The National Maritime Museum in Greenwich - perhaps the largest maritime museum in the world. Although Britain has for centuries been the number one maritime power and largely relied on its navy, is dedicated to the exposition more peaceful sea - geographical discoveries, wonders of shipbuilding.

Museum was created relatively recently, in 1934. The main merit here belongs to a wealthy shipowner and philanthropist Sir James Kerdo. Donating large sums to preserve the ancient ships, he supported the idea of ​​creating a national museum, reflecting the maritime history of the country. The collection formed the basis for this patron bought rare books, maps, globes, nautical instruments, works of art.

Established a special act of parliament, the museum is housed in the former Royal Naval Hospital at Greenwich, was created in 1694 by Queen Mary II for the sailors-veterans. The complex also includes a relatively small Queens House ("House of the Queen"), the Royal Observatory Greenwich and 120-seat digital planetarium Peter Harrison, named after its main sponsor.

Hard to believe, but the museum's collection includes more than two million exhibits - models and drawings of ships, scientific and navigational instruments, maps, manuscripts, documents, paintings and sculptures. Archives and libraries hold more than one hundred thousands of old books on the history of maritime affairs - from the XV century.

In the museum you can see a saved this carefully feed the military sailboat tall with a three-storey house. The stands - carved tillers boats, pipes sailors, sextants and chronometers. Slowly rotating paddles huge operating model paddle steamer - the whole mechanism is shown in cross-section, it can be seen as part of a coordinated move. Nearby turns the optical system of the coastal lighthouse. Near the gilded royal vessel - underwater landscape with diver in the modern high-tech suit. A gallery of Admiral Nelson's wort exhibited uniform - he was at the famous naval commander, when the order was mortally wounded in the Battle of Trafalgar.

There is a museum of artifacts that were brought here after World War II in Germany - ship models, paintings. From time to time the administration has been criticized for the fact that it keeps the "stolen". But the museum believe that this war trophies went to the winner of the decisions of the Potsdam Conference.