Topic 12 Why people go to museums?

It is an interesting phenomenon that, when traveling to new places they have never been to before, many people choose to visit museums. Why museums are people's common choice? Based on my personal experience and according to my observations (наблюдения), I think this is because museums tell people a lot about the culture of those places and provide them with entertainment.

It is easy to find out many ways to obtain knowledge about the culture of the place where people visit for the first time. You can go to a theater, a church or a nightclub. Another option is to sit in the park and watch the people around you. Among various options, visiting museums might be the most efficient way. Museums show you the history and art and those things that the locals think important, some of the exhibits might be unique in the world. On the other hand, the museums themselves are part of the landscape of a place. Many museums are designed and built based on the historical and artistic characteristics of the places where the museums are located in. The Forbidden City Museum is the most favorite tourist site because not only it contains a large variety of historical treasures and art works but also it is the representative of the Chinese history and the highest achievement of Chinese ancient architecture. As a result, people are willing to choose museums as their first destination to understand culture of the place that they visit.

Museums also give people entertainment. Even if you are not interested in art or history, there is always something to catch your attention. Many museums now have what they call "interactive" exhibits. The "interactive" activities were originally designed to keep children occupied while their parents were looking at the exhibits. However, the interesting thing is that adults are keen (заинтересованы, стремятся) to these activities as well as their children. It is fascinating to create your own work of painting at an art museum or to design an appearance of a robot by yourself in a science museum. People can be really pleased through performing the "interactive" works in museums, as well as gaining related knowledge. Both local people and visitors welcome museums because museums are an essential part of our life. They reflect our history, our art, our values, our creations and our dreams. No matter who you are and what you like, somewhere there is a museum that will amaze and interest you.