The national Maritime Museum in Greenwich – perhaps the largest Maritime Museum in the world. Although Britain for centuries was a Maritime power and relied heavily on its Navy, is devoted to exposition rather peaceful sea – geographical discoveries, wonders of shipbuilding.

The Museum was relatively recently, in 1934. Most of the credit here belongs to a wealthy ship owner and philanthropist sir James Cardo. Donating large sums to the preservation of historic ships, he supported the idea of establishing a national Museum that reflects the Maritime history of the country. In the collection was inspired by purchased for this patron rare books, maps, globes, nautical instruments, works of art.

Established by a special act of Parliament, the Museum is located in buildings of the former Royal naval hospital in Greenwich, founded in 1694 Queen Mary II for the sailors of the veterans. The complex includes also a relatively small Queens house ("the house of the Queen), Royal Observatory of Greenwich and a 120-seat digital planetarium Peter Harrison, named after its main sponsor.

Hard to believe, but the Museum's collection includes more than two million artifacts – models and drawings of ships, scientific and navigational instruments, maps, manuscripts, documents, paintings and sculptures. The archive and library store more than a hundred thousand old books on the history of Maritime Affairs since the XV century.

In the Museum you can see the carefully preserved real stern military sailing ship tall three-story house. On the stands – carved Rumeli boats, pipes sailors, sextants and chronometers. Slowly rotate plicae huge working model paddle steamer – the entire mechanism shown in section, shows how consistently moving his part. Near spinning optical system of a coastal lighthouse. Near gilded Royal ship – underwater landscape with a diver in a modern high-tech suit. And in the gallery of Admiral Nelson perforatum exhibited uniform – he was in the famous naval commander, when mortally wounded in the battle of Trafalgar.

In the Museum there are exhibits brought here after WWII from Germany, model ships, paintings. From time to time, the administration criticized for the fact that she has "stolen". But in the Museum believe that it is the spoils of war, which the winner by the decisions of the Potsdam conference.