Singapore Museums

The Republic of Singapore is a sovereign city-state in Southeast Asia. Situated at the southern tip of the Malay Peninsula, it shares maritime borders with Indonesia in the south and Malaysia in the north.

Stamford Raffles founded colonial Singapore in 1819 as a trading post of the East India Company, and later, the islands were ceded to Britain and became part of its Straits Settlements in 1826.

Singapore gained independence from the UK in 1963 by federating with other former British territories to form Malaysia, but separated two years later over ideological differences, becoming a sovereign nation in 1965.

Since independence, extensive land reclamation has increased its total size by 23%. There are four official languages: English, Malay, Mandarin, and Tamil, though almost all Singaporeans are bilingual.

With a diverse cultural population, Singapore has many world-class museums of interest. Below is a list of some of the key museums in Singapore.

A Virtual Tour of Museums in Singapore

Asian Civilisations Museum
National Museum of Singapore
National Gallery of Singapore
Changi Museum
Old Ford Motor Factory, Singapore
Peranakan Museum
ArtScience Museum
Buddha Tooth Relic Temple and Museum
Singapore Philatelic Museum
Chinatown Heritage Center
The Battle Box

Highlights Tour of Museums in Singapore

Asian Civilisations Museum

The Asian Civilisations Museum (ACM) is one of the many fascinating museums in Singapore. The Asian Civilisations Museum specializes in Asian cultures and civilizations.

The museum concentrates on the history and art of China, Southeast Asia, South Asia, and West Asia.

ACM fosters an understanding of the diverse heritage cultures of Singapore, their interconnections, and connections with the world.

The various galleries are organized thematically rather than by geographical region. The emphasis of the exhibits is on network and flow influences rather than borders and boundaries.

National Museum of Singapore

The National Museum of Singapore is the oldest in Singapore, and it started as a section of a library at Singapore Institution and called the Raffles Library and Museum.

The museum focuses on exhibits related to the history of Singapore, and it is one of four national museums.

National Gallery of Singapore

The National Gallery Singapore is an art gallery that oversees an extensive collection of Singapore and Southeast Asian art, consisting of over 8,000 artworks.

The Gallery is housed in two national monuments, the former Supreme Court Building and City Hall, making it the most significant visual arts venue and largest museum in Singapore.

Changi Museum

The Changi Museum is a museum focused on Singapore’s history during the Second World War and the Japanese occupation of Singapore.

The Museum has a collection of paintings, photographs, and personal effects donated by former POWs. A vital feature of the Museum is a replica of the Changi Chapel and the Changi Murals.

Old Ford Motor Factory, Singapore

The Old Ford Motor Factory is where the British forces under Lieutenant-General Arthur Percival surrendered to Japanese troops in 1942 after the Battle of Singapore.

The Museum focuses on World War II, the Fall of Singapore and the Japanese Occupation.

Peranakan Museum

The Peranakan Museum explores the culture of Peranakan communities in Southeast Asia. Installed in the former Tao Nan Chinese School, built in 1912, the museum possesses one of the finest and most comprehensive collections of Peranakan objects.

Galleries across three floors illustrate the cultural traditions and distinctive visual arts of the Peranakans.

The Peranakan Museum provides a stimulating and educational experience for all while representing the living culture of the Peranakan community in the region.

ArtScience Museum

The ArtScience Museum is focused on the exploration of Science and Art and the connections between them. The museum has a permanent exhibition and many galleries dedicated to hosting touring exhibitions curated by other museums.

The architectural design of the building, which houses the ArtScience Museum, was influenced by a lotus flower.

Buddha Tooth Relic Temple and Museum

The Buddha Tooth Relic Temple and Museum is a Buddhist temple and museum complex built to house the tooth relic of the historical Buddha.

It is claimed that the relic of Buddha was found in 1980 in a collapsed stupa in Myanmar.

Singapore Philatelic Museum

The Singapore Philatelic Museum focuses on the postal history of Singapore and its stamps. In addition to the permanent galleries, there is gallery space to cater for changing exhibitions throughout the year.

The museum also includes a stamp shop.

Chinatown Heritage Center

Chinatown Heritage Center focuses on exhibiting original interiors of Singapore’s Chinese town shophouse tenants in the 1950s and documenting the lives of Chinatown’s early residents.

Displaying homes as Chinatown’s early residents experienced them.

The small living quarters are furnished, and every object and they trace the journey of Singapore’s early pioneers who left their villages in China and made their way to Singapore with the hope of finding a better life.

The Chinatown Heritage Center focuses on exhibiting original interiors of Singapore’s Chinese town shophouse tenants in the 1950s and documenting the lives of Chinatown’s early residents.

The Battle Box

The Battle Box is the underground command center constructed under Fort Canning, Singapore, as an emergency, bomb-proof command center.

It was used extensively during the Malayan Campaign and the Battle of Singapore.

City: Singapore
Country: Republic of Singapore
Malay: Republik Singapura
Chinese: 新加坡共和国
Tamil: சிங்கப்பூர் குடியரசு
Population: 5.6 million

Singaporean Proverbs, Quotes, and Sayings

Singaporean Proverbs, Quotes, and Sayings

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Museums in Singapore Map