How c:\windows\assembly appears in file managers

Seeing the post about this folder I decided to look at it as I had never
heard of it. What appeared seemed to vary depending what file manager I
used to look at it (hidden files and folders are set to be shown).

Console (cmd.exe)
Navigating to .../assembly and using "dir" shows no files and 10 folders
(GAC, GAC_32, GAC_64, NativeImages_v2.0 and a couple of tmp files).
It is possible to cd to those folders, use dir, and find layers of
subfolders.

Windows Explorer:
There are 292 "files" in .../assembly shown in the right-hand pane.
According to the left-hand pane, there is a subfolder named "Download".
But it does not show in the "File" list with the 292 "files" (there is a
very limited right-click menu consisting of only "Uninstall" and
"Properties"). Left-clicking on that Download folder shows it to be empty.

FreeCommander XE (64-bit version):
Shows the same "folders" as in Console above, but only in the right-hand
pane, and there is no right-click menu available for those folders.
They do not appear in the left-hand pane, and left-clicking on the
folders does nothing. There are also 4 "files" (including Desktop.ini)
in the right-hand pane, but there is no right-click menu available for
those files. Once again, in the left-hand pane there is a subfolder
named "Download", but it does not appear with the other 10 folders or 4
"files" in the right-hand pane. Left-clicking on "Download" brings up
"Desktop" folders and files in the right-hand pane! But note this is
not C:desktop, as it also includes all the system folders which I do not
have on my desktop. Very strange.

Explorer++
Shows Download as a subfolder of assembly in the left-hand pane, and
only "Download" in the right hand pane. Left-clicking on Download does
nothing.

Cubic Explorer:
Same as Explorer++.

Can anyone explain what is going on here?


Jeff