National Museum of Brazil
The National Museum of Brazil (Portuguese: Museu Nacional) is the oldest museum and scientific institution of Brazil, located in Rio de Janeiro. It was established on 6 June 1818. Until 2018, it had one of the largest collections of natural history and anthropology in the Americas. Despite this, the 200 year old museum was already in bad condition when it burned on 2 September 2018.
Finance
From 2014 the museum had budget cuts that dropped its maintenance to less than R$520,000 annually. The budget was so low, there was $0.01 to spend on each of the artifacts.[1]
The building fell into disrepair, with peeling wall material, exposed electrical wiring, and a termite problem.[1][2] Some of the artifacts lost in the fire included Egyptian mummies, remains from the oldest human skeleton found in the Americas, frescoes from Pompeii, and dinosaur skeletons.
By June 2018, the museum's 200th anniversary, it had reached a state of near-complete abandonment.[3]
There was an offer from The World Bank to buy the museum for $80m. It was turned down because the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro would have to give up ownership.[1]
The great fire
On 2 September 2018, at around 19:30 local time, a large fire broke out at the Paço de São Cristóvão. The museum was almost completely destroyed. The museum's holdings included over 20 million items. About 90% were destroyed.[4]
Brazil's President Michel Temer called the loss of the historical and cultural heritage "incalculable".[5] The cause of the fire is not known, but many connected it to the museum's lack of funding.[6]
National Museum Of Brazil Media
The former Imperial Palace that housed the National Museum at Quinta da Boa Vista Park and Zoo
The Historical appearance of the initial building and surroundings
View of exhibition hall in the Museu Nacional do Rio de Janeiro, Brasil.
Bendegó meteorite, which survived the fire
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Sarcophagus and mummy of Sha-Amun-en-su. Third Intermediate Period, XXIII Dynasty, c. 750 BC.
Egyptian mummy ("Princess Kherima"). Roman Period, 1st–3rd centuries AD.
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 "Lessons from the destruction of the National Museum of Brazil" (in en). The Economist. https://www.economist.com/leaders/2018/09/08/lessons-from-the-destruction-of-the-national-museum-of-brazil. Retrieved 2018-09-12.
- ↑ Pamplona, Nicola; Alegretti, Laís (2 September 2018). "Incêndio de grandes proporções atinge Museu Nacional na Quinta da Boa Vista, no Rio" (in pt). Folha de S.Paulo. https://www1.folha.uol.com.br/cotidiano/2018/09/incendio-atinge-o-museu-nacional-na-quinta-da-boa-vista-no-rio.shtml. Retrieved 3 September 2018.
- ↑ "Fogo destrói Museu Nacional, mais antigo centro de ciência do País" (in pt). Estadão. 2 September 2018. https://brasil.estadao.com.br/noticias/geral,incendio-atinge-museu-nacional-no-rio,70002484984. Retrieved 3 September 2018.
- ↑ "Incêndio destrói prédio do Museu Nacional no Rio de Janeiro" (in pt). VEJA.com. 2018-09-02. https://veja.abril.com.br/brasil/incendio-destroi-predio-do-museu-nacional-no-rio-de-janeiro/. Retrieved 2018-09-02.
- ↑ Phillips, Dom (3 September 2018). "'200 years of knowledge lost': fire engulfs Brazil's national museum". The Guardian. Retrieved 3 September 2018.
- ↑ "Incêndio atinge o Museu Nacional na Quinta da Boa Vista, no Rio. Mais antigo do país, museu tem 20 milhões de itens e apresentava problemas de manutenção" (in pt). Folha de São Paulo. 2018-09-02. https://www1.folha.uol.com.br/cotidiano/2018/09/incendio-atinge-o-museu-nacional-na-quinta-da-boa-vista-no-rio.shtml. Retrieved 2018-09-02.
- ↑ "Parte do teto do Museu Nacional já desabou com incêndio" (in pt). ISTOÉ Independente. 2018-09-02. https://istoe.com.br/parte-do-teto-do-museu-nacional-ja-desabou-com-incendio/. Retrieved 2018-09-02.