National Museum of Brazil facts for kids

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National Museum of Brazil
Museu Nacional


Established	6 June 1818 (1818-06-06)
Location	Quinta da Boa Vista in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Type	Natural history, ethnology and archaeology
Collection size	approx. 20 million objects (before 2018 fire), 1.5 million objects placed in other buildings (after 2 September 2018 fire)
Visitors	approx. 150,000 (2017)
Founder	King João VI of Portugal, Brazil and the Algarves
Owner	Federal University of Rio de Janeiro

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

The National Museum of Brazil (Portuguese: Museu Nacional) is the oldest science center in Brazil. It is located in Rio de Janeiro city. The museum is inside the Paço de São Cristóvão (Saint Christopher's Palace), which is part of the Quinta da Boa Vista park. This main building was once the home of the Portuguese royal family from 1808 to 1821. Later, it became the home of the Brazilian imperial family until 1889. After the monarchy ended, the building was used for the museum starting in 1892. It was recognized as a Brazilian National Heritage site in 1938. Sadly, a large part of it was destroyed by a fire in 2018.

King João VI of Portugal founded the museum on June 6, 1818. It was first called the "Royal Museum." It began by showing collections from the old House of Natural History, also known as "House of the Birds." This included collections of minerals and animals. The museum aimed to help Brazil grow by spreading education, culture, and science. By the 1800s, it was the most important museum of its kind in South America. In 1946, it became part of the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro.

Before the 2018 fire, the National Museum had a huge collection of over 20 million items. It was one of the world's largest collections of natural history and human history artifacts. These items showed important records about nature and people in Brazil. Many items also came from other parts of the world and from ancient cultures. The collection grew over more than 200 years through trips, digs, purchases, gifts, and trades. It was divided into seven main areas: geology, paleontology (fossils), botany (plants), zoology (animals), biological anthropology (human biology), archaeology (old human history), and ethnology (cultures).

The museum also offered special courses and activities for the public. It managed a Botanical Garden next to the palace. It also had a research campus in Santa Teresa, Espírito Santo. A third location in Saquarema helped with field work. The museum also published Archivos do Museu Nacional, Brazil's oldest science journal, since 1876.

The palace, which held many of the collections, was destroyed by a fire on September 2, 2018. Critics had warned that the building was a "firetrap." They said the fire could have been stopped. The fire started in the air-conditioning system on the ground floor. After the fire, the damaged building was treated like an archaeological site. Work to rebuild it began, with a metal roof covering the area.

In 2019, over 30,000 items from the imperial family's past were found. These were discovered during archaeological work near the Rio de Janeiro Zoological Garden. The finds included pieces of dishes, cups, plates, and even buttons with the imperial symbol. These items were given to the museum. After the fire, the National Museum received donations to help with rebuilding.

History of the National Museum
Amazing Past Collections
- Ancient History and Archaeology
Financial Challenges and the 2018 Fire
Rebuilding the Museum
Donations and Support
Political Influence and Future
Images for kids
See also

History of the National Museum

The former Imperial Palace that housed the National Museum

King João VI of Portugal started the National Museum in 1818. It was first called the Royal Museum. This was done to encourage science in Brazil. At first, the museum showed plants and animals, especially birds. Because of this, local people called it the "House of the Birds."

After King João VI's son, Dom Pedro I, married Maria Leopoldina of Austria, the museum became more popular. It attracted famous European scientists in the 1800s. These scientists explored Brazil and added to the museum's collections.

By the late 1800s, Emperor Pedro II became very interested in the museum. He loved science and helped the museum focus on anthropology, paleontology, and archaeology. The emperor himself gave many items to the museum. These included ancient Egyptian art and plant fossils. He bought them during his trips abroad. This helped the National Museum become the most important museum of natural history and human sciences in South America.

Emperor Pedro II knew Brazil needed more scientists. He invited foreign scientists to work at the museum. Many came, like German botanist Ludwig Riedel and American geologist Charles Frederick Hartt. These scientists helped the museum grow and become well-known.

In 1889, the emperor was removed from power by a military coup. The new government wanted to remove symbols of the empire. The Paço de São Cristóvão, where the emperors lived, became empty. So, in 1892, the National Museum moved all its collections and researchers to this palace. It has been there ever since.

In 1946, the museum became part of the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro. The museum's researchers and their offices are in the palace and other buildings in the Quinta da Boa Vista park. The National Museum offers advanced courses in areas like anthropology, botany, geology, paleontology, and zoology.

Amazing Past Collections

Bendegó meteorite, which survived the fire

Before the fire, the museum held one of the largest collections in the Americas. It had animals, insects, minerals, tools from indigenous peoples, Egyptian mummies, and South American archaeological items. It also had meteorites, fossils, and many other discoveries.

One famous meteorite on display was the Bendegó meteorite. It weighs over 5,000 kilograms (11,000 pounds) and was found in 1784. This meteorite survived the fire.

Ancient History and Archaeology

The museum's archaeology collection had over 100,000 items. These items showed different civilizations from the Americas, Europe, Africa, and the Middle East. They ranged from the Stone Age to the 1800s. The collection was divided into four main parts: Ancient Egypt, Mediterranean cultures, Pre-Columbian archaeology, and Pre-Columbian Brazil. The Pre-Columbian Brazil part was the largest and most important. It covered the history of Brazil before Europeans arrived.

Ancient Egypt Collection

Egyptian mummy ("Princess Kherima"). Roman Period, 1st–3rd centuries AD.

The museum's Egyptian collection had over 700 items. It was one of the largest and oldest in Latin America. Most items came to the museum in 1826. They were bought by Emperor Pedro I from a collection that belonged to the explorer Giovanni Battista Belzoni.

Emperor Pedro II later added to this collection. He was very interested in ancient Egypt. One important addition was the wooden sarcophagus of the singer of Amun, Sha-Amun-en-su. This sarcophagus was special because it had never been opened. It still held the mummy inside. The collection also had three other sarcophagi and six human mummies. One famous mummy was a woman from the Roman Period, called "Princess Kherima." She was very rare because of how she was prepared.

The collection also included many stone tablets (steles), small statues (shabtis), and a limestone statue of a young woman. There were also bronze statues of gods, jars, jewelry, and good luck charms.

Stele of Raia. New Kingdom, XIX Dynasty, about 1300–1200 BC
Sarcophagus of Hori. Third Intermediate Period, XXI Dynasty, about 1049–1026 BC.
Bronze statuette of Amun.
Golden mask. Ptolemaic Kingdom, about 304 BC.
Harsiese Sarcophagus interior
Cat Sarcophagus
Canopic jar
Lion figure

Mediterranean Cultures

Kore statuette, sculpted in marble. Greek civilization, about 5th century BC.

The museum's collection of classical archaeology had about 750 pieces. Most were Greek, Roman, and Etruscan objects. This was the largest collection of its kind in Latin America. Many pieces came from Empress Teresa Cristina of the Two Sicilies. She was interested in archaeology. When she arrived in Rio de Janeiro in 1843, she brought ancient items from Herculaneum and Pompeii. These Roman cities were destroyed by a volcano in 79 AD.

Empress Teresa Cristina also arranged for more Greek and Roman items to be sent to Brazil. She even paid for digs in Italy. This helped build a large collection of classical artifacts.

Detail of a fresco from the Temple of Isis, showing a sea dragon and a dolphin, 1st century AD

Highlights included four frescos (wall paintings) from Pompeii, made around the 1st century AD. Two showed sea creatures like dragons and dolphins. The museum also had many everyday items from Pompeii. These included jewelry, mirrors, glass and bronze pots, and oil lamps.

The pottery collection had many different types of pots. They came from various ancient cultures. Examples included Greek black-figure vases and Italian red-figure vases. The sculpture collection had small Greek terracotta sculptures called Tanagra figurines. It also had Etruscan bronze statues of warriors.

Etruscan caryatid chalice, about 620–560 BC
Corinthian oinochoe with lid, about 600–575 BC
Campanian Red-figure chalice krater, late 4th century BC
Vases
wine amphora
Amphora
Statues
bells

Pre-Columbian Archaeology

Peruvian Wari culture. Human-shaped ceramic figurine, 500–1200 AD

The National Museum had an important collection of about 1,800 items. These were made by the Indigenous peoples of the Americas before Christopher Columbus arrived. It also included Andean mummies. The collection grew throughout the 1800s. Many items came from Emperor Pedro II's private collection.

Peruvian Chancay culture. Fabric piece with birds. Late Period, about 1200–1400 AD

The collection mostly included textiles, feather work, pottery, and stone carvings. These were from Andean cultures (Peru, Bolivia, Chile, Argentina). There were also items from Amazonian and Mesoamerican cultures. The items showed daily life, social groups, and beliefs of these ancient civilizations. They included clothes, jewelry, weapons, and beautiful art.

Some of the best-represented groups were:

Nazca culture: Known for textiles with animals and patterns.
Moche civilization: Famous for detailed pottery and gold work.
Wari culture: Represented by human-shaped ceramic pots and fabric pieces.
Inca civilization: Had pottery, gold and silver figures, and textiles.

The museum's collection of Andean mummies showed how these cultures buried their dead. Some mummies were naturally preserved by the cold mountains. Others were specially prepared for rituals. One mummy from Chile was 3,400 to 4,700 years old. It was found sitting, with its head on its knees. This was how people in the Atacama Desert slept and were buried. The collection also had a shrunken head from the Jivaroan peoples, used for rituals.

Peruvian Moche civilization. Head-shaped ceramic vessel, about 100 BC–800 AD
Inca civilization. Ceramic vase ("Inca Aryballos"), about 1430–1532
Amazonian Ceramics
Ceramics
Plumes
Plumes
Accessories

Brazilian Archaeology

Marajoara culture. Human-shaped funerary urn, 400–1400 AD

The museum's Brazilian archaeology collection had over 90,000 items. These were made by cultures that lived in Brazil before Europeans arrived. It was considered the largest collection of its kind in the world. It covered more than 10,000 years of history.

From the earliest people in Brazil, the museum had tools made of stone and bone. These included hunting points and axes. It also had ceremonial items and decorations.

The collection also included many items from the Sambaqui people. These were fishing and gathering groups who lived on Brazil's coast. The museum had human bones and tools from their shell mounds (Sambaquis). Highlights included stone sculptures of animals and human figures.

Santarém culture. Ceramic vessel ("caryatid" vase), 1000–1400 AD

The collection had many examples of pottery from different pre-colonial Brazilian cultures. Important groups included:

Marajoara culture: Known for beautiful pottery with human and animal shapes.
Santarém culture: Famous for unique and high-quality ceramic work.
Tupi-Guaraní culture: Had pottery and stone tools for daily use and rituals.

The National Museum also held the oldest known indigenous mummies found in Brazil. These included an adult woman and two children. They were likely from the Botocudos group. They were found in a cave in Minas Gerais.

Hunter-gatherer groups. Projectile point.
Sambaqui culture. Stone sculpture of a human figure
Santarém culture. Muiraquitã in the shape of a frog, 1000–1400 AD
Maracá culture. Human-shaped funerary urn, 1000–1500 AD
Marajoara urn
Ceramics
Statuettes
Marajora items
Santarém items

Financial Challenges and the 2018 Fire

From 2014, the museum faced big budget cuts. Its yearly maintenance budget dropped very low. The building started to fall apart, with peeling walls and exposed wires. By June 2018, the museum's 200th anniversary, it was in a state of near abandonment.

The palace that held many collections was destroyed by a fire on September 2, 2018. The fire started in the air-conditioning system. One of the devices did not have proper grounding, and a wire was touching metal without insulation. This made the fire very dangerous.

Rebuilding the Museum

Work to restore the museum began in 2019. Plans were made to rebuild the outside walls and roof. The museum received money from various sources for this. The goal was to reopen parts of the palace.

The Federal University of Rio de Janeiro, which runs the museum, worked with groups like the Vale Foundation and UNESCO. They created a committee to lead the recovery project. Many organizations and governments donated money to help. For example, Germany donated money for special container-laboratories to study specimens.

By August 2025, the museum has reopened on July 2, 2025. Renovations are still ongoing and are expected to be completed by the end of 2027. More than 44% of the museum's collections were saved from the fire. Many areas hit by the fire were searched to find items.

Donations and Support

Drawings showing ancient vases

Many groups and people have helped the museum rebuild:

The German Foreign Ministry offered €1 million to help. This money was used to buy special container-laboratories for researchers.
UNESCO's geoparks (conservation areas) from around the world each sent a stone, fossil, or cultural item. A total of 140 objects were donated for the future collection.
The National Institute of Industrial Property (INPI) donated over 1,100 furniture items. These included tables, chairs, and cabinets to help the museum's offices.
A farmer from Cuiabá donated 780 old Brazilian coins.
The Universidade Estadual do Pará donated 514 insects.
A gaming platform called Nuuvem donated money from a game. This was inspired by a similar effort for the Notre-Dame de Paris cathedral.
Small donations from many private individuals also helped.
The British Council donated money for educational exchanges.
The Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew in 2020 donated a collection of items from the Amazon. These were collected over 150 years ago.
Professor Wilson Saviano donated 300 pieces of contemporary African art.
Many books were donated to rebuild the museum's library.
In 2024, the museum received a 17th-century sacred feathered cloak. It was returned from the National Museum of Denmark. This cloak belonged to the Tupinambá people of Brazil.

Political Influence and Future

Figures which had been in the museum

The director of the National Museum, Alexander W. A. Kellner, has spoken to political leaders. He stressed how important the museum is and that its future depends on those in power. He asked for money to be included in the national budget for the museum.

In October 2018, the director met with federal deputies. He worked to get money for the basic rebuilding of the main building. The Chamber of Deputies approved money for the museum's budget. The director also traveled to other countries to get support and donations for the museum's collections.

A proposal was made to create a National Museum Day in Brazil on May 18.

The museum has received significant funds for its reconstruction. The museum reopened on July 2, 2025, and renovations are expected to be completed by the end of 2027.