The
Galileo Museum
?in
Florence
is an international reference on
Galileo Galilei
and the history of science. Five centuries of scientific collection are permanently displayed here, thanks to the
Medici and Lorraine families
. The Medici collection began in the 16th century, first in
Palazzo Vecchio
, then at the
Uffizi
and finally in
Palazzo Pitti
with the foundation of the
Accademia del Cimento
in 1657. In the 18th century the Lorraine family kept collecting and the
Grand Duke Peter Leopold of Habsburg-Lorraine
founded in Torrigiani Palace a veritable
Museum of Physics
. The adjoining workshop was attended by astronomers, physicists and inventors of great stature. In the 19th century was built the
Tribune of Galileo
to display all of his most renowned instruments and artifacts. But after the
unification of Italy
in 1861 the collections were broken up and abandoned, until the foundation of the
Institute of the History of Science
in 1927. The aim of the institute was to collect, catalog and restore this important scientific collection, up to the current
Galileo Museum
opened in 2010, that inherited and preserves today all those masterpieces of scientific culture. The collection displays all the instruments realized by Galileo Galilei, as the huge selection of
telescopes
, along with old globes and carved celestial spheres, not only to admire but also
interactive thanks to educational workshops.
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