The museum is open from 10 am - 6 pm
Calle San Juan de Dios No 3-62 Cartagena
The museum
The Naval Museum of the Caribbean was founded 37 years ago, and its history begins in 1970, when the second Commander of the Navy, Rear Admiral Eduardo Wills Olaya, proposed to Commander Vice Admiral Jaime Parra Ramirez, the idea of creating a Naval Museum in Cartagena. Admiral Parra immediately accepted the proposal and ordered the Commander of the Atlantic Naval Force, Rear Admiral Eduardo Meléndez Ramírez, to implement it.
The museum
The Naval Museum of the Caribbean was founded 37 years ago, and its history begins in 1970, when the second Commander of the Navy, Rear Admiral Eduardo Wills Olaya, proposed to Commander Vice Admiral Jaime Parra Ramirez, the idea of creating a Naval Museum in Cartagena. Admiral Parra immediately accepted the proposal and ordered the Commander of the Atlantic Naval Force, Rear Admiral Eduardo Meléndez Ramírez, to implement it.
On January 4, 1970, as recorded in Act No. 1 of the Naval Museum, the General Assembly met to create and approve the bylaws and elect the Board of Directors.
This act was registered at the Second Notary Office of the Circuit of Cartagena, on February 10, 1970, and signed by Notary Leonardo Angulo.
By resolution No. 0206 of the Governor’s Office of Bolivar, dated March 12, 1970, it was granted legal status as a mixed (public and private) non-profit institution.
Originally, it was thought to use a former naval hospital as headquarters, but that idea was abandoned due to space limitations.
The project was taken up again in 1984 under the direction of Rear Admiral Rafael Grau Araujo, who found a suitable location in a deteriorated building of the Colegio de la Compañía de Jesús. After negotiations with the Ministry of Public Works and the Society of Jesus, the building was ceded to the Navy in 1987.
Thanks to the efforts of figures such as Dr. Mauricio Obregón Andreu, funds were secured from the OAS and CARIMOS, as well as private donations, to restore and adapt the building.
In 1991, on the occasion of the V Centenary of the Discovery of America, important contributions were received from Spain and other Colombian institutions, which allowed the complete recovery of the building.
Since its inception, the Museum has had strong support from businessmen and foundations, including significant contributions from the Antioquian Business Group. The management of the Museum has been under the direction of the Commander of the Navy and the Director of the Almirante Padilla Naval School, ensuring its development and maintenance as a key institution for the preservation of the naval history of the Caribbean.