List of national museums
A national museum is a museum maintained by a state. In many countries it denotes a museum run by the central government, and often is restricted to a few museums, mostly in the capital, while other museums are run by regional or local government, or foundations. In other countries a much larger number of museums are run by the central government, some quite small. Some national museums use the term in their name, but others do not; some museums just adopt the term as a matter of branding.
The following is an incomplete list of national museums:
Albania
- National Museum of History of Albania
Argentina
- National Historical Museum, Argentina
- Historical House of the Independence Museum
- House of Yrurtia Museum
- Mitre Museum
- National Museum of the Cabildo and the May Revolution
- National Museum of Decorative Arts
- National Museum of Fine Arts
- National Palace of the Arts
- Sarmiento Historical Museum
Australia
- Australian National Aviation Museum
- Australian National Maritime Museum
- Australian Tennis Museum, Sydney
- Australian War Memorial
- Museum Victoria
- National Alpine Museum
- National Dinosaur Museum
- National Gallery of Australia
- National Motor Museum, Birdwood
- National Motorcycle Museum of Australia
- National Museum of Australia
- National Museum of Australian Pottery
- National Portrait Gallery
- National Railway Museum, Port Adelaide
- National Vietnam Veterans Museum, Phillip Island
- Questacon - National Science and Technology Centre, Canberra
- National Sports Museum
Austria
- Kunsthistorisches Museum Vienna
- Natural History Museum, Vienna
Azerbaijan
- National Art Museum of Azerbaijan
- National Museum of History of Azerbaijan
Bahrain
- Bahrain National Museum
Bangladesh
- Bangladesh National Museum
Belarus
- Belarusian National Arts Museum
- Belarusian National History Museum
Belgium
- Royal Museums of Art and History
Bosnia and Herzegovina
- Bosnian and Herzegovinian Museum of Literature
- Historical Museum of Bosnia and Herzegovina
- National Museum of Bosnia and Herzegovina
Brazil
- National Historical Museum, Brazil
- National Museum of Brazil
- National Museum of Fine Arts
- National Museum of the Republic
Bulgaria
- Earth and Man National Museum
- National Archaeological Museum
- National Historical Museum
- National Museum of Military History
- National Museum of Natural History
- National Transport Museum
Burkina Faso
- National Museum of Music
Cambodia
- National Museum of Cambodia
- Angkor National Museum
Canada
- Canada Agriculture Museum
- Canada Aviation Museum
- Canada Science and Technology Museum
- Canadian Children's Museum
- Canadian Museum for Human Rights
- Canadian Museum of Contemporary Photography
- Canadian Museum of History
- Canadian Museum of Immigration at Pier 21
- Canadian Museum of Nature
- Canadian Postal Museum
- Canadian War Museum
- National Gallery of Canada
- Portrait Gallery of Canada
- RCMP Heritage Centre
- Virtual Museum of Canada
- Virtual Museum of New France
Chad
- Chad National Museum
Chile
- National Air and Space Museum
- National History Museum
- National Museum of Fine Arts
- National Museum of Natural History
China
- National Art Museum of China
- Beijing Museum of Natural History
- National Museum of China
- Henan Museum
Colombia
- Colombian National Museum
Comoros
- National Museum of Comoros
Costa Rica
- National Museum of Costa Rica
Cyprus
- Cyprus Museum
Czech Republic
- National Gallery Prague
- National Museum, Prague
Denmark
- National Museum of Denmark
Djibouti
- Djibouti Museum
Eritrea
- National Museum of Eritrea
Estonia
- Art Museum of Estonia
- Estonian National Museum
Finland
- Ateneum
- Finnish Museum of Natural History
- Kiasma
- National Museum of Finland
- Sinebrychoff Art Museum
France
- Centre Georges Pompidou
- Musée de l'Armée
- Musée Camille Claudel
- Musée de Cluny - National Museum of the Middle-Ages
- Musée du Louvre
- Museum of European and Mediterranean Civilisations
- Musée d'Orsay
- Museum of Air and Space
- Museum of Natural History
- Museum of Science and Industry
- National Navy Museum
- National Railway Museum
Gambia
- National Museum
Germany
- Bavarian National Museum
- German Historical Museum
- German Museum of Technology
- German National Museum
- Glyptothek
- The Max Planck Institutes
- Modern Art Museum
- Museum Wiesbaden
- National Gallery
- National Museum of Germany
- New Pinakothek
- Old Pinakothek
Ghana
- National Museum of Ghana
Greece
- Athens War Museum
- National Archaeological Museum, Athens
- National Gallery
- National Historical Museum, Athens
- State Museum of Contemporary Arts
Guatemala
- Museo Nacional de Arte Moderno "Carlos Mérida"
Guyana
- National Museum of Guyana
Holy See (Vatican City)
- Vatican Museums
- Vatican Library
- Vatican Secret Archives
- Saint Peter's Basilica
- Apostolic Palace
- Archbasilica of Saint John Lateran
- Sistine Chapel
Hungary
- Hungarian National Museum
- Hungarian National Gallery
Iceland
- National Gallery of Iceland
- National Museum of Iceland
Isle of Man
- Manx National Heritage
India
- Allahabad Museum
- Indian Museum
- National Gallery of Modern Art
- National Museum, New Delhi
- Salar Jung Museum
- Victoria Memorial
- 23 science centers under the National Council of Science Museums
- 44 site museums under the Archaeological Survey of India
Indonesia
- Indonesia Museum
- Jakarta History Museum
- National Museum of Indonesia
Iran
- National Museum of Iran
Iraq
- National Museum of Iraq
Ireland
- Irish Museum of Modern Art
- National Gallery of Ireland
- National Museum of Ireland
Israel
- Israel Museum
Italy
- Bargello National Museum
- Galleria degli Uffizi
- National Archeological Museum of Naples
- National Etruscan Museum
- National Gallery of Ancient Art
- National Gallery of Modern Art
- National Museum of Capodimonte
- National Museum of Magna Grecia
- National Museum of Oriental Art
- National Museum of Rome
- Pinacoteca di Brera
Japan
- National Institutes for Cultural Heritage
- * Tokyo National Museum
- * Kyoto National Museum
- * Nara National Museum
- * Kyushu National Museum
- Independent Administrative Institution National Museum of Art
- * National Museum of Modern Art, Tokyo
- * National Museum of Modern Art, Kyoto
- * National Museum of Western Art
- * National Museum of Art, Osaka
- * National Art Center, Tokyo
- * National Film Archive of Japan
- National Museum of Nature and Science
- National Museum of Ethnology
- National Museum of Japanese History
- National Showa Memorial Museum
Kenya
- National Museums of Kenya
Korea
- National Museum of Korea
- * Buyeo National Museum
- * Cheongju National Museum
- * Chuncheon National Museum
- * Daegu National Museum
- * Gimhae National Museum
- * Gongju National Museum
- * Gwangju National Museum
- * Gyeongju National Museum
- * Jeju National Museum
- * Jeonju National Museum
- * Jinju National Museum
- National Folk Museum of Korea
- National Palace Museum of Korea
Kuwait
- Al-Hashemi-II Marine Museum in Kuwait City
- Kuwait National Museum
- Kuwait Science and Natural History Museum
Latvia
- Latvian National Museum of Art
Lebanon
- National Museum of Beirut
Libya
- National Museum of Libya
Lithuania
- National Museum of Lithuania
Luxembourg
- National Museum of History and Art, in Luxembourg City
- National Museum of Military History, in Diekirch
- National Museum of Natural History, in Luxembourg City
Malaysia
- Muzium Negara
- Muzium Sejarah Nasional
Maldives
- National Museum
Mali
- National Museum of Mali
Malta
- National Museum of Archaeology
- National Museum of Ethnography
- National Museum of Fine Arts
- National Museum of Natural History
- National War Museum
Mauritania
- National Museum of Mauritania
Mexico
- Museo Nacional de Antropología
- Museo Nacional de Historia
Myanmar
- National Museum Nay Pyi Taw
- National Museum of Myanmar
Namibia
- National Museum of Namibia
- * Alte Feste
- * Owela Museum
- Independence Memorial Museum
Nepal
- National Museum of Nepal
Netherlands
- Dordrechts Museum
- EYE Film Institute Netherlands
- Huis Doorn
- Kröller-Müller Museum
- Loevestein
- Mauritshuis
- Muiderslot
- Museum Boerhaave
- Museum Catharijneconvent
- Museum Meermanno
- Museum Mesdag
- Museum Volkenkunde
- National Museum of Ethnology
- Naturalis
- Nederlands Scheepvaartmuseum
- Paleis het Loo
- Rijksmuseum Amsterdam
- Rijksmuseum Twenthe
- Rijksmuseum van Oudheden
- Openluchtmuseum
- Van Gogh Museum
- Zuiderzeemuseum
New Zealand
- Museum of New Zealand Te Papa Tongarewa - commonly known as Te Papa or Our Place in English translation
Niger
- Musée National Boubou Hama, formerly National Museum of Niger
Norway
- National Museum of Art, Architecture and Design
Pakistan
- National Museum of Pakistan, Karachi
Palau
- Belau National Museum, Koror
Papua New Guinea
- Papua New Guinea National Museum and Art Gallery, Port Moresby
Peru
- Museum of the Nation
- National Museum of the Archaeology, Anthropology, and History of Peru
Philippines
- National Museum of the Philippines
- *National Museum of Anthropology
- *National Museum of Fine Arts
- *National Museum of Natural History
Poland
- Kraków National Museum
- National Museum, Gdańsk
- National Maritime Museum, Gdańsk
- National Museum of Poland
- National Museum, Poznań
- National Museum in Szczecin
- Warsaw National Museum
- Wrocław National Museum
Portugal
- Air Museum, part of the Portuguese Air Force
- Grão Vasco National Museum
- Porto Military Museum, part of the Portuguese Army
- National Archaeology Museum
- National Azulejo Museum
- National Coach Museum
- National Museum of Ancient Art
- National Museum of Contemporary Art of Chiado
- National Museum of Costume and Fashion
- National Museum of Ethnology, it includes the Popular Art Museum
- National Museum of Natural History and Science, part of the University of Lisbon
- National Museum Machado de Castro
- National Museum Soares dos Reis
- National Music Museum
- National Railway Museum
- National Theatre and Dance Museum
- Navy Museum, part of the Portuguese Navy
Qatar
- Qatar National Museum
Romania
- ASTRA Museum of Traditional Folk Civilization
- ASTRA Museum of Transylvanian Civilisation
- Brukenthal National Museum
- Emil Sigerus Museum of Saxon Ethnography and Folk Art
- Franz Binder Museum of Universal Ethnography
- National History Museum of Romania
- National Military Museum, Romania
- National Museum of Art of Romania
Russia
- State Historical Museum
- Russian Museum
Saudi Arabia
- National Museum of Saudi Arabia
Serbia
- National Museum of Serbia
Sierra Leone
- Sierra Leone National Museum
Singapore
- National Museum of Singapore
Slovakia
- Slovak National Museum
- Slovak National History Museum
Somalia
- National Museum of Somalia
South Africa
- South African National Museum of Military History
- Iziko South African Museum
South Sudan
- South Sudan National Museum
Spain
- National Archaeological Museum, Madrid
- Cervantes' House Museum, Valladolid
- Museum of the Royal Mint, Madrid
- Museum Cerralbo, Madrid
- Aeronautical and Astronautical Museum, Madrid
- Museum of the Americas, Madrid
- Museum of the Army, Toledo
- Catalonia Railway Museum, Vilanova i la Geltrú
- Railway Museum, Madrid
- El Greco Museum, Toledo
- National Museum of Romanticism, Madrid
- Museum of Garment - Ethnologic Heritage Research Center, Madrid
- Geomineral Museum, Madrid
- Lázaro Galdiano Museum, Madrid
- Queen Sofía Art Center National Museum, Madrid
- National Museum of Anthropology, Madrid
- National Museum of Subaquatic Archaeology, Cartagena
- National Museum of Roman Art, Mérida
- National Museum of Decorative Arts, Madrid
- González Martí National Museum of Ceramics and Decorative Arts, Valencia
- National Museum of Science and Technology, La Coruña and Alcobendas
- National Museum of Natural Sciences, Madrid
- National Museum of Sculpture, Valladolid
- Prado National Museum, Madrid
- National Museum of Theatre, Almagro
- Thyssen-Bornemisza National Museum, Madrid
- National Museum and Research Center of Altamira, Santillana del Mar
- Naval Museum, Madrid
- Sephardic Museum, Toledo
- Sorolla Museum, Madrid
- Royal Botanical Garden, Madrid
Catalonia
- National Art Museum of Catalonia, Barcelona
- National Museum of Science and Industry of Catalonia, Terrassa
- Archaeological Museum of Catalonia, Barcelona, Empúries, Girona, Olèrdola and Ullastret
Sri Lanka
- National Museum of Colombo
- National Museum Galle
- National Museum Kandy
- National Museum Maritime
- National Museum Ratnapura
Sudan
- National Museum of Sudan
Suriname
- Surinaams Museum
Sweden
- Nationalmuseum
Switzerland
- Swiss National Museum
Syria
- National Museum of Damascus
Taiwan
- Chunghwa Postal Museum
- National Museum of History
- National Museum of Marine Biology and Aquarium
- National Museum of Marine Science and Technology
- National Museum of Natural Science
- National Museum of Prehistory
- National Museum of Taiwan History
- National Museum of Taiwan Literature
- National Palace Museum
- National Radio Museum
- National Science and Technology Museum
- National Taiwan Museum
- National Taiwan Museum of Fine Arts
- Republic of China Air Force Museum
- Republic of China Armed Forces Museum
- Southern Branch of the National Palace Museum
Tajikistan
- Tajikistan National Museum
Thailand
- See National museums of Thailand.
Trinidad and Tobago
- National Museum and Art Gallery
Turks and Caicos
- Turks and Caicos National Museum
Ukraine
- Aivazovsky National Art Gallery
- Lviv National Art Gallery
- Lviv National Museum
- Museum of The History of Ukraine in World War II
- National Art Museum of Ukraine
- National Historical Museum of Ukraine
- National Museum-Preserve "Battle for Kyiv 1943"
- Ukrainian National Chornobyl Museum
United Kingdom
England
Sponsored by the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport- British Museum
- Victoria & Albert Museum
- * Victoria and Albert Museum in London
- * V&A Museum of Childhood in London
- Horniman Museum and Gardens
- Imperial War Museum
- * Imperial War Museum London
- * Imperial War Museum Duxford
- * HMS Belfast
- * Churchill War Rooms
- * Imperial War Museum North
- National Museums Liverpool
- * World Museum
- * Walker Art Gallery
- * Merseyside Maritime Museum
- * The Piermaster's House
- * International Slavery Museum
- * Lady Lever Art Gallery
- * Sudley House
- * Museum of Liverpool
- * National Conservation Centre
- Royal Armouries
- * Royal Armouries Museum in Leeds
- * Tower of London in London
- * Fort Nelson in Portsmouth
- Science Museum Group
- * The Science Museum in South Kensington, London
- * The Science and Industry Museum in Manchester
- * The National Railway Museum in York
- * The National Railway Museum Shildon in County Durham
- * The National Science and Media Museum in Bradford, and
- * The Science Museum at Wroughton in Swindon, Wiltshire.
- Sir John Soane's Museum
- Tate
- Wallace Collection
- Natural History Museum
- * Natural History Museum, London
- * Natural History Museum at Tring, Tring
- Geffrye Museum
- National Gallery
- National Portrait Gallery
- Royal Museums Greenwich
Sponsored by the Home Office
- Border Force National Museum
Northern Ireland
- Armagh County Museum
- Ulster-American Folk Park
- Ulster Folk and Transport Museum
- Ulster Museum
Scotland
- Museum of Scotland
- National Museum of Costume
- National Museum of Flight
- National Museum of Rural Life
- National War Museum of Scotland
- Royal Museum
Wales
- Big Pit National Coal Museum
- National Museum Cardiff
- National Museum Wales
- National Roman Legionary Museum
- National Slate Museum
- National Waterfront Museum
- National Woollen Museum
- St Fagans National History Museum
United States
- Atomic/Nuclear
- * National Atomic Testing Museum
- * National Museum of Nuclear Science & History
- Department of Defense:
- * Air Force:
- ** Air Force Armament Museum
- ** Air Mobility Command Museum
- ** National Museum of the United States Air Force
- ** Museum of Aviation
- ** Strategic Air and Space Museum
- * Army:
- ** National Museum of Health and Medicine
- ** National Museum of the United States Army
- * Navy:
- ** National Museum of the Marine Corps
- ** National Museum of the United States Navy
- ** National Naval Aviation Museum
- ** National Navy UDT-SEAL Museum
- ** Naval War College Museum
- ** Submarine Force Library and Museum
- * National Security Agency:
- ** National Cryptologic Museum
- Central Intelligence Agency:
- * CIA Museum
- Department of Homeland Security
- * United States Coast Guard Museum
- National Gallery of Art
- Smithsonian Institution:
- *American Art Museum
- * Anacostia Community Museum
- * Arts and Industries Building
- * Cooper Hewitt, Smithsonian Design Museum
- * Freer Gallery of Art
- * Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden
- * National Air and Space Museum
- ** Steven F. Udvar-Hazy Center
- * National Museum of African American History and Culture
- * National Museum of African Art
- * National Museum of the American Indian
- * National Museum of American History
- * National Museum of Natural History
- * National Portrait Gallery
- * National Postal Museum
- * National Zoological Park
- Presidential Library System
- *Herbert Hoover Presidential Library and Museum
- * Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum
- * Harry S. Truman Presidential Library and Museum
- * Dwight D. Eisenhower Presidential Library, Museum and Boyhood Home
- * John F. Kennedy Presidential Library and Museum
- * Lyndon Baines Johnson Library and Museum
- * Richard Nixon Presidential Library and Museum
- * Gerald R. Ford Museum
- * Jimmy Carter Library and Museum
- * Ronald Reagan Presidential Library
- * George Bush Presidential Library
- * Clinton Presidential Center
- * George W. Bush Presidential Center
- Transportation
- * National Railroad Museum
- War Museums/Memorials
- *National Veterans Memorial and Museum
- * National Civil War Museum
- * National Museum of the Pacific War
- * National World War I Museum
- * National World War II Museum
- Other
- *National Museum of Wildlife Art
- * National Civil Rights Museum
- * National Constitution Center
- * National Museum of Dentistry
- * National Mining Hall of Fame and Museum
- * National Building Museum
- * National Quilt Museum
- * National Nordic Museum
- * National Law Enforcement Museum
- * National Airmail Museum