BATTAMBANG MUSEUM

This museum is far from being able to compete with that of Phnom Penh, but it contains some very beautiful pieces, including a Lintel representative Représentant lying in the style of Prasat Andet and who was once stored in the Wat Poveal pagoda. And then it is very nice to be able to admire old works in a place that is not too far from where they were discovered. The Provincial Museum in Battambang was established in 1968. It affected the shape of a T. In that time, it had a rich collection of stone sculptures of the angkorienne period and also many other architectural elements of wood. During the years of the Khmer Rouge, the museum was used as a prison. After the collapse of the regime in 1979, it was found that most archaeological objects had disappeared. There were only a few lintels and some statues without head. It is true that many archaeological objects had been hidden in the ground around the museum to protect them from the ravages of war, but it is also true that a large number had been stolen. Since 1979, the museum has collected a large quantity of archaeological objects such as stone sculptures in pre-angkorienne and angkorienne periods, sculptures on the Middle Ages Khmer age, copper statuettes sometimes covered with gold or silver leaves, a small collection of ceramics from angkorienne or post-angkorienne periods and other metal objects. All these objects are inventoried, but many are kept on the reserve. Exposed objects are arranged according to their time periods or styles.