Discovering the cultural side of Singapore through its museums

Singapore might be a small country but culturally, the country is as rich as it can get. People generally think of the water-spouting Merlion and the Singapore Zoo when popular places to visit in Singapore pops into mind. But the country is so much more than these touristy attractions and has a decent collection of museums documenting local culture and heritage. Here let’s discover the cultural side of Singapore through it various museums.

This one is Singapore’s oldest museum which was opened in 1887. Spread over a huge 18400 sq m of land, it is also the country’s largest museum. Set at the foot of Fort Canning Hill, the museum is a treasure trove of national and some rare artefacts from Singapore’s history. The Singapore Stone and the William Farquhar collection are some of the best preserved things here.

The museum celebrates Singapore’s multicultural heritage, originating from Asia, including China, Southeast Asia, South Asia and West Asia. Situated in Empress Place along the Singapore River, the museum is huge and features 11 galleries housing more than 1300 artefacts from Asian civilisations.

Peranakam means ‘locally born’, so the museum is dedicated to descendants born from the intermarriage of Chinese and Indian with the local Malay community. In this museum, you’ll find 10 galleries spread over three floors. All are brimming with arts and exhibitions paying homage to Peranakans in Singapore’s history.

One of the most famous art galleries in Singapore, National Gallery was unveiled in 2015. The beautiful place has a collection of Southeast Asian and Singaporean art from the 19th century. A number of international art exhibitions are hosted here every year. Situated inside the old City Hall and Supreme Court buildings, the building displays classical architecture.

MINT or Moment of Imagination and Nostalgia with Toys is an interesting private museum where one can witness a huge collection of over vintage toys collected from over 40 countries! The collection was made by a local man Chang Yang Fa. Here you can find some of the rarest toys and the collection is believed to be worth somewhere around S$5-10 million.