COLOMBIA OLDEST MUSEUM

The National Museum of Colombia is the oldest museum ( 183 year of foundation ) of the country, and one of oldest of América. The importance of the museum cultural work is related to the development of all the Republic, because the Museum, like institution, is the reflection of the history of Colombia from 1823. At the same time the character of their collections, that cover all the periods with the history of the national culture, has caused that is considered him like a synthesis of the cultural identity of the Colombian being.

The National Museum of Colombia was founded by law of the first Congress of the Republic at July 28,1823 and is one of oldest of America. It opened to his doors to the public at July 4,1824 date in which the vice-president, general Francisco de Paula Santander declared it officially created.

The National Museum settled initially in the Botanical House, which lodged the collection of the natural history reunited by Jose Celestino Mutis and taking care by his disciples; with the course of the time these pieces added others of archaeological, historical and artistic character. Throughout its many years of history, the National Museum of Colombia has occupied diverse headquarters:

From his foundation 1823 to 1842 : It's occupied by the old Botanical House.(disappeared).

Between 1845 and 1913, The building of the Classrooms " El edificio de la Aulas" ( In the present Museum of Colonial Art).

Between 1913 and 1922, The Rufino Passage Crow "Pasaje Rufino cuervo"(disappeared).

Between 1922 and 1944, The building Bank Pedro A. Lopez (today Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development).

From 1948 to date, the facilities of the old Penitentiary Power station of Cundinamarca, well-known like “Panóptico”. Designed by the construction architect Thomas Reed in the decade of 1850 and constructed from October 1,1874.

The Penitentiary one was the most important prison of the country during almost 72 years. Nevertheless, in 1946 the prisoners were transferred to the new Jail called "Picota" and the government destined the building to lodge the National Museum.

Recovered and adapted under the direction of the architects Manuel de Vengoechea and Hernando Vargas Rubiano and inaugurated as a headquarters of the National Museum at May 2,1948. The building reunites architectonic and historical values of such beauty and solidity that lead the government to declare it National Monument(August 11,1975).

Between years 1989 and 2001 the Project of Integral Restoration of the Building, that culminated in the first semester of the 2001 and which it was inaugurated officially in July 28, with the opening of the totality exhibition rooms of the Museum . At the moment, National Museum of Colombia and Colombian Instituto of Anthropology and History (Icanh), employees both of the Ministry of Culture, are the ones in charge of the administration, conservation and diffusion of the collections that integrate the Museum.

In the celebration of their 183 years of foundation, the collections of the Museum as a result of the anthropological investigations, donations and acquisitions ascend to more than 20,000 pieces, symbols of history and the national patrimony.

Also you can find vestiges of the first settlers and culture material of the pre Hispanic societies, objects of the present indigenous and afrocolombiana ethnography, testimony of the different periods from Colombian history and works of artistic value that go from the colonial time to the art of the' first modern ones'in spanish (Los primeros modernos) such as Fernando Botero, Alejandro Obregón, Guillermo Wiedemann, Juan Antonio Roda, Eduardo Ramirez Villamizar, Edgar Negret and Enrique Grau.

The Museum offers to visitors 17 permanent exhibition halls, which are exhibited around 2,500 objects, a calendar of exhibitions temporary that has allowed to Colombians to be in contact with important samples of history, national and international art and archaeology and one varied academic programming and cultural that includes conferences, concerts, presentations of theater and dance, videos and the Annual Chair of History `Ernesto Restrepo Tirado', who has been made the last 10 years.

Also, it counts on a series of publications that compile not only the heap of their collections but the memories of the academic encounter and with the development of new technologies like the Internet, allowing to create new and contemporary forms to be related to the public.


Schedules: Mondays the Museum is closed to the public by maintenance

Tuesday to Saturday of 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
Domingo of 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

The access to the rooms finishes to 30 minutes before the closing of the Hour Museum.

Vault of Orfebrería: Open Tuesday to Fridays from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Cabinet of Drawing and Graphical Arts : Open Tuesday to Fridays from 10 a.m to 6 p.m.

Tariffs Adult: US$1,20
Young greater of 5 years : US$.50

Direction: Cra. 7, streets 28 and 29, Bogota-Colombia
Telephone: (057) (1) 334 83 66.
Web site: http://www.museonacional.gov.co



From : yalilaguiselle