Museo Histórico Nacional, National history museum in Ciudad Vieja, Montevideo, Uruguay

Museo Histórico Nacional is a national museum in Montevideo's Ciudad Vieja that occupies several historic buildings displaying documents, photographs, furniture, and artworks spanning different historical periods. The spaces present the material culture and artistic production that shaped Uruguayan development.

The institution began with an 1837 decree creating a National Museum and Library, opened on 18 July 1838 in the Casa del Gobernador on today's Plaza Zabala. In 1880 the National Library separated, leaving the museum with natural history, history and fine arts sections. On 10 December 1911 these sections became independent museums, creating the Museo y Archivo Histórico Nacional. A 1942 restructuring under Juan Pivel Devoto added the homes of José Batlle y Ordóñez and Luis Alberto de Herrera.

The collections reveal how Uruguayan society developed over centuries, focusing on figures and moments that shaped the nation. Visitors encounter personal objects and artworks that reflect the daily life and struggles of different generations.

The museum is open Wednesday through Sunday from 12:00 to 18:00, giving visitors time to explore the different exhibitions at their own pace. It helps to arrive earlier in the afternoon to enjoy the rooms without crowds and read the labels comfortably.

The museum's Casa de Fructuoso Rivera is its headquarters and holds a permanent exhibition on the birth and shaping of the Uruguayan state. Rivera's former residence is one of several historic houses the institution took over, alongside those of Lavalleja, Garibaldi, Giró, Batlle y Ordóñez and Herrera.