National Museum of Cambodia

The National Museum was opened in 1920 in a terracotta-red building designed in a Khmer idiom by the French scholar George Groslier, four galleries around a planted courtyard with pools, and it holds the finest collection of Khmer sculpture anywhere. The sequence runs from pre-Angkorian Funan and Chenla work through the classical Angkor period to the post-Angkorian, and the individual pieces are the point: the eighth-century Harihara from Prasat Andet, the bronze reclining Vishnu recovered from the West Mebon, a large Jayavarman VII in meditation. Several works looted during the twentieth century have been returned in recent years and are displayed with that history noted. The courtyard, full of frangipani and bats in the roof, is part of the visit.

History

The building was designed by George Groslier, 1887-1945, the moving spirit of the revival of Cambodian arts, after temple forms seen on ancient bas-reliefs; its foundation stone was laid on 15 August 1917, and it opened at Khmer New Year, on 13 April 1920, in the presence of King Sisowath, with wings added to the eastern front in 1924. The French handed the museum to Cambodian control on 9 August 1951, and in 1966 Chea Thay Seng became its first Cambodian director (Wikipedia, National Museum of Cambodia).

The main sights

• Pre-Angkorian sculpture - Funan and Chenla figures of great refinement.
• The bronze Vishnu - the reclining figure recovered from the West Mebon.
• Jayavarman VII - the meditating portrait of the great builder king.
• The courtyard - frangipani, pools and bats in the roof timbers.

When to go

November to March for comfortable weather; the museum is open daily and is a good option in heat or rain. Mornings are quietest. An audio guide is worth taking as labelling is uneven.

Things to know

Labelling is limited and the chronology is not always obvious without a guide. Photography inside the galleries is not permitted. The building has no air conditioning in the galleries and is warm. Two hours is enough for most visitors.

Nearby

The Royal Palace is next door; the riverfront is a short walk east.

Key facts