The Museum of León, located in the Plaza de Santo Domingo in the city of León, is the oldest museum in the province and is dedicated to narrating the history of the province through archaeology, art and ethnography. Inaugurated in 1869, although it was founded from the activity of the Provincial Commission of Monuments of León in the context of the 19th century Disentailment, since 2007 it has been located in what is known as the Pallarés Building, in the centre of the city. It also has two annexes: the Roman Villa of Navatejera, in the town of Navatejera, and the former Convent of San Marcos, which is the historical headquarters of the Museum.

It was founded after the disentailment of the 19th century and the origin of local archaeology. It opened to the public in 1869 in its first site, the Convent of San Marcos, and since then, as the only state-owned museum in León, it has been guarding, increasing, researching and disseminating the movable cultural heritage in public hands. In 1987, its management, like that of the other provincial museums in the Community, was transferred to the Junta de Castilla y León.

One of its main functions is to offer a complete overview of the history, culture and heritage of its territory of reference through the public property provided in the field of archaeology, art history, ethnography and any type of cultural and historical creation.

Since 2007, the Museum has two facilities in the city of León: its headquarters, in the "Pallarés" building, and its monumental annex or historical headquarters, in the convent of San Marcos. It also has an archaeological annex: the Roman villa of Navatejera, in the municipality of Villaquilambre, which can be visited just a few kilometres from the city centre.

The Museum's permanent exhibition offers an itinerary through the history of the provincial territory through some of its most significant and qualified cultural achievements. It is divided into seven areas of knowledge in which the chronological development allows other parallel reflections and alternative routes to be offered.