Starting Wednesday (2), the public will be able to return to the National Museum in Rio de Janeiro, destroyed by a major fire in September 2018. After years of restoration works, three spaces in the bicentennial palace will be reopened for the temporary exhibition Between Giants: An Experience at the National Museum, which runs until August 31.
Right after the entrance, visitors will be able to see the Bendegó meteorite again, which has been part of the museum’s collection for 137 years and became a symbol of the institution’s resilience after the tragedy. The room next door is dedicated to the museum’s history and the palace’s reconstruction, featuring details of the building’s architecture and restoration works, as well as the display of two Carrara marble sculptures that also survived the fire.
The main staircase courtyard features a novelty: the skeleton of a sperm whale nearly 16 meters long, recently acquired by the museum and appearing to swim while affixed to the ceiling. Visitors to the exhibition can help choose a name for the sperm whale, which is the largest skeleton on display in South America.
“The museum community has worked hard over these years of reconstruction and has resisted and gotten involved body and soul to reopen and continue our activities. For us, everything is very important, very symbolic, and very significant to be going through this moment now, because it is the sum of all efforts,” highlighted the museum’s deputy director, Andréa Costa.
Reconstruction
The partial reopening occurs alongside the continuation of the historical palace reconstruction works and the search for funding. The total budget for the project is R$ 516.8 million. Of the total, R$ 347.2 million has already been raised from public entities and private companies, with the largest amount – R$ 100 million – transferred by the National Bank for Economic and Social Development (BNDES).
The Minister of Education, Camilo Santana, assured on Monday (30) that the remaining amount needed – nearly R$ 170 million – will be raised. He also confirmed negotiations for Petrobras to make contributions. The state-owned company was contacted to confirm and provide more information, but has not yet responded to the report.
“In 2023, we had around R$ 2 million budgeted from the Ministry of Education for the museum. We allocated, if I am not mistaken, R$ 22 million. Last year, we allocated R$ 30 million. This year, R$ 17 million is already budgeted. So, we will ensure it, I have no doubt. It is a commitment from the president [Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva] to guarantee all necessary resources and seek from partners, public banks, BNDES, Petrobras, the completion of this project,” Santana added.
To date, restoration of 75% of the facades and 80% of the roofs has been completed, preserving the palace’s original features, which was the residence of the Brazilian royal family before housing the museum. Currently, work is underway on the reform and expansion of the building annexed to the palace, structural reinforcement of spans, consolidation of masonry, installation of lightning protection systems and rainwater harvesting, among other items.
The rector of the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (the institution to which the museum is subordinate), Roberto de Andrade Medronho, noted that the palace’s reopening also represents a milestone for teaching and research activities: “This museum is a national icon not only historical and cultural, but also scientific. We train researchers here for the whole of Brazil and the world, and it is an institution with international reputation.”
Source: Agência Brasil