The Belau National Museum (BNM), previously Palau Museum, is a museum in Koror, Palau. It is the oldest continuously run museum in Micronesia.

The museum was established in 1955.^[1] It is the oldest continually running museum in Micronesia; initially called Palau Museu, it later changed its name.^[2] The original founders included Palauans Indalecio Rudimch, Francisco Morei, Alphonso Oiterong and anthropologist Francis M Mahoney.^[2] Originally located in the former Japanese Administration Weather Bureau, the museum was later relocated to a new building, which was funded by the Government of the Republic of China.^[3] From 1955 until its location move in 1970, the museum was run by a Museum Committee.^[1] In 1970 the museum was relocated to a two-storey building in Palau Botanical Garden.^[1]

In 1973 the museum's administrative structure changed to a non-profit organisation governed by a board of trustees.^[1]

The museum has two exhibition spaces, an air-conditioned photographic archive, offices and shop.^[1] As of 2006, the first floor exhibition space displayed Palau's traditional culture and arts, including bead money (udoud) and the house-buying ceremony known as ocheraol.^[4]

In the wider museum compound is a library of over 5000 books relating to the history and culture of Palau.^[5] There is also a statute of Harruo Remeliik, the first president of Palau.^[4]

The museum exhibits artefacts from all aspects of the local life of Palauan people, such as artworks, photography, sculptures etc.^[6] However, according to Philip Dark, due to a lack of security in the museum, by 1988 several important objects had been stolen.^[1]

In 1988 the collection consisted of over 1,000 objects relating to the historical, anthropological and biological histories of the country.^[1] There are several hundred images in the photographic collection, many of which are from periods of Japanese and German colonial occupation.^[5] This archive was an important aspect of a research project undertaken in the mid-2000s to document life under Japanese colonial rule.^[7] In 2003 the media collection underwent a digitisation programme, funded by a U.S. Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) National Leadership Grant.^[8]

The museum has also been active in recording Palau's intangible cultural heritage, including taro production.^[9] As part of the museum's acquisition process, makers of works that are being accessioned into the collection are interviewed and the process of making is recorded.^[10]

In 2017 the museum's natural science department led a survey of bird life at the world heritage site of the Rock Islands' southern lagoon.^[11] The same year the museum signed a memorandum of understanding with the National Museum (Prague) to deepen scientific relations between the countries.^[12]

• Faustina K. Rehuher-Marugg (1979 - 2009).^[19]
• Olympia E. Morei-Remengesau (2009 to present).^{[20][21][22][23]}

• List of national museums
• List of museums in Palau