National Museum, Bloemfontein, Natural history museum in Bloemfontein, South Africa

The National Museum occupies several connected buildings displaying collections on natural sciences, local history, and South African art from different time periods. The rooms contain fossils of human ancestors, preserved animals, and objects that show how people lived in this region across many centuries.

The institution was founded in 1877 and occupied historical buildings before expanding into its current multi-building structure over many decades. Professional management from the 1920s onwards helped grow the collection into a major center for preserving knowledge about the region.

The museum's name and origins tie to the Orange Free State: in 1876 the republic sent ivory, ostrich feathers, diamonds and animal skins to the Philadelphia world's fair, and the following year the Volksraad founded a national museum. The First Raadsaal, built in 1849 by Maj. H.D. Warden, was the first school north of the Orange River and later served as church and assembly hall before housing the museum in 1877.

The museum stands at 36 Aliwal Street in central Bloemfontein, in a building opened in 1915. Its satellites are separate sites: the First Raadsaal and Wagon Museum share one premises, while Oliewenhuis, Freshford House and Florisbad lie elsewhere, so plan transport between them. Allow time for the 13 research departments, art museum and library under one administration.

The Florisbad skull, found in 1932 at the Florisbad spring about 45 km from Bloemfontein, is an archaic modern human cranium. A 1912 earthquake opened a new spring there and brought up fossil bones and stone tools with the water. The site was bought by the government in 1980 and placed under the museum.