Anyone who opens the museum's heavy door on the bank of the River Spaarne sees at a glance what it is that inspires such enthusiasm. The museum breathes the atmosphere of the 18th and 19th centuries - the Age of the Enlightenment - when people were busily gathering knowledge about the world. Teylers Museum, museum of wonder, is a world in itself, one that you will never forget. Teylers Museum is the best-preserved 18th-century public knowledge institution for the arts and sciences in the world. It has been open to the public since 1784, welcoming all those who are eager to look at paintings and drawings by the Old Masters, magnificent minerals, ingenious scientific instruments, precious books, and centuries-old fossils. The museum's interior alone, with the monumental Oval Room, is a truly remarkable attraction. It is the only authentic 18th-century museum interior in the world. Recently the historical house of founding father Pieter Teyler was added to the museum.