Are you visiting Legazpi City soon? Get to know the city better by visiting Legazpi City Museum!
As a history buff and history professor, my number one agenda whenever visiting a new place is to check if there are museums that can be visited.
I scored a very cheap flight going to Legazpi City via Cebu Pacific where I also had the chance to fly on a holiday, hence I don’t need to file for a leave of absence from work. To be honest, I am not in any way looking forward to visit the city in the past, but after several visits, I fell in love and I kept on coming back over and over again.
Upon arrival at Legazpi Airport, I rode a tricycle going to the Legazpi City Hall because I saw online that there is a city museum in the building. Apparently, the Provincial Capitol of Albay was also in the same vicinity. I went to the City Tourism Office to ask for information, but sadly they were a little surprised to know that some crazy girl came all the way down to the city just for a little museum excursion.
“Saan ka pa nanggaling niyan?” (“Where did you travel from?”) The employee from the tourism office asked me, since I’m still carrying my JanSport backpack with me. Hey, I came straight from the airport. 😀
I answered, “Sa Batangas po.” (“From Batangas”), but I actually came from a flight from Manila. I mistakenly mentioned that I traveled from my hometown, so the officer assumed I took the bus going to Legazpi.
“Ang layo naman ng pinanggalingan mo.” He replied. Despite my “surprise” visit that day, they happily accommodated me and opened the museum exclusively for my visit.
Anyway, let’s skip to the more important part, they pointed me to the other building (the City Hall Annex Building) where the Legazpi City Museum is located. They also told me that there is a museum at Tabaco which I was not able to check out.
It turns out that the Legazpi City Museum is the only public museum in Bicol Region. It houses several archaeological artifacts, religious items, as well as old photographs and artworks by Bicolano artists which showcase the rich history of the region.
I could tell that the museum was not really that maintained and not that promoted, hence not known by locals and tourists alike. As of writing, I think the museum was already renovated and reopened to visitors.
Different artworks such as photos, paintings, and sculptures are present that depict the Bicolano history and culture.
It’s also amazing to see vintage photos of Mayon Volcano featuring its past eruptions and its very beautiful perfect shape. Btw, Mayon Volcano eruption has been attracting foreign tourists in the past. Yes, tourists would travel to Bicol to watch the eruption of Mayon Volcano.
I have a very blurry memory about the epic Ibalon from my Grade School Filipino class, but I can still remember that Bicolanos have a reputation being mighty and strong since they have fought a lot of battles in the past and they have been resilient against different natural disasters such as the past eruptions of Mayon Volcano and regular typhoons.
I suggest both Bicolanos and non-Bicolanos should check this place out to have a glimpse of the rich Bicolano heritage, including their history and all the cultural identity that they have today. I also hope that more artifacts and artworks by Bicolanos could be displayed here for viewing, assuming they were properly preserved.
LEGAZPI CITY MUSEUM: Information
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