National Museum Singapore - a valuable and extensive collection of exhibits on the history of the island. It is considered the oldest museum in the country, and one of four that have national status.
Built in 1849 as one of the divisions of the institute library. In 1887, on the occasion of the half-century anniversary of the reign of Queen Victoria of England, the museum received a new building, where it is still located. The building on Stanford Road was designed in the neo-Palladian style favored by British architects in Singapore. In 2003 – 2006 the building was expanded and reconstructed. A modern structure made of metal and glass was cleverly built into the ancient elegant building of the museum. Such a skillful reconstruction, while maintaining the original style, turned the museum building into an architectural icon of Singapore.
And yet its main advantage is the exhibition telling about the history of Singapore since the 14th century, including with the help of modern interactive capabilities. Four “Life Galleries” display costumes and household items, photographs and newsreels, recreating a picture of life on the island over the decades.
Among the most important artifacts of the museum is the Singapore Stone, dating from the 10th-11th centuries, with an undeciphered inscription presumably in Sanskrit or Old Javanese. An exotic exhibit of the collection of artifacts are the golden ornaments of the Sacred Hill of Java. And the most interesting is the will of the Malay educator and writer XIX century Abdullah ibn Abdul-Qadir, author of famous historical and philosophical works. The collection of significant artifacts includes an early photograph (daguerreotype) of Singapore, watercolors of the island's first English colonist, portraits of British colonial figures who influenced the development of Singapore, etc.
Among the new sections of the museum, the halls are worth visiting national cuisine and cinema. The museum organizes master classes on the arts of the peoples inhabiting Singapore, for example, painting on porcelain.
The Singapore Art Museum is considered one of the largest and most progressive in Southeast Asia. Despite the name, the museum exhibits works not only by Asian, but also by many European masters - both modern and those who worked in past centuries. And the local collection of Asian art of the 20th century is considered the most complete in the world.
Red Dot Design Museum
The Red Dot Design Museum is Asia's first contemporary design museum.
A collection of more than 1,000 exhibits is exhibited here, each of which is a winner of one of the world's most prestigious design competitions, "Red dot Design", held annually in Germany among design professionals from all over the world.
The museum was founded in 2005 and is the exclusive exhibition space for exhibits of the competition winners. This is where products and brands are showcased high level of their design, provide guidance for companies, design professionals and consumers who want to learn about the best design.
The Red Dot Design Museum in Singapore is also home to the Red Dot: design concept competition. Each year, an independent panel of judges, whose members are design experts, meets here to meticulously and thoroughly examine each concept submitted to the competition. Through a process of examination and debate, unique design concepts are identified and awarded the Red Dot award.
National Museum of Singapore
Like many other things in Singapore, the National Museum (until 1965 - Historical) was founded by the city's first governor, Sir Stamford Raffles. From his modest personal collection and library, a rather large exhibition has grown, devoted mainly to the history of Singapore and the peoples inhabiting it. This is told in 20 dioramas, “covering” the entire history of the city from its foundation to the present day.
The National Museum of Singapore is not only the oldest museum, but also one of the most significant national monuments city-states. The National Museum of Singapore, formerly known as the Raffles Library and Museum, was originally part of the library of the Singapore Institute from 1849 to 1887 before Colonel Sir Henry Edward MacCallum moved it to the current building. After more than three years of reconstruction, the museum was reopened to visitors in 2006. Extending over 18,400 sq.m., at the moment he is the most big museum in the country, which mainly displays exhibits reflecting the rich history of Singapore and Asia.
Housed inside a neoclassical building enhanced with modern building elements, the National Museum of Singapore is an architectural marvel that boasts a breathtaking 11-metre glass walkway that allows you to modern building through the old building.
This passageway is a unique hall showcasing glassware restored to the smallest detail. victorian era. No less admirable are the Canyon, the museum's lobby, whose walls have an expressive relief and evoke thoughts of the stratosphere, and the Concourse, a noteworthy building that combines classical and modern design.
The exhibits are distributed across six galleries. The Goh Seng Choo Gallery and the Singapore History Gallery contain some of the museum's most amazing pieces. The exhibition at Goh Seng Choo Gallery features a collection of 450 natural history drawings by William Farquhar.
As soon as you cross the threshold of the Singapore History Gallery and enter its magnificent glass hall, it begins exciting journey through Singapore's rich history, which dates back to the 14th century.
Storytelling is a technique used in the gallery to achieve better understanding difficulties that the first inhabitants had to cope with.
In addition, there are four separate galleries that shed light on the lifestyle and ingenuity of early Singaporean society through exhibits related to:
- cinema and wayang, such as the inventory of early films and the intricate costumes of early Chinese operas;
- photography – albums and portraits collected over more than a century of history;
- food - artefacts reflecting the ethnic diversity of the region, such as colorful jars decorated with reproductions of Farquhar's paintings, donated by Mr Go Geok Him, Farquhar's son, and spices used to add a unique flavor to the local cuisine;
- fashion - objects reflecting the changing trends in the clothing of Singaporean women, occurring in the 1950s-1970s.
In addition to permanent exhibitions, the museum also hosts special exhibitions and a variety of public art events, festivals, workshops and lectures throughout the year. 
Museum opening hours
The Singapore History Gallery is open from 10:00 to 18:00, while the Goh Seng Choo Gallery and four galleries highlighting the lives of Singaporeans are open from 10:00 to 20:00
Museum ticket prices
While entry to the museum is free, you will need to pay a fee to access galleries that highlight Singaporean life, as well as certain performances and events.
Price entrance ticket exhibition and Stamford gallery S$6.00
How to get to the National Museum
The museum is easily accessible on foot from Bras Basah MRT Station (2 minutes walk from Exit C) or from Dhoby Ghaut MRT Station. Metro station City Hall is only 10 minutes walk away. Nearby are bus stops Stamford Road and YMCA. Bus numbers: 64, 65, 139
The National Museum of Singapore is the oldest museum with a progressive development strategy, the custodian of national treasures, and is a cultural and architectural landmark in itself. There are two permanent exhibitions about the history of Singapore and the life of its inhabitants. If you have limited time and can only visit one museum dedicated to the history and culture of Singapore, then perhaps this is best place. One of the main directions is educational, which is the first specialized platform for developing the creative abilities of primary schoolchildren.
Also, local artists have the opportunity to access museum exhibits. Interesting possibilities of interactive media are used - from voice and aroma installations to watching old films. The museum was built in 1849 as one of the divisions of the institute library. In 1887, on the occasion of the half-century anniversary of the reign of Queen Victoria of England, the museum received a new building, where it is still located. The building on Stanford Road was designed in the neo-Palladian style favored by British architects in Singapore. The National Museum of Singapore specializes in exhibitions related to the history of Singapore itself. Yours modern name The museum received it in 1965. For short period Between 1993 and March 2006 it was known as the Singapore History Museum, but then reverted to its former name.
In 2003 - 2006 the building was expanded and reconstructed. The latest large-scale restoration of it exhibition halls was completed in 2006, and the entire renovation cost S$133 million. A modern structure made of metal and glass was cleverly built into the ancient elegant building of the museum. Such a skillful reconstruction, while maintaining the original style, turned the museum building into an architectural icon of Singapore. The architectural implementation of the updated museum space is noteworthy - the original building, built in the 19th century in the neoclassical style, and a modern modernist building of the 21st century made of glass and metal are combined into a single complex. This is a combination of old and new - main idea the entire museum, where each room immerses visitors in its own era. Of particular interest is the glass rotunda behind the building, where films about the history of Singapore are constantly shown on special screens along the round wall using 16 projectors, and when evening comes, the screens are removed and the image is “drawn” through the glass walls directly on the panorama of the city at night. After three and a half years of restoration work, the museum was officially opened by the President of Singapore, S. Ramanathan, and the Minister of Information, Communications and the Arts, Lee Boon Yang, on December 7, 2006.
The main advantage of the museum is the exhibition telling the history of Singapore since the 14th century, including through modern interactive capabilities.
Four “Life Galleries” display costumes and household items, photographs and newsreels, recreating a picture of life on the island over the decades.
Among the most important artifacts of the museum is the Singapore Stone, dating from the 10th-11th centuries. It is a fragment of a huge block of sandstone that once lay at the mouth of the Singapore River, on which an undeciphered inscription was discovered, either in Old Javanese or in Sanskrit. The Singapore Stone is included in the list of 12 most important artifacts stored in museums in the country. An exotic exhibit of the collection of artifacts are the golden ornaments of the Sacred Hill of the island of Java, and the most interesting is the will of the Malay educator and writer of the 19th century Abdullah ibn Abdul-Qadir, the author of famous historical and philosophical works. The collection of significant artifacts includes an early photograph (daguerreotype) of Singapore, watercolors of the island's first English colonist, and portraits of British colonial figures who influenced the development of Singapore. Other treasures include one of the very first photographs of Singapore and a portrait of the city's former governor.
Among the new sections of the museum are the halls of national cuisine and cinema. The museum organizes master classes on the arts of the peoples inhabiting Singapore, for example, painting on porcelain. By visiting this museum, you will find out who Sir Raffles is, after whom a street (and not only a street) in Singapore is named. You will learn about how opium used to be smoked in Singapore. See how the brilliant Lee Kuan Yew, former Prime Minister of Singapore, cries when he announces that Singapore is separating from Malaysia. You will learn that it took the Japanese only 7 days to capture Singapore during World War II. And that the Japanese invaded Singapore on... bicycles. The museum features 20 dioramas that simulate events from Singapore's history from Raffles' landing to the first meeting of an independent Parliament in 1965. There are exhibitions on the theme of the “Farkubar Collection”, natural history models Masonic lodge, which existed in Singapore in the 19th century. The museum also displays exhibits related to early period history of Southeast Asia.
One of the main features of the National Museum of Singapore's exhibition is its interactivity. All halls and galleries are equipped with touch screens, video screens on which thematic films are broadcast, and other interactive elements that allow you to get the most full information and immerse yourself in Singapore's past. In addition, each visitor is given an electronic guide, which helps to navigate the museum’s galleries and tells about its exhibits. To visit the museum, knowledge of English or Chinese is desirable - all inscriptions and audio guides are presented only in them.
The National Museum often hosts various festivals and film screenings, and conducts master classes. There are two restaurants on its territory - Chef Chan’s with exquisite Chinese cuisine and Novus Café with a European menu.
93 Stamford Road
Phone: +65 6332 3659
Opening hours: Daily
Historical section from 10.00 to 18.00 (last visitor at 17:30)
Galleries from 10:00 to 20:00 (last visitor at 19:30)
- Address: 93 Stamford Rd, Singapore 178897
- Telephone: .+6563323659
- Website: www.nationalmuseum.sg
- Opening: 1849
- Opening hours: 10.00-18.00
- Architect: Henry McCallum
The pride of any country is the presence of a capacious National Museum. The National Museum in Singapore appeared after the island declared independence from England in 1965. Previously it was called historical museum By the way, at the turn of the 2000s this name was periodically returned. Today it is not only one of the first, but also and the most developing and interactive. It is located in a beautiful historical building, built in the neoclassical style with a glass dome. In 2006, the building underwent a large-scale restoration, after which the President of Singapore S. Ramanathan himself opened the museum.
The National Museum of Singapore's collection focuses on the history of the island and country around the 14th century AD, including different peoples and the peoples who have ever inhabited its territory and contributed to the development of the future. The base fund of the museum is the personal collection of Sir Stamford Raffles, who was the first settler and governor. It includes various historical values of the development of Southeast Asia, archaeological finds and ethnographic collections.
The museum was originally formed in 1849 as a small part of the Raffles Institution school library, later it was moved many times, and the future National Museum moved into its building only in 1887. Over the years, the museum's exhibition has increased and continues to grow today. It consists of five parts, the largest of which is devoted to the history of the country from its very beginnings. It is exhibited in the form of twenty diors, reflecting the most important events Singapore's history, from Sir Stamford Raffles' landing and founding of the first modern settlement to independence in 1965. The remaining four galleries of the National Museum of Singapore are dedicated to cultural heritage and development. The exhibitions feature photographs depicting the formation of cinema, national fashion and local cuisine.
The museum houses eleven true national treasures, including the world-famous Singapore Stone from around the 13th century. This is a fragment of a sandstone block, the inscription on which has not yet been deciphered. By the way, they couldn’t even determine ancient language this inscription. There is an opinion that this could be either Sanskrit, or Old Javanese, or some other related language. The Singapore Stone is one of the country's 12 strictly protected artifacts. Other treasures of the museum include one of the early photographs of Singapore - a daguerreotype, gold ornaments of the Sacred Hill from East Java, a portrait of the previous governor of Singapore, as well as the original will of Abdullah bin Abdul Kadir, a famous Malay writer.
One can only envy the interactivity of the National Museum. Each room is equipped with touch screens and video screens that show documentaries relevant topics. This allows you to immerse yourself in the historical past of Singapore as much as possible. In addition, each tourist receives an electronic guide in English or Chinese, which makes it easier to navigate the halls. The museum often hosts film screenings, various festivals, and organizes master classes, for example, on porcelain painting techniques.
The National Museum of Singapore houses some of the Chinese and European cuisines, as well as a small buffet room with light snacks and its own souvenir shop.
How to get there?You can get to one of the most important parts of the country either by taking or using, for example, the Dhoby Ghaut or Bras Basah station. An adult ticket costs about $10, students - $5, children under 6 years old have free admission. The historical section is open from ten in the morning to six in the evening, the rest of the halls until 20.00. The museum has no days off. Photography is allowed in the museum building.