Museums in Colombo

The National Museum of Colombo is a two-storey building which is the largest museum in Sri Lanka. It dates back to 1877 and has a colonial vibe with a rich history covering 2500 years. The founder of the museum was William Henry Gregory, British Governor of Ceylon from 1872–1877. The building’s artworks have an essence of the Dutch, Portuguese and British Colonial times, along with the display of significant ancient and local artefacts, farming methods, tools and traditional craft.

The Colombo Dutch Museum is a beautiful two-story building which is a storehouse of some fantastic architecture and history of Dutch colonial rule of Sri Lanka. The Colombo Dutch museum was initially a the residence of the Dutch governor- Thomas Van Rhee, and it was inside the walls of this museum that a treaty was signed with the Dutch.

The Colombo Maritime Museum is in one of the former Dutch prisons which were built in 1676 making it one of the oldest Dutch buildings in Colombo. The museum has undergone many renovations to date, and it has been open to the public since the year 2003. There are two stories in the museum which are made of unique architecture and design inspired by Italian architecture.

Covering the natural heritage of Sri Lanka, the National Museum of Natural History is located near to the National Museum of Colombo and is one of the only museums in the country to showcase collections of natural history and heritage. With over 5000 species and specimens of all kinds of animals endemic to Sri Lanka showcased, the collection also includes some rare and extinct animals.

Located in the basement of the Independence Memorial Hall in the Independence Square, the Independence Memorial Museum in Sri Lanka was established to honour the country's heroes who were instrumental in helping Sri Lanka gain its freedom from the British forces. The museum has collections of busts, portraits of political leaders, patriots and men, each with their stories written next to it.