The Dutch Museum in Prince Street, Colombo has been closed for renovation work.
The Assistant Director, Zoology, National Museum, Mrs. Lankani Somarathna said, “The building is in a very bad condition. The floors, walls and roof need renovation. We have started the renovations on the roof.”
“It is not a permanent closure. We took that decision for the safety of the visitors because it is dangerous for them to visit the museum when the roof is being renovated. It is only a temporary closure. It is an urgent matter because of the security of the visitors. In the future we hope to do a full renovation of the building,” she said.
The Dutch Museum has been in a dilapidated condition for a long period of time. It is a very old building which was built as a residence for a Dutch Governor of Ceylon about 400 years ago.
Somarathna said that damage to the already dilapidated roof was caused by the heavy rains during recent months. The renovation is being done by the State Engineering Corporation in consultancy with the Archaeology Department.
She said renovating the roof of the Dutch Museum is not an easy task because the roof is very high, and also because the archaeological value and the original architectural designs of the Dutch Museum have to be preserved.