National museums of Kenya are state institutions of the country, founded in 2006 on the basis of the main National Museum in Nairobi . By their creation, museums were called upon to accumulate, preserve, conduct research, to exhibit the historical and contemporary natural and cultural heritage of the country. There are more than 20 museums in the complex, among which the most popular are the National Museum in Nairobi , the Karen Blixen Museum , the Lamu Museum , the Oloredgeseli, the Meru Museum, Khairax Hill and others. Under the control of the National Museums of Kenya there are also some sights and historical monuments, two institutes are operating. In this article we will tell you about the most outstanding and most visited.
The main museums of the country
National Museum in Nairobi
The official opening of the museum took place in September 1930. It was originally named in honor of Kenya Governor Robert Korendon. After the independence was celebrated in Kenya in 1963, the attraction became known as the National Museum of Kenya.
The museum is dedicated to the historical and cultural values of the country. Here tourists can see one of the exclusive collections of flora and fauna in the territory of East Africa. On the ground floor of the building for visitors, exhibitions of contemporary art of Kenya are regularly organized.
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Karen Blixen Museum
The building, which currently houses a museum, was built by an architect from Sweden in 1912 on the site of a farm near Nairobi. After the farm owner Karen Blixen, after the death of her husband, sold the property and left Africa, the house was replaced by several owners. However, after the release of the film "From Africa" on the wide screen, interest in Blixen's heritage grew, and the Kenyan authorities bought the house, having organized a museum in it. Since 1986, the doors of the museum are open to visitors.
Here are the original interior items. Among the many interesting exhibits is a bookcase built for the library of Dennis Hutton, Karen's lover. Most of the expositions devoted to the film "From Africa" are also in the museum.
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Lamu Museum
The list of National Museums of Kenya includes the Lamu Museum, which was opened in 1984 in the city of the same name. The construction of Fort Lamu, which now houses the museum, started in 1813, and was completed only after 8 years.
Until 1984, the fort was used by the authorities to keep prisoners, later the prison was transferred to the National Museums of Kenya. On the ground floor of the Lamu Museum there are exhibits of three different themes: land, sea and freshwater. Most of the expositions reflect the material culture of the peoples of the coast of Kenya. On the second floor you can visit the restaurant, laboratory and workshops, there are also administrative offices.
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Kisumu Museum
Among the remarkable National Museums, the Kisumu Museum stands out for its unusualness. The museum was founded in the city of Kisumu , it was planned in 1975, and already in April 1980 its doors were open to the general public.
Among the museum's expositions are items that reflect the material values and culture of the inhabitants of the Western Rift Valley. Exhibits of local fauna of the region are presented. Of particular interest to tourists is the reconstructed life-sized manor of the peoples of Luo.
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The Hirax Hill Museum
Among the most visited National Museums in Kenya, the Hayrax Hill Museum is selected, as the number of visitors reaches up to ten thousand a year. Hyrax Hill has received the status of a state monument and since 1965 has been hosting tourists.
Originally, the building was used as an apartment building, but after the death of the owner it was used as a museum. The house consists of three rooms, in which various exhibits are located. In the central room there is a map of excavations and archaeological artifacts, the other two have graphic and historical values. The presented collection includes about 400 objects and objects of art: wooden sculptures, musical instruments, hunting implements, household items made of clay, metal, bamboo and much more.
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