Established in the year 1849 by the then Singapore’s Institution Committee, National Museum of Singapore is the oldest museum in the country. There are four national museums in Singapore and this is one among them. The museum got its name as the National Museum in the year 1965. Earlier it was called Raffles Library and Museum. In its early years, the museum was renowned for its zoological and ethnographic collections from South-east Asia.

There was an intervening time period from 1993 to March 2006 when this museum was called the Singapore History Museum, but lately it has reverted to its former name. The museum was designed to be the people’s museum. Presently, the major focus of the museum is on the exhibits that pertain to Singapore’s fascinating history, which it showcases in an interesting fashion.

The museum underwent refurbishment for three-and-a-half years and it was opened after the renovation on 2nd Dec 2006. On the 8th of Dec in the same year, the Singapore History Gallery was also opened in the museum. Singapore’s President, Sir S R Nathan officially opened the revamped Museum.