Museum sights in Caracas
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Concejo Municipal
Occupying half of Plaza Bolívar's southern side, the city hall, the Concejo Municipal was erected by the Caracas bishops from 1641 to 1696 to house the Colegio Seminario de Santa Rosa de Lima. In 1725, the Real y Pontificia Universidad de Caracas, the province's first university, was established here. Bolívar renamed it the Universidad Central de Venezuela, the moniker it keeps to this day, though it has moved to a vast campus outside the historic center.
Today the building is the seat of the Municipal Council, but part of it is open to the public.
Museo Santana, on the ground floor, has a unique 'doll's-house version' of the city's development, filled with elaborate mi…
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People Power History Museum
Installed on the ground level of the mayor's office, which takes up the north side of the Plaza Bolívar, the People Power History Museum is 'devoted to the revolutionary process initiated by Hugo Chávez Frias.' It aims to highlight the cultural heritage of the Venezuelan people through exhibitions on the progress of social movements, achievements of revolutionary heroes and alleged crimes of US imperialism.
Whether it's a genuine expression of popular concerns or yet another platform for chavista propaganda, you be the judge.
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Museo Bolivariano
Continuing on the Bolívar trail, this museum has successfully preserved its colonial style and displays a variety of independence memorabilia, from muskets to medals and shaving sets to swords. It also has some fascinating documents and letters written by the man himself, as well as numerous portraits.
A bit on the morbid side are the coffin in which the remains of Bolívar were brought from Santa Marta in Colombia, and the arca cineraria (funeral ark) that conveyed his ashes to the Panteón Nacional.
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La Estancia
This renovated fragment of a 220-year-old coffee hacienda houses a fine museum with rotating works by Venezuelan artists. Property of the Simón Bolívar family until 1895, it is now owned by Petróleos de Venezuela Sociedad Anónima (PDVSA), the national oil company. Free concerts are staged on the patio on weekends (Saturday at 4pm, Sunday at 11am) and the well-manicured grounds offer a much-appreciated respite from Caracas’ diesel and dust, as well as a great location for a picnic.
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Museo Sacro de Caracas
Accommodated in a meticulously restored colonial building that stands upon the site of the old cathedral cemetery, this museum displays a modest but carefully selected collection of religious art. Duck through the low doorway into the dark, old ecclesiastical prison, where remains of early church leaders still lie in sealed niches. The Museo Sacro also stages concerts and recitals and has a delightful cafe inside a former chapel of the adjacent cathedral.
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Museo de Bellas Artes
Adjoining the National Art Gallery (Galería de Arte Nacional), the Museo de Bellas Artes is in a more functional modern six-story building, also designed by Villanueva. The museum features mostly temporary exhibitions, and includes a little shop selling contemporary art and crafts.
You can ponder the purpose of the various works in the sculpture garden from the comfort of the garden café, while sipping on coffee and hobnobbing with local art students.
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Museo Santana
Museo Santana, inside the Concejo Municipal, has a unique 'doll's-house version' of the city's development, filled with elaborate miniature models of turn-of-the-19th-century Caracas. All the models were created by local artist, Raúl Santana. There are also grand historic paintings, banners and some fascinating ceiling murals; look for the one depicting Bolívar in the heavens.
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Panteón Nacional
The entire central nave of the imposing National Pantheon is dedicated to national hero Simón Bolívar, underlining the almost saint-like reverence with which he is held in Venezuela. His bronze sarcophagus is placed in the chancel, and the path to reach his tomb is covered by a ceiling filled with paintings of Bolívar’s life, all done by Tito Salas in the 1930s.
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Complejo Cultural Teresa Carreño
Rising like a gigantic concrete bunker across the street from Parque Central (and linked to it by a footbridge), the Complejo Cultural Teresa Carreño is a modern performing arts center. Opened in 1983, it has an enormous main auditorium, theater and side hall that regularly host concerts, ballets, plays and recitals by local and visiting performers.
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Museo de Arte Popular de Petare Bábaro Rivas
Museo de Arte Popular de Petare Bábaro Rivas exhibits folk art superbly displayed in a two-century-old house.
From the metro, take the 'Av Fco de Miranda' exit, cross the avenue and take one of the narrow streets uphill to the plaza. Bear in mind, however, that the neighborhood, close to sprawling slums, is considered unsafe.
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Museo Fundación John Boulton
This small museum called Museo Fundación John Boulton features a collection of historic and artistic objects accumulated over generations by the family of British merchant John Boulton (1805-75). Among the exhibits are paintings by Arturo Michelena, Bolívar memorabilia and a vast collection of ceramics from all over the world.
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Bolívar Family's Summer House
Located in the far southern section of the historic center, this was the Bolívar Family's Summer House, where Simón Bolívar spent much of his youth. Restored to its original appearance and stuffed with period furniture, the house is today a museum dedicated to El Libertador.
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Museo del Teclado
Tucked away behind the Museo de los Niños and up a flight of stairs, this little museum, the Museo del Teclado holds a collection of rare pianos and other keyboard instruments. It's also a venue for concerts and recitals Saturday at 16:00 and Sunday at 11:00.
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Museo de Ciencias Naturales
The Natural Sciences Museum, across the circle from Bellas Artes, traces the history of evolution with displays of minerals and fossils, as well as exhibits covering indigenous languages and astronomy.
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Museo de los Niños
The brightly colored Children's Museum is an excellent science museum with lots of colorful, hands-on exhibits combining learning with fun for both kids and adults. There's a small planetarium too.
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