Features of the Museum System in Western Europe (by the Example of France, the United Kingdom and Switzerland)

Abstract

The article is devoted to the analysis of the functioning and state regulation of museums activity in France, the United Kingdom and Switzerland. The museum systems of these three countries are chosen by the criterion of representativeness, as representatives of three different political systems of Western Europe. So, Great Britain is a constitutional monarchy, presenting a quasiunitary state, France is a unitary republic, Switzerland is a confederation. Also, the selection criteria were the presence in the country of a significant number of museums, a well-developed museum system. The legislative base concerning the activity of museums in the territory of the countries chosen for analysis has been analyzed. The issue of the number of museums, their status, volumes and sources of funding, and the level of state support are touched on. The organizations whose work is related to the functioning of museums, their targets, subjects and objects of activity are analyzed. That sort of organizations can be divided into two groups — state and public. The first goal is state regulation, control over observance of existing laws, implementation of state policy, and, in part, financing. The latter can in turn be divided into professional and volunteer organizations. The conclusion is made about the legislatively fixed unequal position of museums in the studied countries.