Panama Canal Tours: Interoceanic Canal Museum
A must stop on your tour of the Panama Canal

Opened in September, 1997, the Interoceanic Canal Museum of Panama has become one of the capital city’s most visited attractions.

Located in the historic neighborhood of San Felipe, the museum is housed in a nineteenth-century building, considered a Panama Canal landmark by itself. It was constructed between 1874 and 1875 to house the Grand Hotel. Six years later, it became the headquarters of the Compagnie Universelle du Canal Interoceanique, the French company charged with the construction of an ill-fated canal venture across the Isthmus.

The building was later sold— along with the rest of the French canal assets— to the United States government in 1904 to house the administrative offices of the new canal project. The building was transferred to the Republic of Panama in 1910, serving a variety of purposes, including the headquarters of the National Post Office Service.

In early 1996, the Interoceanic Canal Foundation, a non-profit organization, was established with the purpose of managing the entire museum project. The museum, which underwent an extensive renovation, was opened Just in time for the Universal Congress of the Panama Canal, which took place September 7-10, 1997.

The exhibit, called “The Route, the Water, the People”, depicts the Isthmus as a land bridge uniting cultures from all corners of the globe. It starts with the first contact between the Spanish and Native Americans, followed by a description of the rudimentary, ocean-to-ocean transportation in the colonial period.

Visitors will also learn about the similarities between Panama and the nineteenth century U.S. frontier in a room devoted to the California gold rush, which brought thousands of in-transit visitors to the Isthmus. The exhibit conti-nues describing the Panama Railroad (the world’s first transcontinental); the French Canal period, the American victory and the Canal throughout the twentieth century.

Also on display are the authentic 1903 and 1977 Panama Canal Treaties, considered the most important pieces of the exhibit.

The museum opens Tuesday to Sunday, from 9:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Entrance is $2 (adults) and ¢0.75 for children. For more information, call 211-1649/211-1650.