National Museum of Brazil

The National Museum of Brazil () 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.

The building fell into disrepair, with peeling wall material, exposed electrical wiring, and a termite problem. 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.

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.

 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.

Brazil's President Michel Temer called the loss of the historical and cultural heritage "incalculable". The cause of the fire is not known, but many connected it to the museum's lack of funding.

No injuries were reported.

References

Other websites

Category:Natural history museums
Category:National museums
Category:Buildings and structures in Rio de Janeiro
Category:1818 establishments
Category:1810s establishments in South America
Category:19th-century establishments in Brazil
Category:September 2018 events
Category:2018 fires
Category:2010s in Brazil