If you want to explore the Philippines' rich cultural heritage, go to the Philippines' National Museum. You can spend one whole day walking around the museum's various rooms exhibiting paintings, sculptures, and other artifacts dating back to the pre-Hispanic settlement. The museum is conveniently located near the Manila City Hall within the area of Rizal Park. So, finding the building of the National Museum of the Philippines is quite simple, and a visit to it ensures that you learn and appreciate the country's heritage at your leisure. Preserving the Philippines' HeritageThe National Museum of the Philippines' vision focuses on its commitment to the preservation and protection of the Filipino nation's legacy, common identity, national patrimony, and cultural heritage. Its goals primarily comprise diverse fields of knowledge emphasizing cultural, educational, and scientific activities. The National Museum of the Philippines is recognized as an educational and scientific institution and a cultural center. As a cultural center, the National Museum of the Philippines leads the rebuilding of the Philippines' rich cultural history through studies and preservation activities focusing on the country's artistic, cultural, and historical heritage. The museum also organizes exhibitions, lectures, and interviews. It also produces publications which the general public and students can benefit from. As a scientific institution, the Philippines' National Museum also undertakes various basic research programs that generally combine laboratory and fieldwork. Research disciplines mainly focus on anthropology and archeology, botany and zoology, and geology and paleontology. The museum also maintains reference collections on these various disciplines, and students may conduct their own researches at the museum.The Museum's EstablishmentThe structure of the National Museum of the Philippines used to be the home of the Philippine Congress and Senate as well as the Department of Finance. But the museum only moved to its present location in 1995 and 1996. Initially established in 1901 as the country's official repository of its cultural and natural heritage, it was called a museum of ethnography and natural history. Today, the museum aims to instill a sense of nationalism, pride, and cultural consciousness among Filipino people.The National Museum of the Philippines' present location was designed by an American architect named Daniel Burnham in 1918. The museum now occupies the main building of the old Congress building. Adjacent to this museum is the old Finance building that now houses the National Museum of the Filipino People, which exhibits the Anthropology and Archeology Divisions of the Philippines' National Museum. In this location, you can find Juan Luna's Spolarium and other famous works of Filipino artists.The new location of the National Museum of the Philippines was opened with a permanent exhibit called 'The Story of the Filipino People' and a traveling exhibit called 'The Treasures of San Diego', which has already traveled to Berlin, Madrid, New York, and Paris. After you visit the museum, you can stroll around Rizal Park before proceeding to Manila's other planned activities.