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About This Quiz
You know The Louvre in Paris is home to the "Mona Lisa," — and that it played a big role in "The Da Vinci Code," but do you know what this beloved museum actually looks like? Could you tell the difference between British institutions like the Tate Modern or the Victoria and Albert? Think you could recognize the Anne Frank House or the House of Terror Museum from a single image? Take our quiz to see how many of Europe's greatest art and history institutions you can identify.
The United States has some incredible museums, from the Smithsonian facilities in Washington, DC to MOMA and The Met in NYC, but if you think American museums are impressive, wait until you see what awaits you on a trip to Europe. The fact that people have been setting up cities in Europe for thousands of years means that these nations have had plenty of time to collect pieces worth putting on display — not to mention build institutions worthy of holding such iconic works, many of which were once actual palaces or castles. You'll find exhibits dedicated to European masters, Renaissance artists, ancient Egypt, incredible specimens of nature and to some of the darkest days in human history. Think you can name Europe's most beloved museums from just one image? Prove it with this quiz!
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Architect Frank Gehry gave this museum in northern Spain its striking design, but can you guess the name of this landmark?
Guggenheim Museum Bilbao
The Guggenheim Museum Bilbao opened in northern Spain in 1997 to showcase the Guggenheim collection of modern art. Thanks to a design by esteemed architect Frank Gehry, the structure is a work of art in itself, its curved titanium walls reflecting the sun onto the nearby Nervion River. While the displays inside change frequently, one permanent exhibit has been there since the beginning; known as "The Matter of Time," it consists of enormous steel sculptures, including one known simply as "Snake."
Queen Sofia Museum
Little Museum of Dublin
House of Terror Museum
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This French museum gets 10 million visitors a year, many of whom are there to see "Mona Lisa." Can you guess what it's called?
National Museum of Iceland
The Amber Museum
The Louvre
It began as a 12th-century palace before it was transformed into a museum in 1793. Today the Louvre in Paris, France is the world's largest museum thanks to massive collections of Egyptian and Islamic works, as well as priceless pieces like "Mona Lisa," "Venus de Milo," and "Winged Victory." I.M. Pei designed the modern glass pyramids that have welcomed visitors to the museum since the late '80s.
Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum
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What is the name of this major museum, which proudly names the Rosetta Stone among its most popular displays?
S.M.A.K.
The State Hermitage Museum
Victoria and Albert Museum
British Museum
According to its website, The British Museum was the first national public museum in the world when it opened in 1759. Today, the building with its enormous glass ceiling welcomes 6 million visitors a year who marvel at the Rosetta Stone, an inscribed tablet which allowed archaeologists to finally decipher ancient Egyptian hieroglyphics. While you're there, take the time to view the Parthenon sculptures, which were installed on the Acropolis in Athens around 440 BC.
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The locals calls this Amsterdam institution Rijksmuseum, but can you guess the English name for this museum of European art?
Dutch National Museum
Rijksmuseum, or the Dutch National Museum, has been welcoming visitors to its location on Amsterdam's Museum Square since 1808. The current Gothic Revival structure was built in the late 19th century to house a growing collection of art. If you visit, be sure to check out precious paintings like Rembrandt's "The Night Watch" and Vermeer's "The Milkmaid," as well as a gorgeous sculpture garden.
NEMO Science Museum
Jewish Museum in Praguse
Museum of Art History in Vienna
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One of Portugal's most popular museums opened in Porto in 1999. Think you know its name?
The National Gallery London
National Museum of Scotland
The Serralves Museum
The sleek and modern Serralves Museum in the coastal city of Porto, Portugal is the perfect setting for the contemporary works contained inside, which mostly date from the '60s to today. Forbes estimates that this landmark gets 300,000 visitors a year, many of whom also tour the adjacent Case de Serralves, a classic Art Deco home on the property.
The Vatican Museums
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Housed in a stunning 1900 Beaux-Arts building that was once a rail station, name this French art museum where you can view works by European masters.
Fram Polar Ship Museum
Musee d'Orsay
Visitors to the 1900 Paris Exposition arrived via train into the magnificent Gare d'Orsay. As trains grew in size over the years, the station was abandoned but has been preserved thanks to the Musee d'Orsay, which opened inside the building in the '80s. Flooded with light and packed with classical details, the museum holds works such as Van Gogh's "Starry Night" and Renoir's "Bal du Moulin de la Galette."
Museo del Prado
Acropolis Museum
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Housed in an old power station next to the Thames in London, can you name this art museum that opened in 2000?
The Louvre
National History Museum London
Victoria and Albert Museum
Tate Modern
One of four Tate museums, the Tate Modern primarily displays 20th century works by British artists. Built in an old power station, the museum has re-purposed large underground storage tanks into display and performance spaces. Its exterior consists of brown brick arranged in a lattice design, and admission is free to all who wish to take in its displays.
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Choose the correct name for this Amsterdam museum associated with one very famous diary.
The National Gallery London
Anne Frank House
During WWII, Anne Frank and her family hid from the Nazis in a "Secret Annex" within a home in Amsterdam. While sharing a 500 sf space with seven other people, the young girl kept a diary that eventually became a bestseller. The home was transformed into a museum in 1960, serving a memorial to Frank and her family.
The Amber Museum
Little Museum of Dublin
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Italy's powerful Medici family opened this institution to visitors in 1765. What is the name of this museum dedicated to the Italian Renaissance?
The Uffizi Gallery
Visitors have flocked to the Uffizi Gallery in Florence, Italy for more than 200 years to take in masterpieces from the Italian Renaissance. It is here that you can view famous paintings like Botticelli's "The Birth of Venus," Caravaggio's "Medusa" and countless pieces by artists ranging from da Vinci to Raphael.
Museum of Archaeology Cambridge
S.M.A.K.
Neues Museum
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One of the most uniquely-designed museums in Europe is this modern art establishment in Paris, but can you guess its name?
The Vatican Museums
Acropolis Museum
Dutch National Museum
The Pompidou Centre
You have never seen anything like the Pompidou Centre in Paris. Sure, it houses the National Museum of Modern Art, including works by Matisse, Picasso and Kadinsky, but the site most likely to make your jaw drop is the building itself. All systems, such as elevators, stairs, pipes, ducts and electrical runs, are housed outside the building, leaving the inside free for gallery space. All of the exterior systems are colored coded as well, resulting in a building with a unique look unmatched by any other.
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What is the name of this Spanish National Museum, which focuses on 20th century art by Spanish natives?
House of Terror Museum
The Serralves Museum
Queen Sofia Museum
Museo Reina Sofia or the Queen Sofia Museum opened in Madrid in 1992. Dedicated to 20th century works by Spanish artist, it houses pieces by Salvador Dali and Picasso, including the iconic 1937 work "Guernica."
National Museum of Iceland
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Name this St. Petersburg institution, which consists of five grand buildings, including the famous Winter Palace.
Guggenheim Museum Bilbao
The State Hermitage Museum
The State Hermitage Museum in Russia has been open to the public since 1852, and is home to more than 3 million items, according to the museum's website. Visitors can take in galleries of Egyptian and Classical artifacts, view arms and armor from the Middle Ages in the Knight's Hall and view priceless paintings like Matisse's "The Dance" or da Vinci's "The Madonna Litta."
NEMO Science Museum
National Museum of Scotland
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Flemish art refers to works created between the 15th and 17th century in what is now the Netherlands. Name this museum rich in works from this period.
Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum
S.M.A.K.
The Stedelijk Museum voor Actuele Kunst commonly abbreviated as S.M.A.K. and also known as the City Museum for Contemporary Art, opened in 1999 and is now one of Belgium's most popular museums. Located opposite the Museum of Fine Arts, S.M.A.K. primarily includes Flemish art and European art produced between the Middle Ages and the 20th century.
Musee d'Orsay
Jewish Museum in Prague
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With exhibits dedicated to Darwin, rare gems and dinosaurs, name this gorgeous Austrian museum.
Vienna Museum of Natural History
Visitors to the Vienna Museum of Natural History walk under an entrance dome painted with images of famous scientists and naturalists. Opened in the late 19th century, this institution sits opposite the identical — and equally magnificent — Vienna Museum of Fine Arts. Inside, you can view rare and exquisite gems and minerals, fossils of dinosaurs and other extinct species, and a 30,000 year old figure of the goddess Venus.
The Pompidou Centre
The National Gallery London
Queen Sofia Museum
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Named for a pair of royals, can you identify this posh museum located in London?
Kroller-Muller Museum
Hamburger Kunsthalle
Victoria and Albert Museum
After the 1851 London Exposition, many of the items on display were moved to the Victoria and Albert Museum. It opened in 1852, moving to its current Edwardian and Gothic building in 1909. Dedicated to applied art and decorating, the museum includes galleries containing furniture, metalwork and jewelry, as well as the earliest known photograph of London, which was taken in 1839.
Jewish Museum in Prague
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Located within an enclave in Rome, can you recall the name of this institution, which includes many museums, where you can view the Sistine Chapel?
The Vatican Museums
The Vatican Museums include 50 galleries spread throughout Vatican City in Rome. Here you can see Michelangelo's paintings on the ceiling of the Sistine Chapel, da Vinci's "St. Jerome in the Wilderness," and the iconic ancient Greek sculpture "Laocoon and His Sons," as well as countless other religious artifacts. Shown here is the New Wing, Braccio Nuovo built by Raffaele Stern.
Dutch National Museum
Museum of Art History in Vienna
House of Terror Museum
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Just one of many attractions on Berlin's Museum Island, what is the name of this neoclassical building that opened in the 1840s?
The Serralves Museum
Museum of Archaeology Cambridge
Museo Reina Sofia
Neues Museum
Neues Museum, or New Museum in German opened in the 1840s to accommodate the city's growing collection of art and artifacts, which were too much for the Altes, or Old Museum. Neues contain art from all over the world, including a mask of Queen Nefertiti from ancient Egypt. The neoclassical building is made of concrete and iron, with plenty of fine details to catch the eye.
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What was once a neoclassical Spanish palace was transformed into this museum. Do you know what it's called?
Little Museum of Dublin
Anne Frank House
Museo del Prado
Madrid's Museo del Prado resides in a building as gorgeous and eye-catching as the works contained within. Visitors can view European art created between the 12th and 20th centuries, including a large collection of works by Spanish artists. One of the most famous paintings at Prado is "Las Meninas," or "Ladies in Waiting," a 1656 painting by Diego Velazquez.
The Uffizi Gallery
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London's Trafalgar Square is home to plenty of great sites, including this museum that opened in 1842. Know its name?
The Amber Museum
The National Gallery London
Opened in 1842, London's National Gallery houses paintings produced over the past 1,000 years. Topped by neoclassical domes, the building contains such revered works as Boticelli's "Venus and Mars," Van Gogh's "Sunflowers," Monet's "The Water-Lily Pond," and "The Arnolfini Project" by Jan van Eyck.
Kuku Art Museum
The Louvre
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Know the name of this museum named for a German city?
Hamburger Kunsthalle
Opened in 1850, Hamburger Kunsthalle — or art hall — features European art dating from the 14th century to today. Germany's largest museum, its main building is an exquisite Italian Renaissance structure packed with paintings by old masters.
National History Museum London
National Museum of Scotland
Victoria and Albert Museum
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Do you know the name of this popular art museum, which is housed within a genuine Italian castle from the 12th century?
National Museum of Iceland
National Museum of Scotland
Museum of Contemporary Art of Turin
Opened in 1984, the Museum of Contemporary Art of Turin offers visitors a two-in-one experience. Not only can you view Italian art from the Middle Ages to the Modern era, but you can also enjoy the building itself — the 12th century Castillo di Rivoli, which was given a Baroque revival in the 1800s.
Acropolis Museum
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Â¥our
If you're ever in the Czech Republic, check out this museum, which incorporates historic synagogues and cemeteries as well as a functionalist-style museum.
British Museum
Jewish Museum in Prague
Founded in 1906, the Jewish Museum in Prague is made up of galleries focused on Jewish life and art, but also includes local Jewish cemeteries, ceremonial halls and synagogues. The museum's collection includes more than 40,000 artifacts, according to the Official Tourist Website for the City of Prague.
NEMO Science Museum
The Uffizi Gallery
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Formed in 2004, choose the correct name for this institution that the Danish call Statens Naturhistoriske Museum.
Hamburger Kunsthalle
The Serralves Museum
The National Museum of Denmark
The National Museum of Denmark was established in 2004, when Copenhagen's Botanical Garden, Geological and Zoological Museums were united as a single entity. Visitors can view examples of animals both living and extinct, rare plant life, and the remains of a dinosaur named Misty.
Anne Frank House
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It looks like a simple corner townhouse or office, but do you know the name of this museum that focuses on Budapest's darkest history?
The Pompidou Centre
Musee d'Orsay
Guggenheim Museum Bilbao
House of Terror Museum
The building at 60 Andrassy Blvd in Budapest might not look like much, but it has a horrible history. It not only served as the Nazi headquarters in the '40s, but later housed the Soviet State Security Authority, which was designed to interrogate and punish government detractors during the Soviet regime. Visitors to this building, now the House of Terror Museum, can tour the basement where hundreds of people lost their lives over the years.
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Housed in an unassuming town home, what is the name of this museum located in Ireland's capital city?
Kumu Art Museum
Museum of Archaeology Cambridge
Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum
Little Museum of Dublin
The Little Museum of Dublin gives visitors an overview of Irish history, concentrating primarily on the 20th century. Located within a simple brick Georgian house, the museum includes exhibits dedicated to James Joyce, U2, and famous visitors to the city, including JFK and Queen Victoria.
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In an historical 1606 home called Kanneworff House in Copenhagen, you'll find this museum. Do you know what it's called?
The Amber Museum
You probably won't find a museum in Europe whose artifacts have an average age older than those at Copenhagen's Amber Museum. Filled with pieces of amber formed 20 to 50 million years ago, including one 100 pound chunk that ranks among the largest on Earth, the museum is housed in a quaint 1606 building positioned on the corner of a cobblestone street.
The Vatican Museums
Fram Polar Ship Museum
Museo del Prado
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It's home to the second largest Van Gogh collection in the world, but can you identify this museum located in the Netherlands?
Tate Modern
Kroller-Muller Museum
Opened in Otterlo, Netherlands in 1938, the Kroller-Muller Museum is packed with European art, including more Van Gogh paintings than almost any other museum. In this sleek, modern building, visitors can view such iconic works as "Cafe Terrace at Night" and an alternative version of the very famous "The Potato Eaters."
Queen Sofia Museum
Victoria and Albert Museum
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Founded in 1919, what is the name of this museum, which Estonians call Kunstimuuseum?
Kumu Art Museum
Located in Tallinn, Kumu Art Museum is Estonia's largest museum. Founded in 1919, it is dedicated to works by Estonian artists dating back to the 1700s. The main building is designed to be one with nature, and is built into a slope and made from natural materials like limestone and wood.
SMAK
The Pompidou Centre
The State Hermitage Museum
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Can you guess the name of this Greek museum, which is located just next to the ancient Parthenon in Athens?
National Museum of Iceland
Museum of Art History in Vienna
Atlantis Museum
Acropolis Museum
The center of life in ancient Athens, the Acropolis includes the remains of the Parthenon, a temple built around 440 BC and dedicated to the goddess Athena. In 2009, the Acropolis Museum opened nearby to house antiquities found on this revered site. The top floor is skewed so that it sits at the same angle as the Parthenon, its columns spaced and arranged exactly the same as they were in this ancient temple more than 2,000 years ago.
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It's hard to confuse this perfectly triangular Norwegian museum with any other institution, but can you guess what it is called?
Museum of the Vikings
The Amber Museum
Fram Polar Ship Museum
Located near the Viking Ship Museum, Norway's Fram Polar Ship Museum features a simple design so that the emphasis remains on the treasures inside ... which primarily includes the Fram, a polar exploration ship that dominates the display space. Connected to the main building, the museum features a second triangular building, which houses the Gjoa, a Norwegian ship that was one of the first to navigate the entire Northwest Passage.
British Museum
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Think you can name this Swedish museum, which opened in 1990 and is located on Djurgarden Island in Stockholm?
Dutch National Museum
Vasa Museum
Stockholm's Vasa Museum is easy to spot thanks to its copper roof and enormous masts, which project out of the building as if it were a ship at sea. Inside, the decor of this 1990 museum is sparse, allowing the 17th century ship on display to really shine. This vessel, the Vasa, sunk on her very first voyage back in 1628, but has been preserved for centuries of ship enthusiasts to explore and enjoy.
Van Gogh Museum
Hamburger Kunsthalle
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Which country's long history is on display at this Helsinki museum, which opened in 1916 in a Romantic-style building?
National Museum of Finland
The National Museum of Finland traces the history of this Scandinavian country from the Stone Age through the Modern era. While the artifacts inside are priceless and intriguing, there's a lot to be said for the building that houses this collection. Built from granite and soapstone, it has a grand entrance, fine frescoes and a tower straight out of a fairy tale.
The Uffizi Gallery
Victoria and Albert Museum
The Louvre
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Designed by Renzo Piano, can you ID this museum that opened in 1997 in the Docklands of Amsterdam?
Jewish Museum in Prague
Neues Museum
Little Museum of Dublin
NEMO Science Museum
NEMO Science Museum welcomes visitors of all ages to enjoy hands-on displays related to chemistry, math, evolution, and the human body. Designed to resemble a giant ship sailing on the sea, the building that houses this museum is made of eye-catching oxidized copper that gives it a sea green hue.
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Like Vikings? Head for this museum, which is located in Reykjavik and includes plenty of Viking gear.
House of Terror Museum
National History Museum London
National Museum of Iceland
Housed in a stark concrete and glass building that opened in 1950, the National Museum of Iceland features exhibits that trace the culture of this island nation back to the 9th century. Visitors can take in weapons and armor used by Vikings, carved horns used for drinking and a 13th century carved wooden door illustrating an Icelandic tale of knights, lions and dragon slaying.
Anne Frank House
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London isn't the only UK city with impressive museums. Can you name the museum shown here, which is dedicated to archaeology?
Museum of Archaeology Cambridge
The Museum of Archaeology and Anthropology opened in Cambridge in 1884 to display art and artifacts found as British explorers traveled through Polynesia and the South Pacific. Housed in a magnificent stone Gothic Revival building, the collection has since expanded to include pieces from Australia, Egypt and Stone Age Africa.
Fram Polar Ship Museum
The Pompidou Centre
The Vatican Museums
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What is the name of this museum, which locals in Austria refer to as Kunsthistorisches?
The National Gallery London
Musee d'Orsay
Museum of Art History in Vienna
Vienna's Museum of Art History is housed in a stunning Renaissance-style building and topped with an octagonal dome. Inside of this 1891 structure, visitors can take in classic pieces like Raphael's "Madonna of the Meadows," and Vermeer's "The Art of Painting."
The State Hermitage Museum
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Pick the correct name for this British museum, which is located in Edinburgh and contains the stuffed body of Dolly the sheep.
The Amber Museum
National Museum of Scotland
Opened in 2006 in the capital city of Edinburgh, the National Museum of Scotland is housed in a Venetian Renaissance building with galleries inspired by the Crystal Palace from the 1851 London Exhibition. Visitors can view the body of Dolly the sheep, the first animal to be cloned successfully, as well as an Egyptian wing and the remains of an ancient Stegosaurus.
Neues Museum
Kumu Art Museum
Wiki Commons by Szymon Kaczmarczyk
Be prepared for the horror you'll experience in this Polish museum, where more than a million people were murdered in the 1930s and '40s.
Auschwitz-Birkenau State Museum
During WWII and the preceding years, more than a million people were killed at the concentration camps at Auschwitz in Poland. Today these camps have been transformed into a museum and memorial to those who lost their lives. Visitors to this somber site will see the death wall, where prisoners were executed, as well as gas chambers where many Jewish people lost their lives to the Nazi party.
Guggenheim Museum Bilbao
Queen Sofia Museum
Dutch National Museum
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Name this Netherlands museum dedicated to the painter who decided that two ears were one too many.
Little Museum of Dublin
Tate Modern
Van Gogh Museum
You can view the largest collection of Van Gogh paintings and drawings in the world at the Van Gogh Museum in Amsterdam's Museum Square. Opened in 1973 and consisting of two main buildings connected by a tunnel, the institution houses works like "Almond Blossoms," "Shoes" and "The Potato Eaters."
British Museum
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Once the home of Dippy the dinosaur, what is this English museum with a massive blue whale skeleton hanging over the main hall?
The Uffizi Gallery
National History Museum London
In the South Kensington area of London, you'll find the Natural History Museum. Housed in a terracotta building designed in the Romanesque style, the institution is packed full of exhibits dedicated to Charles Darwin and his work, rare rocks and gemstones, and all kinds of animals, both living and extinct. Don't forget to look down and up as you tour the museum to take in the elaborate mosaic floors and canopy ceilings.
Fram Polar Ship Museum
The Louvre
You Got:
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