Located in downtown San Salvador, this architectural marvel from the nineteenth century has witnessed some of the most important events in the political history of El Salvador.
The first national palace was built from 1866 to 1870 but a fire wiped-out the structures on December 1889; years later the government of Pedro José Escalón (1903) conducted a public contest for the design and construction of the new palace. The winner of the contest was José Emilio Alcaine, engineer and master builder Pascasio González Erazo.
Considered the first building of the Republic, it was also called “The Coffee Palace “, because a legislative decree taxed coffee exports to pay for the construction. 1 Columbus per 1 Quintal (100 kilograms) was charged, in total 50 thousand Colones were collected.
The main portal is composed of six towering columns that are accompanied by the statues of Christopher Columbus and Queen Isabel the Catholic, donated by King Alfonso XIII in 1924.
The Palace has an eclectic style, with Ionic, Corinthian and Roman columns and elements.
This beautiful building retains most of its original materials like glassware from Belgium, marble from Italy and wood from El Salvador. Over the years this building was abandoned, but in 1980 it was declared a National Monument, which prompted restoration work to rescue this historic treasure. The National Palace was opened to the public in 2008.
Nowadays you can visit 101 rooms (out of 105 rooms) that make-up this masterpiece and look at the colorful floors and walls made out of stamped sheets brought from Belgium.
- Red Room: This room served to hold social and political events. Here are you will see 14 medallions that represent the 14 departments that make up El Salvador. There are also portraits of presidents General Fernando Figueroa, Francisco Morazán, Francisco Menendez, Rafael Campos, Captain Gerardo Barrios and Manuel Enrique Araujo, who after his assassination in 1913,was mourned in this room.
- Pink Room: This is where the Supreme Court met until 1974 and guards the original Salvadoran coat of arms.
- Yellow Room: This room served as the president’s office until 1930, important meetings and negotiations took place in this room.
- Blue Room: perhaps the most important of the rooms as it currently holds the original 28 desks and chairs where the congressmen sat to discuss El Salvador’s legislative matters.
-The Jaguar Hall; has impressive murals depicting indigenous culture themes. Among the many corridors there is a permanent exhibition of photographs which displays the evolution of the building from 1889 onwards.
Inside the Palace there is a central patio with varied vegetation. There are 5 araucaria pine trees representing the five nations of Central America. As part of the restoration process, the original floor of the first building was recovered. There are also three canons used in the war led by Gerardo Barrios.
Currently the Palace is a tourist attraction and a place for special social gatherings. It is under the management of the Ministry of Culture of the Presidency and houses “El Archivo General de la Nación” (National Archives), in addition to carrying-out several exhibitions each year.
Visit this national treasure in the heart of San Salvador and discover a facet of El Salvador’s impressive history.
How to get there:
This National Palace is located on Calle Rubén Darío, across from Plaza Gerardo Barrios, near the Metropolitan Cathedral and The National Library in downtown San Salvador.
If driving there is parking available in The National Library or in the parking lots nearby at US$ 0.50 per hour.
- Bus Routes available: Route A, R-1, 2, Route 6-A, Route 11, 11-B, 11-C, Route 22, Route 23 Route 26.
Ticket US$ 0.20, US$ 0.25, US$ 0.35
Other routes: 3, 9, 34, 38-And, 41-A, 42, 42-A, 42-B.
Ticket US$ 0.20, US$ 0.25, US$ 0.35
• Opening hours: Monday to Friday 8:00 am to 4:00 pm. Admission:
- Salvadoran or Central American US$ 1.00 USD
- Foreign US$ 3.00 USD
- School and university tudents and staff: FREE
• Phone (503) 2222-7674 (503) 2222-9415
Elevation 2203 feet
N 13 ° 41,862 ‘
In 89 ° 11,495 ‘
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