Bird's Eye Views of Famous Museums

Check out this drone video of one of the world's most famous museums, courtesy of contributor JayDeeBTW.  The Louvre Museum is one of the great landmarks of Paris, France.  Situated on the right bank of the River Seine, the world's largest museum was a royal palace before the French Revolution.  Its most-recognized feature is the glass pyramid designed by I.M. Pei which crowns the new entrance.  The museum was a filming location for the Da Vinci Code (2006), one of history's highest-grossing films.

Barely two decades old, the Getty Museum is already considered one of the great cultural landmarks of Los Angeles, California.  Built in the hills of the Brentwood neighborhood just off the 405 freeway, the museum complex was funded by a trust established by the oilman J. Paul Getty, once the world's richest man as well as one of its most notable collectors of art.  Considered one of the top art museums in the USA, you can check it out from above in this drone video filmed with a DJI Mavic Pro 2 by Caldroneflyer.  

The Austrian capital city of Vienna could once lay claim to being the cultural capital of Europe.  Even today, Vienna still punches well above its weight in the cultural realm.  In this drone video by W.Obereder, you'll get a glimpse of four of the city's most famous museums: the Kunsthistorisches art museum, the Naturhistorisches natural history museum, the Nationalbibliothek national library, and the Albertina print museum.  The museums all lie within the city's Innere Stadt district south of the Danube. 

Chicago is generally considered the cultural capital of the Midwestern United States.  In this drone video by Nick McGee, you'll get an aerial view of one of the Windy City's best known cultural landmarks: the Field Museum of Natural History.  Located on the Lake Michigan waterfront just south and east of downtown, it's considered one of the world's top natural history museums.  Established in 1893 in connection with the great Columbian Exposition, the current structure dates to the 1920's.  

Contributor ChrisDantonio used a DJI Mavic Pro 2 drone to create this awesome hyperlapse of Philadelphia Museum of Art, one of the most iconic sights in this city on the US East Coast.  The building opened in 1928, on the scenic Ben Franklin Parkway.  The building was a filming location for the 1976 blockbuster movie (and multiple  Academy Award winner) Rocky starring Sylvester Stallone; the scene where Rocky climbs the steps of the museum is considered one of the most famous in the history of film.

Contributor and pilot Gopherdrone used a DJI Mavic Pro 2 to capture a cultural landmark in Minneapolis, Minnesota: the Walker Art Center and adjoining Sculpture Gardens.  Located in the Lowry Hill neighborhood adjacent to downtown, the Walker is widely considered to be one of the top 2-3 modern art museums in the United States.  The current structure was built in 1971, and doubled with a 2005 addition.  The Sculpture Garden, located on the same campus, is regarded as one of the country's finest. 

The Minneapolis Institute of Art is considered one of the USA's top fine arts museums.  Situated since 1915 in the Whittier neighborhood south of downtown Minneapolis, its permanent collection includes nearly 90,000 objects with art from a variety of eras.  With 17.5k square meters (188k square ft.) of gallery space, it's the sixth largest art museum in the United States as of early 2019.  As seen in this drone video by dave drones tc, the building's exterior was done in the neoclassical style.

Some of the most important cultural attractions in the Polish capital city Warsaw are in Łazienki Park, the city's largest, which lies a short distance south of the city center.  In this dronen video by volatusmedia, you'll get a bird's eye view of the centerpiece of the park, which was designed in the 17th century: the Royal Łazienki Museum.  The museum site was formerly the summer residence of the last kings of Poland before the country was (temporarily) partitioned out of existence in the late 18th century.  

Hagia Sophia is one of the landmarks of Istanbul, Turkey.  Built as a church in the 6th century during the Byzantine Empire, it became a mosque following the fall of what was then Constantinople in the mid-15th century.  In the 1930's, it was converted into a museum under the secular-minded Turkish President Mustafa Kemal Atatürk.  Considered one of the most architecturally significant buildings still standing, you can check it out from above in this fantastic drone video by AirVuz contributor ucarakkesfet.

Pittsburgh's Carnegie Science Center is one of the city's four Carnegie Museums, a legacy from the great steel baron.  The CSC sits just across the Ohio River from downtown, next to Heinz Field.  It began its life as the Buhl Planetarium (one of the USA's earliest planetariums) and was merged with the Carnegie Institute in the 1980's.  Completed in 1991, the current facility houses not only a state-of-the-art planetarium but also what's believed to be the largest permanent exhibit on robotics.  

The monument Palais Longchamp is one of the most famous landmarks of Marseille, the great city of Southern France.  Seen here in this drone video by AirVuz contributor nicos aerial, it houses the Musée des beaux-arts and Muséum d'histoire naturelle de Marseille, two of the city's best-known museums.  Situated in the 4th arrondissement near the center of the city, the complex was built in the mid-19th century to celebrate the Canal de Marseille, a major engineering feat which brought fresh water to the city.  

With all deference to Gene Kelly, Dan Marino, and even Andrew Carnegie, probably the most famous person to emerge from Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania was artist Andy Warhol.  The creator of the Pop Art phenomenon was born here in 1928 and educated at Carnegie-Mellon University before decamping for New York.  His Pittsburgh legacy here is symbolized by the Andy Warhol Museum, which opened in the North River area in 1994. You can check it out from above in this drone video by Blaze.  

Boston, Massachusetts is one of the USA's great cultural centers.  Not surprisingly, it's home to some of the country's best-known museums.  One of the most prominent is the Museum of Fine Arts.  Situated in the Fenway-Kenmore neighborhood adjacent to Northeastern University, it houses over 450k works of art.  Measured by floor area, it's the fifth largest art museum in the United States.  Check out this drone video of the museum by pilgrimdroner.  

The Adler Planetarium is one of the landmarks of Chicago's waterfront on Lake Michigan.  Opened in 1930, it was the first planetarium in the United States.  It's situated at the northeastern tip of Northerly Island, which is technically not an island but a man-made peninsula which is now part of the city's Museum Campus.  Adler Planetarium both educates the public and also has research operations.  Check out this architectural treasure in this drone video by AirVuz contributor willryan042.  

Top contributor and pilot BeemFlights created this amazing drone video of one of the top sights of Brussels, Belgium: the Atomium.  Now a museum, the building was originally built in connection with the World Expo that was held here in 1958.  The landmark is distinguished by its nine stainless steel spheres, each of which is 18 meters (about 60 ft.) in diameter and which represent atoms of the element iron. The Atomium situated on the Heysel Plateau in the northern part of Belgium's largest city.  

Houston, Texas is one of the USA's top museum cities.  Its Museum District southwest of downtown is home to 19 different museums and galleries, which collectively attract almost nine million visitors per year.  Probably the most well-known is the Houston Museum of Natural Science.  Seen here in this drone video by Lone Star Drones, it's located at the northern end of Hermann Park.  Based on visitor traffic, the museum ranks amongst the top 4-5 in the country outside of the Smithsonian system.  

Here's a remarkable drone video of the "other Louvre", located not in Paris like the original but in the Middle Eastern nation of the United Arab Emirates.  It's situated in the island city of Abu Dhabi, the UAE's capital and second-largest city.  The massively expensive museum was undertaken with the full support and cooperation of the French government, and is the largest art museum on the Arabian Peninsula.  Opened in 2017, its collections include some of the world's finest works of art.

Contributor Blaze used a DJI Mavic Pro 2 drone to bring to life one of the cultural landmarks of the USA's Rocky Mountain region: the Denver Art Museum.  DAM (as it's known) is one of the largest art museums between Chicago and the West Coast.  It's located in the city's Civic Center neighborhood, between the Capitol Hill and Lodo Districts.   Now occupying a small campus, the museum has over 70,000 works, and is known in particular for its works of Native American art.  

City Museum of St Louis, Missouri is a museum whose exhibits consist largely of repurposed architectural and industrial products. Museum founder Bob Cassilly's voice pops up throughout this mystical piece by top first person view (FPV) pilot nurkfpv who was given rare access to fly his micro drone through the legendary museum. It's a moving, inspiring one you won't want to miss. This video was chosen as the Winner in the Micro Drone Acro Mode category in the second annual Drone Video Awards.

San Francisco's Palace of Fine Arts is one of the cultural landmarks of the City by the Bay.  Located in the Marina District, it was built for the Panama–Pacific International Exposition of 1915, the world's fair billed as San Francisco's rebirth party following the devastating 1906 Earthquake.  It was the only Expo venue which was deemed permanent, although it had to be more or less demolished and reconstructed in the 1960s.  It houses the Exploratorium science museum as well as a live theater.  

Seen here in this drone video by contributor Lone Star Drones, the USS Texas is one of the USA's most storied warships.  The only surviving US Navy Dreadnought style warship, it was launched on the eve of World War I and saw extensive combat in both World Wars.  Since 1947, she's been a floating museum, docked in the Houston Ship Channel just below the San Jacinto Monument.  The ship has appeared in a number of movies, notably as one of the main filming locations for the 2001 quasi-historical film Pearl Harbor.  

With their ducted propellers and comparatively light weight, "cinewhoop" style first person view mini-drones are continually cutting new ground in terms of their application.  Check out this incredible piece by contributor OneShot_Hero.  He was able to film the German Mining Museum in Bochum, in the heart of the country's coal and steel belt in the Ruhr region.  With the museum closed due to the Coronavirus, the talented content was able to make full use of it, earning himself a spot on the AirVuz FPV Pilots to Watch list in March, 2021.  

Top AirVuz contributor PO3SMITH brings us this excellent drone video of one of the USA's largest maritime museums: the Mystic Seaport in the New England state of Connecticut.  Located in its namesake town in the southeastern corner of the state, Mystic was a significant shipbuilding center, with over 600 ships built over a 135 year period beginning in 1784.  Established in 1929, in 1941 the museum acquired the Charles W. Morgan, the only surviving wooden sailing whaler.  Four of the vessels moored here are National Historic Landmarks. 

The Weisman Museum is one of the landmarks of the main campus of the University of Minnesota, just east of downtown Minneapolis.  Situated on the banks of the Mississippi River, the building was designed by renowned architect Frank O. Gehry and completed in 1993.  Founded in 1934 and named after collector and donor Fredrick R. Weisman, the museum's first home was in the Northrup Auditorium building on the UofM Campus.  Home to over 25,000 images, you can check out the Weisman from above in this drone video by contributor dronempls.

Check out this drone video of Belgium's Royal Museum for Central Africa, compliments of AirVuz contributor RIK Photos.  The museum is located just outside of Brussels in the province of Flemish Brabant.  The original site was built in connection with the 1897 World Exposition to showcase Belgium's once-substantial colonial possessions in Africa then known as the Congo Free State; the main building dates to 1910.  The museum took its present name in 1960 when Belgium's African colony became the independent Democratic Republic of the Congo.  

Get a one-of-a-kind perspective of Germany's Mercedes-Benz Museum in this fantastic first person view (FPV) drone video by minidrone.studio.  He used a "cinewhoop" style drone to film the facility, which is located adjacent to the famous car company's headquarters in Stuttgart and which opened in 2006.  With their small size and (generally) ducted fans, cinewhoop drones can safely be flown indoors  (by experienced pilots) with little risk of damage.  This video was selected for the FPV Pilots to Watch list in August, 2020.  

Lisbon's Museum of Art, Architecture and Technology is one of the great modern landmarks of the Portuguese capital city.  Often simply known as the MAAT, the museum focuses on the intersection between art, architecture, and technology.  Opened in 2016, it's located on Lisbon's Tagus River waterfront, just west of the historic core of the city.  In this drone video by AirVuz contributor Timearth, you'll get a nice aerial view of the ultra-modern MAAT, as well as nearby sites such as the 25 de Abril Bridge.  

The Spanish province of Huelva is closely connected to Spain's Age of Exploration which began with the launching of the first voyage of Christopher Columbus from the port of Palos de la Frontera in 1492.  To celebrate the 500th anniversary of the voyage in 1992, a museum called the Wharf of the Caravels was built in this Andalusian town, complete with very accurate replicas of the three ships: the Niña, the Pinta, and the Santa María.  In this drone video by velogaev_art, you'll get an aerial view of the museum and its three sailing ships.  

Here's an aerial view of the Oakland neighborhood of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, compliments of Gopherdrone.  Lying just a few km/mi east of downtown, Oakland is the cultural heart of this river city.  It includes the University of Pittsburgh campus and is just to the west of the Carnegie-Mellon University.  The upscale neighborhood's other landmarks bear the names of Pittsburgh's great industrial titans, such as the Carnegie Museum complex and the Phipps Conservatory in Schenley Park.  

Check out this first person view (FPV) "fly through" of one of the newest attractions in Hong Kong: M+, a museum of visual culture.  The video was shot in anticipation of the museum's opening in the second week of November, 2021.  The museum, which is dedicated to 20th and 21st century visual culture, is one of the centerpieces of the West Kowloon Cultural District.  The district is located on 40 acres of reclaimed land in the Yau Tsim Mong District.  This video was picked for the FPV Pilots to Watch list in October, 2021.