Uffizi: Encyclopedia II - Uffizi - The museum and its history

Uffizi - The museum and its history

Building of the palace was commenced in 1560 by Giorgio Vasari for Cosimo I de' Medici as the offices for the Florentine magistrates - hence the name uffizi, meaning offices. Construction work ended in 1581. Over the years, parts of the palace evolved into a storage place of many works of art collected by the Medici family. After the decline of the Medici, the art treasures remained in Florence, forming one of the first modern museums. The gallery had been open to visitors on request since the 16th century and in 1765 it was officially opened to the public.

Because of the its huge collection, some of its works have in the past been transferred to other museums in Florence, such as some famous statues to the Bargello. A project is currently under way to expand the exhibition space of the museum from some 6,000 metres² (64,000 ft²) to almost 13,000 metres² (139,000 ft²) by 2006, allowing public viewing of many artworks long usually in storage.

In 1993, a car bomb exploded and damaged parts of the palace, killing five people. The most severe damage was to the Niobe room, the classical sculptures and neoclassical interior of which have been restored, although its frescoes were beyond repair. The cause has never been cleared up, although some suspect the Mafia.

Today, the Uffizi is one of the most popular tourist attractions of Florence. In high season (particularly in July) the waiting times can be up to five hours. Visitors who reserved a ticket in advance have a significantly shorter waiting time.

Adapted from the Wikipedia article "The museum and its history", under the G.N U Free Docmentation License. Please also see http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki