Central Hall at the National Museum of Scotland, Edinburgh. The National Museum results from a merger of the Museum of Scotland, built in 1998, and the former Royal Museum, built in 1861. After a massive renovation, the building re-opened in July 2011. Going through the different halls, and passing from the new to the old from one hall to the next is a peculiar yet pleasant characteristic of the museum. Pictured is the great hall, part of the former Royal Museum, with its cast iron construction rising the full height of the building, and ending in a magnificent skylight.