Cultural Tour of Colombo

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1 Copyright by GPSmyCity.com - Page 1 - Cultural Tour of Colombo The cultural life of Colombo is developed and maintained by a large number of venues such as museums, theatres, galleries, temples and exhibition centres. According to your tastes and wishes you can choose between watching a movie or a play, going to a live concert or to a contemporary exhibition, or learning about the history and culture of the city. This tour will guide you through the spots that worth seeing. Guide Location: Sri Lanka» Colombo # of Attractions: 8 Tour Duration: 2 hour(s) Travel Distance: 4.0 km Please note: This walk is also featured in the ios app "GPSmyCity: Walks and Articles with Offline Maps" on itunes App Store and the Android app "Colombo Map and Walks" on Google Play. The apps provide GPS navigation to guide you from one tour stop to the next, so you will never be lost. The apps offer additional walking tours in Colombo. Check them out! GPSmyCity offers self-guided walking tours in over 1,000 city around the world. Please visit gpsmycity.com for more walking tour offers. List of attractions included in this self-guided walking tour: A) Barefoot Art Gallery B) Paradise Road Gallery Café C) British Council D) Navarangahala Hall E) The Lionel Wendt Memorial Art Center F) The National Museum of Colombo G) National Art Gallery H) The Sapumal Foundation Copyright by GPSmyCity.com - Page 1 -

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performances and shows. From 1967 to 1971 it was known as The Colombo Gallery; it then reopened in 1991 as Gallery 706 Colombo, and only in 1999, received the name it has today.

Address: Galle Road, 706, Colombo, Sri Lanka Image Courtesy of Flickr and andresfib B) Paradise Road Gallery Café Paradise Road Gallery Café is one of those places that gives you the feeling of

3 Copyright by GPSmyCity.com - Page 3 - A) Barefoot Art Gallery Barefoot Art Gallery is one of the most interesting places in the country; its purpose is to cultivate the aesthetic sense and to present the best artworks, performances and shows. From 1967 to 1971 it was known as The Colombo Gallery; it then reopened in 1991 as Gallery 706 Colombo, and only in 1999, received the name it has today. Regular exhibitions of local and foreign artists and photographs take place here, as well as concerts and movies. It has also a cafe where one can enjoy a private dinner or a joyful party. Address: Galle Road, 706, Colombo, Sri Lanka Image Courtesy of Flickr and andresfib B) Paradise Road Gallery Café Paradise Road Gallery Café is one of those places that gives you the feeling of beauty, peace and amazes you every step of the way. The yard and the building are decorated with many interesting objects and flowers. When you enter this café you'll find the art gallery, which presents wonderful works of local and foreign artists, as well as a nice little art shop, where you have the possibility of buying surprisingly beautiful souvenirs or gifts. Address: Alfred House Road, 2, Off Alfred House Gardens, Colombo, Sri Lanka Image Courtesy of Flickr and rhythmicdiaspora C) British Council British Council provides the people of Sri Lanka with a lot of opportunities to learn interesting facts about the British nation and about the culture of the United Kingdom. It organizes different cultural and art events such as exhibitions of paintings and sculptures, plays, dance and film watching, presented by contemporary artists. Address: Alfred House Gardens, 49, Colombo, Sri Lanka Image Courtesy of Flickr and Laura Kidd Copyright by GPSmyCity.com - Page 3 -

Copyright by GPSmyCity.com - Page 4 - D) Navarangahala Hall The Navarangahala (New Theater) in Colombo is one of the main national theatres of Sri Lanka.

Until its was built there were no purpose-built indoor theatres for the local arts, apart from the few open air amphitheatres.

"(The above description is based on Wikipedia under Creative Common License)" Address: Cumarathunga Munidasa Mawatha, Colombo, Sri Lanka Image Courtesy of Flickr and shehal.

4 Copyright by GPSmyCity.com - Page 4 - D) Navarangahala Hall The Navarangahala (New Theater) in Colombo is one of the main national theatres of Sri Lanka. Built between 1966 and 1969 as the Royal Primary School Hall it was specially designed for local drama and music which required open air type auditorium in accordance to Natya Shastra. Until its was built there were no purpose-built indoor theatres for the local arts, apart from the few open air amphitheatres. With the amalgamation of Royal Preparatory School with Royal College in December 1977 Navarangahala became part of Royal College. "(The above description is based on Wikipedia under Creative Common License)" Address: Cumarathunga Munidasa Mawatha, Colombo, Sri Lanka Image Courtesy of Flickr and shehal. Sight description based on wikipedia E) The Lionel Wendt Memorial Art Center The Lionel Wendt Memorial Art Center was established in 1953, dedicated to the most popular photographer of Sri Lanka, Lionel Wendt. The center spreads the sense of culture, art and beauty, offering a unique, multilateral experience. It houses an art gallery, presenting exhibitions of paintings and sculptures of contemporary artists, and also has a varied program with performances and shows. Address: Guilford Crescent, 18, Colombo, Sri Lanka Image Courtesy of Flickr and shehal F) The National Museum of Colombo (must see) The National Museum of Colombo opened its doors on January 1, 1877, when it was founded by the British Governor of Ceylon at that time, Sir William Henry Gregory. Its purpose is to present the historic and cultural development of the country, that was achieved thanks to the large amount of antiquities and specimens. The collection on the ground floors are arranged according to the historic changes and those on the upper floors are based on different themes; this fact helps the visitors to better understand and follow the sequence of events. Copyright by GPSmyCity.com - Page 4 -

collection, consisting mostly of portraits of important people and pioneers of the country.

5 Copyright by GPSmyCity.com - Page 5 - Address: Sir Marcus Fernando Mw., 854, Colombo, Sri Lanka Image Courtesy of Wikimedia and Nitraven G) National Art Gallery (must see) National Art Gallery is situated very close to National Museum of Colombo and offers a permanent collection, consisting mostly of portraits of important people and pioneers of the country. Very often the gallery hosts some temporary exhibitions of paintings and sculptures, presented by Sri Lankan's artists. Address: Green Path, 106, Colombo, Sri Lanka Image Courtesy of Flickr and Darragh J Delany H) The Sapumal Foundation The Sapumal Foundation, established in 1974, is one of the few art galleries that preserved the best representation of Sri Lanka's culture and art traditions. Its collections reflect all the aspects and beauty of art heritage. The gallery is situated in the former house of a famous local artist, Harry Pieris, whose contribution to the development of arts in the region was considerable. Address: Barnes Place, 32/4, Colombo, Sri Lanka Image Courtesy of Flickr and indi.ca Copyright by GPSmyCity.com - Page 5 -

Leisure and Tourism. Content

Leisure and Tourism. Content Leisure and Tourism The National Railway Museum is part of a family of museums called the Science Museum Group (SMG) that includes: Science Museum, London Museum of Science and Industry, Manchester National