National Museum Phnom Penh

One of the most striking buildings in all of Phnom Penh is the terracotta National Museum. It also houses the world’s most important collection of Khmer sculpture and carving.

Inaugurated in 1920 during the heyday of French colonial rule, its architect and first curator, George Groslier, was determined to collect and preserve Cambodia’s rich past. Remarkably, the collection was spared major looting and damage during the Khmer Rouge’s reign of terror in the 1970s. By the 1990s however, the structure was in desperate need of repair. The Australian Government and other donors funded essential repairs on the ornate spired roof.

The museum features four open air pavilions and a garden courtyard. Take some time to soak up  the atmosphere. You can look through the museum in an hour or so but the courtyard is an excellent place to read and reflect on the collection.

The museum’s collection spans Khmer civilisation from pre Angkorian times with a special focus on the Temples of Angkor.

The National Museum of Cambodia, Phnom Penh.

The recent opening of the Thai operated Angkor National Museum in Siem Reap has provided travellers with convenient access to some of the statuary removed from the Angkor temple complex. The main collection remains here in Phnom Penh however. The rustic charm and superior collection of the National Museum is not yet matched by meaningful contextual information for travellers - something that is better managed at its new and less atmospheric counterpart in Siem Reap.

If time permits, walk around to the back of the museum to the lovely grounds of the former École des Arts Cambodgiens. Groslier established this school at the same time as the museum in an effort to revitalise Cambodian skills in sculpture, painting and carving.

The former École des Arts Cambodgiens - now the University of Fine Arts.

Students at work at the former École des Arts Cambodgiens - now the University of Fine Arts.

Students at work at the former École des Arts Cambodgiens - now the University of Fine Arts.

Students at work at the École des Arts Cambodgiens - now the University of Fine Arts