Museums of Costa Rica:

National Museum of Costa Rica

The National Museum is located in San José, on the Second Avenue. It was founded on May 04 1887 during the government of Bernardo Soto. The building where is the museum is known as Bellavista Fortress and became a museum after that army was abolished in Costa Rica.

Different kinds of collections are exhibit temporally or permanently; the main collections are related with anthropology, Costa Rican culture and natural history. Most of the objects in the National Museum are the base of scientific researches.

Costa Rican Art Museum

Housed in the first international airport of Costa Rica at La Sabana in San José. On 1977 The Costa Rican Art Museum opened its doors in order to Guido Saenz efforts. This museum exhibits a collection of works in all media by Costa Rica's most celebrated artists of the 19th and 20th C. Rotating shows of local artists are featured, and the sculpture collection is one of particular note.

The main objective of this entity is to maintain, recover, disseminate and encourage the arts in Costa Rica in its various manifestations

Pre- Columbian Gold Museum

The Pre-Columbian Gold Museum has an extraordinary collection of gold objects that reflect the world view, social structure and gold-working techniques of the Pre-Columbian peoples of Costa Rica. The exhibition showcases the use and function of the pieces, the technology of their fabrication, and their relationship to the natural world and the daily life of these societies. The collection consists of 1600 pieces of Pre-Columbian gold work that date from 500 AD to 1500 AD. It is located in La Plaza de la Cultura in San José.

Marine Historical Museum of Puntarenas

In its different halls on natural history, archeology and history, is reflected the way of life for thousands of years until the present, has been developed in this region. Archaeological information which has allowed to know about the first settlements of indigenous groups in the region, how they got their food, taking advantage of the various resources of the area. The museum also shows the diversity of natural resources of the area, including its wetlands, forests, marine life, land animals and birds. Outlines the importance of the Gulf of Nicoya and the islands in it. Delves further into the natural wealth of the Cocos Island and has about pirates and their treasures.

La Salle Natural Science Museum

La Salle Natural Science Museum seeks to rescue the animal specimens that die by accident or natural. So instead of being scrapped, drawing dissected and subsequently used for research and exhibition to the public at large windows environments according to their specific habitat. In this way, is an outreach and contribution of the method of teaching objective, showing domestic and exotic wildlife.

Jade Museum Lic. Fidel Tristán

It's located in the INS building in downtown (in the National Insurance building). The amazing quantities and the quality of the jade in the country can only be attributed to trade, since the country lacks jade mines. The exhibit in this museum is the largest American jade collection in the world. The collection is extremely valuable because of the rarity of the mineral and of the religious and historical significance that it has for the Indian population and for the Costa Ricans in general.

Other Museums

• Museum of Coffee
• Museum of Historical Photographs
• Museo del Ferrocarril
• Juan Santamaria Historical Museum
• Museum of Contemporary Art
• Museum of Popular Culture
• Religious Art Museum of San Jose de Orosi
• Costa Rican Regional Museum of Theoretical Art
• Historical Museum of Dr. Rafael Ángel Calderón Guardia

Source:  www.museosdecostarica.com