Description of the attraction
One of the main attractions of the Irish city of Limerick is undoubtedly the amusing Hunt Museum.
The history of the museum began with the private collection of the spouses John and Gertrude Hunt. For the first time, a magnificent collection of ancient artifacts and objects of fine and decorative-applied art (or rather, part of it) was presented to the public in 1978. As a temporary display, the collection was housed in the exhibition hall of the National Institute of Higher Education (today the University of Limerick). In the meantime, the search for a suitable building in which the preservation and display of antiquities could be properly organized was crowned with success. The historic building of the Customs House, built in the 18th century by the Italian architect Davis Ducart and which is an excellent example of the so-called Palladium architecture, was chosen as a "new home" for the unique collection of the Hunt spouses. In February 1997, after a lengthy and extensive renovation, the Hunt Museum finally opened its doors to visitors.
The collection of the museum has about 2000 exhibits, a significant part of which is related to Ireland, perfectly illustrating the development of its history and culture (the earliest date back to the Neolithic era). The Hunt Museum is famous for its unique artifacts from ancient Greece, Egypt and Rome. The exhibition presents a variety of archaeological finds, ceramics, bronze, silver and ivory, weapons and tools, statues of wood and stone, jewelry, church relics, paintings and much more. Among the most interesting museum treasures are perhaps the bronze horse by Leonardo da Vinci, the Antrim cross made of bronze and enamel (9th century), as well as works by Pablo Picasso and Auguste Renoir.
The Hunt Museum regularly hosts various temporary exhibitions, as well as themed lectures and seminars for both children and adults.
