Culture of Hawaii Islands. Places to visit - old town, temples, theaters, museums and palaces

The best way to begin to explore the history and culture of the Hawaiian Islands is to visit the Bishop Museum. This institution was established more than a century ago, in 1889, to preserve the historical and cultural heritage of the archipelago and all the Pacific Islands. Today, the Museum's collection contains no less than 24 million different historical, cultural and natural monuments. The local library contains 115 thousand different publications, a million videos, audio recordings and manuscripts.

Three floors of the Hawaiian Hall of the museum allow you to get acquainted with the history of the Islands. The whole hall is dedicated to the endemic birds of the archipelago and their importance in the life and culture of the islanders for centuries. In the science and entertainment hall, you can learn and actively participate in the study of those areas of science in which the contribution of the Hawaiian scientists was the highest. This is research in oceanology and volcanology. The quiet hall will tell you all about the flora and fauna of the Pacific Islands. The museum also presents a rich collection of clothing, weapons, cult objects and household items of the ancient Hawaiians. There is an opportunity to observe the starry sky through a telescope or participate in the program "Night at the Museum".

Don’t miss the opportunity to visit the Iolani Palace. There are not so many publically opened former Royal residences in the world, and it is a unique structure for the United States. The history of the Palace of Iolani began in 1845, when King Kamehameha II moved the capital to Honolulu and bought a small room of shell rock from relatives, rebuilt and supplemented it. According to local traditions, the Palace had only a throne room, a reception room and a dining room. Later, the rulers decided that the small Palace is too modest, and began to build a construction that we can see nowadays. Copyright www.orangesmile.com

There were all of the benefits of civilization in 1882 in the four-storey house – telephone and electrification. After the overthrow of the monarchy here was the government of Hawaii. Moreover, in addition to the interior, there are preserved royal regalia, books, and paintings in the Palace. «The new palace» of Kamehameha V also deserves your attention. It is built across the street from Iolani Palace. But nowadays you can observe the construction only from outside. The state Supreme Court is located here. During your holidays in Hawaii, it is worth visiting the world-famous sea base Pearl Harbor. One more exciting attraction is the first in the archipelago Fort Rucker, which can be found in the crater of Diamond Head volcano.

Another interesting object on the island is Shangri La Museum of Islamic Art, Culture & Design, the estate of the American heiress and philanthropist Doris Duke, built in 1937. A large variety of architectural traditions of India, Morocco, Iran and Syria was taken into account during the construction of this building. For almost six decades, Duke gathered in Shangri La 2500 art objects of Muslim culture. Some of them are included directly in the interior of the house, like panels and carpets, while others are simply exhibited. Now Shangri La is open to tourists and is the venue for a variety of exhibitions and seminars.

Honolulu Museum of Art was opened here in 1927. Missionaries Anna and Charles Cook were founders of this place. There are 50 thousand art objects covering almost 5000 years of human history. Initially, all the exhibits were located in the Cookhouse, but later a separate building was built for them, which was later joined by a library, a scientific wing, a theatre, a gallery of modern art and an art studio. There are also souvenir shops and administrative offices. The modern exposition of the Museum of Art includes paintings, graphics, objects of decorative and applied art of European, American and Polynesian masters. There are also film screenings, lectures and master classes.