National Museum of Brazil

The National Museum was established by the King of Portugal, Juan VI (1769-1826) in 1818 under the name Royal Museum as part of an initiative to stimulate scientific research in Brazil, which until then was a huge and wild colony, practically unstudied by science. Initially, the museum collected samples of representatives of the flora and fauna of Brazil, especially birds, because of this the old museum building, located in the center of Rio de Janeiro, was nicknamed the "house of birds."

After the marriage of the son of Juan VI and the first Brazilian emperor Pedro I (1798–1834) to Princess Leopoldin, the Austrian Museum began to attract prominent 19th-century European naturalists , such as Maximilian Vid-Neuwid (1782–1867), Johann Baptist von Speaks (1781– 1826) and Karl Friedrich Philipp von Martius (1794-1868). Other European scholars who studied Brazil, such as Augustin Saint-Hilaire (1799-1853) and Grigory Langsdorf (1774-1891) replenished the museum's collections.

Towards the end of the 19th century, according to the personal preferences of Emperor Pedro II (1825–1891), the National Museum began to focus on the study of anthropology , paleontology and archeology . The emperor himself, who was a passionate admirer of all kinds of scientific disciplines, replenished the museum with collections of art from Ancient Egypt , botanical fossilia and other items that he collected during his trips abroad. Thus, the National Museum became one of the foremost for that time and the most important museum of natural history and humanities in South America .

Pedro II was aware of the problem of the lack of real scientists and naturalists in Brazil. He began to solve this problem by inviting scientists to work in the museum. The first such invited scientist was Ludwig Riedel (1761-1861), a German botanist who took part in the famous Langsdorf expedition to Mato Grossa from 1826 to 1828. Other scientists arrived were the German chemist Theodor Peckolt and both the American geologist and paleontologist Charles Frederick Hartt (1840–1878). In subsequent years, the museum gradually gained fame among the scientific community, thereby attracting scientists such as Fritz Müller (1821–1897), Hermann von Iering (1850–1930), Karl August Wilhelm Schwache (1848–1894), and Orville to work in it. Adalbert Derby (1851–1915), Emil Göldi (1859–1917), Louis Kuti (1854–1884).

Emperor Pedro II remained a very popular figure, even after his overthrow as a result of a military coup in 1889, so the Republicans tried to erase the symbols of the empire. One of these symbols was the palace of San Cristovan , the official residence of the emperors of Brazil in the Quinta da Boa Vista park, which became free after the overthrow of the monarchy; therefore, in 1892, the National Museum, with all its collections, valuable objects and researchers, was transferred to this palace, where it remains to this day.

In 1946, the leadership of the museum became part of the University of Brazil, currently the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro . Researchers and their offices and laboratories occupy a good part of the palace and other buildings built in the Botanical Gardens (Horto Florestal), in the Quinta da Boa Vista park. One of the largest scientific libraries in Rio de Janeiro is also located there. Currently, the National Museum offers graduation courses in the following fields of knowledge: anthropology and sociology , botany , geology and paleontology , zoology .

On September 2, 2018, a strong fire broke out in the museum, covering all three floors of the building ^{[3] [4]} . People were not injured, but the fire quickly destroyed almost the entire collection, numbering up to 20 million exhibits. According to authorities, the cause of the fire was negligence. The tragedy could have been avoided if the previously proposed project for the reorganization of the museum could be implemented ^[2] . Museum staff have repeatedly complained about funding cuts and the dilapidated museum building. In June of the same year, the museum celebrated its 200th anniversary ^{[4] [5]} .

Reconstruction

On September 12, 2018, a plan was announced to protect the ruins of the museum, suggesting ^[6] :

• erection of a wooden structure around the museum to protect it,
• strengthening the building from the threat of a landslide ,
• wide rain canopy
• Adjacent modular buildings serving as temporary laboratories,
• Spending 10 million Brazilian reais .

90% of the museum’s collection was destroyed on fire ^[7] . Firefighters and museum staff removed from the ashes the remains of surviving items ^[8] . After surviving the eruption of Vesuvius, the fresco from Pompeii did not survive the September fire ^[9] . Also lost an extensive collection devoted to the languages ​​of Brazil , including songs recorded in 1958 in extinct languages, as well as the archive of Kurt Nimuendazu , ethnographic and archaeological records of all the ethnic groups of Brazil since the 16th century ^[10] . The administration of the museum stated that the collection was not insured ^[11] .

The museum possessed one of the largest collections in the Americas, consisting of animals, insects, minerals, Native American dishes, Egyptian and South American mummies and antiquities, archaeological artifacts, meteorites, fossils and many other exhibits. Among them were ancient Egyptian fragments of relief images, masks, statuettes of deities made of bronze, stone and wood, canopies , alabaster bowls, funerary cones , jewelry, amulets and more ^{[12] [13] [14]} .

Among the exhibits that survived the fire are: Bendegó iron meteorite ^{[15] [16]} , several portraits from the upper floors, part of the zoological collection, library and some ceramics ^[17] . The staff of the zoological department managed to take out the mollusks and samples of marine inhabitants until the fire covered the entire department. The flame did not spread to the extension with vertebrates, but due to a power outage, these exhibits can also be severely damaged ^[18] . During the rescue operations, an intact skull of the ancient woman of Lusia was found, whose remains are 12 thousand years old and are the oldest human skeleton ever found on the American continent ^[5] . The skull was sent to the nearest scientific laboratory for examination ^[19] . The collection of herbarium, fish and reptiles was located outside the museum building and therefore did not suffer ^[20] .

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  Meteorite Bendegó survived the fire

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  Reconstruction of the skeleton of the dinosaur Maxakalisaurus .

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  Sarcophagus and the mummy of Chamonix, Third Transition , XXIII Dynasty , approx. 750 BC

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  Sarcophagus Hori. Third transitional period, XXI dynasty , approx. 1049-1026 BC

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  Corinthian ojohoya with a lid. 600-575 BC

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  Campanian crater , end of IV century BC

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  Anthropomorphic vase in the form of a seated person. Culture santarem, approx. 1000-1400 years BC

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  Inca vases.

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  Dahomey Throne ( Africa ), end of the 18th - beginning of the 19th century.

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  The historical interior of the museum

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  Butterfly collection

Brazilian President Michel Temer expressed deep regret for the irreparable loss in connection with the September fire in 2018 ^{[21] [22]} . The mayor of Rio de Janeiro Marcello Crivella called to restore from the ashes, to recreate, even in copies, exhibits that will preserve the memory of the royal family, which gave the people of Brazil independence, empire and constitution ^[23] . Brazilian politician and public figure Marina Silva called the fire a lobotomy of Brazilian memory ^[22] .

Archaeologist Zahi Hawass recalled the need for the repatriation of Egyptian artifacts and called on UNESCO to take control of the museums to determine if the artifacts are safe and secure in them ^[24] .

The news of the fire swiftly flew over Rio de Janeiro. Hundreds of indignant residents gathered at the gates of the cooling museum building on the early Monday morning ^[25] . Museum students from the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro encouraged people to send any photos and videos of the destroyed museum collection. In an hour they received about 14 thousand videos, photographs and drawings of exhibits ^[26] .

World museums expressed condolences over the tragedy. Mikhail Piotrovsky, President of the Union of Museums of Russia , Director General of the State Hermitage, called the fire at the National Museum of Brazil a “cultural tragedy” and expressed the Museum community’s willingness to provide professional assistance to Brazilian colleagues ^[27] .

• Notice on the National Museum - Portuguese Wikipedia project, which is a collection of museum exhibits.
• National History Museum of Brazil
• Museum of Archeology and Ethnology, University of São Paulo
• Butantan Institute (2010 fire)
• List of museums and collections of Egyptian antiquities

• museunacional.ufrj.br (port.) - Official site of the National Museum of Brazil
• The National Museum and its European employees Jens Andermann
• The National Museum at Rio de Janeiro Jens Andermann