World's largest museum coming in India: Yuge Yugeen Bharat Museum bigger than Louvre in Paris and British Museum in London combined to open in Delhi; check opening date
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Yuge Yugeen Bharat Museum: How It Compares With The World’s Biggest Museums
Cabinet has approved the Yuge Yugeen Bharat Museum at Delhi’s North and South Block, at a cost of Rs 3,230 crore. The built-up area is about 19.2 lakh sq ft (1,78,509 sq m). The government note says it will have the largest display area in the world. But it gives only the built-up area, not the gallery area.
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Louvre, Paris: 7.83 Lakh Sq Ft Of Gallery Space
The Louvre opened as a museum in 1793, inside a former royal palace. According to Wikipedia’s list of largest art museums, it has 7.83 lakh sq ft (72,735 sq m) of gallery space. That makes it the biggest by gallery space. Its best known treasures are the Mona Lisa, the Venus de Milo and the Winged Victory of Samothrace.
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British Museum, London: 8.07 Lakh Sq Ft
The British Museum was founded in 1753 and opened to the public in 1759, as the world’s first national public museum. Wikipedia lists its area at about 8.07 lakh sq ft across 94 galleries. It holds around 8 million objects. Its most famous items include the Rosetta Stone and the Parthenon Marbles.
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Hermitage, St Petersburg: 25 Lakh Sq Ft Floor Area
The State Hermitage Museum was founded in 1764 and is housed in six buildings, including the Winter Palace. Wikipedia’s list of largest museums puts its floor area at about 25 lakh sq ft (2,33,345 sq m). It holds over 3 million items, with works by Leonardo da Vinci and Rembrandt.
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National Museum Of China, Beijing: 20.7 Lakh Sq Ft Floor Area
The National Museum of China was established in 1959 and sits on the east side of Tiananmen Square. Wikipedia lists a total floor space of nearly 20.7 lakh sq ft, with 48 exhibition halls and more than 1.4 million items. It reopened in 2011 after a four year renovation that tripled its display space.
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Metropolitan Museum Of Art, New York: About 20 Lakh Sq Ft
The Met was founded in 1870 and is the largest art museum in the United States. Its main building covers around 20 lakh sq ft of floor space. EveryTicket lists its gallery space at about 6.3 lakh sq ft. It is home to the Temple of Dendur, an ancient Egyptian temple rebuilt inside the museum.
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So Where Does India’s Museum Stand?
By built-up area, Yuge Yugeen Bharat’s 19.2 lakh sq ft would be bigger than Louvre Museum and British Museum. But it would trail the Hermitage (25 lakh), the National Museum of China (20.7 lakh) and the Met (about 20 lakh). The display area claim cannot be checked until the gallery area is published.
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When It Opens And How Many Will Visit
The project will be built in phases from FY 2026-27 to FY 2030-31. The first gallery, on Adornment, is expected to open in North Block in the later part of 2027. The museum is being equipped to handle one crore visitors a year. Around 1.8 million objects have been identified for display. They will come from the National Museum, other Ministry of Culture museums, 52 ASI site museums, state museums and private collections. Galleries are planned on Adornment, Architecture and Cityscapes, Mathematics and Astronomy, Languages and Scripts, Faith and Spirituality, and Bharat Connects, on trade and ideas.It was first announced by the Prime Minister on May 18, 2023.