Museo Histórico Nacional

The colonial Palacio de la Real Audiencia houses the Museo Histórico Nacional (National History Museum). Among its 18 rooms, it displays exhibitions about important periods of the Chilean history, starting with Chilean native people, the colonial period, independence and the modern era, all of this supported by important archeological elements such as furniture, clothing, paintings, photography and tools. It is located in front of the Plaza de Armas (Arms Square) and you can easily get there by the "Plaza de Armas" subway station.
The Museum was created in 1911, to celebrate the 100th anniversary of Chile's independence, but its earliest creation dates from 1830, when the museum was founded by the scientist Claudio Gay. The foundation was a request from the Government of that time because there was no place to storage the historic collection of the new country. Chile's Congress was held here in the early 1800's, and the building later served as a telegraph office. The geographical location has changed since its creation, at first it was placed at the Palacio of Bellas Artes, and then it was changed to the Biblioteca Nacional (National Library). In the early 1980s, because of the amount and the quality of its entire collection, it was decided to change the museum to the old Palacio de la Real Audiencia, restored in 1982.