National Museum of Singapore Muzium Nasional Singapura 新加坡国家博物馆 |
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Location | 93 Stamford Rd, Singapore 178897 Museum Planning Area, Singapore |
Coordinates | 1°17′48.2″N 103°50′55.1″E / 1.296722°N 103.848639°ECoordinates: 1°17′48.2″N 103°50′55.1″E / 1.296722°N 103.848639°E |
Built | 1849 |
Architectural style(s) | Neo-Palladian, Renaissance |
Governing body | National Heritage Board |
Designated | 14 February 1992 |
The National Museum of Singapore is the oldest museum in Singapore. Its history dates back to 1849, when it was started as a section of a library at Singapore Institution and called the Raffles Library and Museum. After several relocations, in 1887 it moved to its permanent site at Stamford Road in the Museum Planning Area.
The museum focuses on exhibits related to the history of Singapore. It is one of four national museums in the country, the other three being the two Asian Civilisations Museums at Empress Place Building and Old Tao Nan School, and the Singapore Art Museum. It was named the National Museum of Singapore in 1965; between 1993 and March 2006, it was known as the Singapore History Museum.
The National Museum of Singapore underwent a three-and-a-half-year restoration and reopened on 2 December 2006, with the official reopening by former President of Singapore S. R. Nathan and the Minister for Information, Communications and the Arts taking place on 7 December 2006. The Singapore History Gallery opened on 8 December of the same year.
The museum was established in 1849 by the then Singapore Institution Committee. It was called the Raffles Library and Museum and exhibited items of historical and archaeological value from Singapore and elsewhere in Asia. The museum was part of an establishment of a public repository of knowledge of Malayan in a school, museum and library. This objective can be traced to an 1823 meeting called by Sir Stamford Raffles to discuss a revival of the region's cultural heritage. The museum occupied a section of the library of the Singapore Institution, later became the Raffles Institution. In 1874, the museum moved to the Town Hall (now known as the Victoria Theatre and Concert Hall). However, due to the growing collection in the museum, it moved back to the Singapore Institution in 1876 situated at the new wing of the institution.