Imperial Military Museum of the North

The Imperial War Museum of the North is one of five branches of the London Museum of the same name. There is a large exposition on the theme of the First and Second World Wars, as well as military conflicts during the Cold War.

The museum was built in the part of England most affected by the German bombings. The people of Manchester felt all the horrors of war, apparently, so the exposition of the museum not only tells the story, but also appeals to the souls of people, to their feelings. The main purpose of the exhibition is to show the destructive influence of wars on the human person. All the most modern techniques of exhibition design are used for this.

The building of the museum was built according to the project of Daniel Libeskind from 1997 to 2001, another year was spent on the creation of the exhibition. The architecture of the building is simply amazing. Libeskind’s idea was to depict our world, destroyed by wars, but then assembled into fragments. The building structurally consists of three huge separate parts. The surface of each part represents some roundness corresponding to the shape of the Earth. Three symbolic shards signify arenas of war: land, air and water.

The fragment, symbolizing land, forms the basis of the museum building. In the "air", resembling the shape of a hangar for airplanes, there is an observation deck, from where visitors can admire the views of Manchester. The fragment corresponding to the water element looks like a ship in the sea. It houses a restaurant with beautiful views of the Manchester Shipping Canal.

It is a pleasure to note that entrance to this museum is free.