National Museum of Brazil to Partially Reopen After Fires

However, to give its supporters a glimpse at conservators’ continuous efforts to rebuild, the institution is partially reopening. Beginning tomorrow, June 5th, and running through the end of this month, museum guests will get the chance to learn more about the restoration process through guided tours of three refurbished rooms. 

The history of the building alone is rich. Between 1808 and 1821, the main structure was home to the Portuguese royal family and later housed the Republican Constituent Assembly once the monarchy was removed. Though it was founded and named the "Royal Museum” in 1818, the building’s role shifted to that of an official museum in 1892. 

Now, for the reopening, visitors can expect to see relics old and new. In the center of the first room, amongst walls covered with previously-hidden paintings, lies one of the few artifacts that survived the fire– the Bendegó meteorite, which was found in 1784 in Bahia. Following this, guests will be greeted by a 15m-long sperm whale skeleton– found in 2014 in Ceará– suspended in the staircase courtyard.

In place of losing the majority of its precious contents, the museum has also been gifted close to 14,000 donations from international collections, including manuscripts, ceramics, fossils, Indigenous artifacts, and even a rare 16th-century Tupinambá cloak from the National Museum of Denmark. 

Prior to the fire, the National Museum’s collection comprised 20 million pieces chronicling global history. This included their prized possession, a 12,000-year-old fossil nicknamed “Luzia,” the oldest human remains to ever be discovered in Latin America. Though it was believed that Luzia was lost to the flames, the museum's director, Alexander Kellner, announced that 80% of the skull fragments had been recovered. 

Some have speculated that the cause of the fire was likely due to years of neglect, mismanagement, and lack of funding. To combat any likelihood of recurrence, Kellner is now taking charge of multiple fundraising initiatives. He recently acquired 5m reais ($980,000) in funding from the government to restore some of their archaeology, geology, palaeontology, and biology collections. 

If all goes to plan, the museum should fully open in 2028, and they intend on dedicating a special section to memorialize all that was lost in the fire.