What Is the Freud Museum?

The Freud Museum is a museum dedicated to the influential Austrian psychologist, Sigmund Freud. It is located in his family's home in London, England, where they moved when the Nazis invaded Austria. Freud's study, which contains many of his personal and professional belongings, is typically the most popular room is the museum. Part of the museum also focuses on Freud's daughter, Anna, who was also a psychologist. Visitors to this museum can also wander through Freud's gardens behind the museum.

Sigmund Freud was born in 1856 in Morovia, which is now part of the Czech Republic. His family later relocated to Vienna, Austria. He later became a medical doctor and prominent psychologist. Freud is often considered the father of psychoanalysis, and he is credited with coming up with the three elements of personality: the id, ego, and superego.

In 1938, the Nazis invaded Austria. Freud, who was Jewish, decided to emigrate to England. There, he purchased a house in Maresfield Gardens, a small section of London. He lived in this house until he died in the autumn of 1939. The house remained in his family until 1982, when his youngest daughter, Anna, died and the house was later converted into the Freud Museum.

One of the main exhibits in the Freud Museum is Freud's study. This room contains many of his books, including the works of many philosophers and poets, as well as a number of his favorite knick knacks and antiques. Freud's analytical couch is also displayed in this room. It was on this very couch that Freud's patients reclined and spoke with the doctor.

The Anna Freud Room is another popular attraction in the Freud Museum. Although Freud's daughter started out studying to become a school teacher, she later decided to follow in her father's footsteps. Anna Freud's work and studies allowed other psychologists to better understand early childhood development.

Along with these two popular rooms, the Freud Museum also contains a dining room, conservatory, and landing, as well as an exhibition room and video room. Located right outside the study of the Freud Museum, visitors can also take a stroll through Sigmund and Anna Freud's garden. The view of this garden was one of the last things that Freud saw, and he died in his study in 1939.