Museum Hall

The crowds of anxious onlookers scuttle about the museum with wide eyes that search the far corners of canvass and carving for hidden meanings and historical context. The large chamber echos the whispers, footsteps, and bustling activity at this popular attraction. The first public museums in the world opened in Europe during the 18th century and the Age of Enlightenment. The first publicly owned museum in Europe was the Amerbach-Cabinet in Basel, Switzerland, originally a private collection sold to the city in 1661 and public since 1671. The Louvre in Paris was established in 1793, soon after the French Revolution when the royal treasures were declared for the people. The specialised art museum is considered a fairly modern invention, the first being the Hermitage in Saint Petersburg which was established in 1764. This sound uses the following sound file from Freesound: http://www.freesound.org/samplesViewSingle.php?id=89690