Founded in 1873, the Town Museum was opened to the public in 1876, in the Seventeenth-century building of the College of Jurists.

The first works to be housed in the museum were thirty-two paintings which Antonio Giampiccoli, a physician of Belluno, donated to the town in 1872. Afterwards the exhibit was enlarged with some collections of bronzes, medals, plaquettes, coins, signets, manuscripts and books on local subjects, former property of count Florio Miari and donated by his son, Carlo.

The patrimony of the museum has increased over the years through donations of town dwellers (Giacomo Migliorini, Francesco Agosti) and a number of items including ancient Venetic finds from the necropolis of Cavarzano, Roman antiquities, fragments of frescoes coming from the remains of the building of the Council of Noblemen, coats of arms of noble families and town rulers, objects from churches, fountains, and ruinous buildings.

During the First World War, some items were lost. In 1980 the exhibition was reorganised. Further gifts and bequests from town dwellers (Margola Orsini, Scremin, Angelini, Bizio Gradenigo, Da Borso, Bozzoli Prosdocimi, Zacchi Franceschini, Barozzi, Simonetti, Zambelli), as well as works purchased by the Municipality, items coming from excavations or placed on deposit by the State have enlarged the collection. As a consequence, new rooms have been added, including the Prehistory Hall, the Sebastiano Ricci Gallery - showing paintings formerly kept in Fulcis de Bertoldi Mansion - and the Zambelli Collection Room.