnegie Center. In 1967, as part of the Centenary of Canada's Confederation program, the city finally decided to build a new building for the museum. The new museum opened its doors to visitors in 1968. The original structure with an unusual dome, very reminiscent of the wicker hat of the indigenous peoples who once lived on the northwest coast, was designed by the famous architect Gerard Hamilton and is today one of the main architectural attractions of Vancouver. Together with the new building, the museum received a new name - "Museum of the Century". Subsequently, the museum was renamed the Vancouver Museum (1981), and already in 2009 it received its modern name - Vancouver Museum.
The impressive collection of the museum, which today has more than 65,000 exhibits, has been collected for over a hundred years. Initially, the goal was to acquaint the residents of Vancouver with the history of world culture, but over time, the management of the museum focused on artifacts illustrating the history of Vancouver itself and its environs, and this direction remains a priority today. The museum is famous for a wide range of general educational programs, among which weekend family programs are undoubtedly especially popular - an ideal option for an informative family pastime.
The Vancouver Museum is also home to the Astronomical Museum and Planetarium known as the Macmillan Space Center and named after the Canadian industrialist and philanthropist Gordon Macmillan, who provided significant financial assistance in the construction of the museum building.
