Fire in the Brazilian National Museum

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Fire in the Museu Nacional

On September 2, 2018, there was a fire in the Brazilian National Museum in Rio de Janeiro . The fire in the 200-year-old Museu Nacional da Universidade Federal do Rio de Janeiro (MN) (German National Museum of the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro ) broke out around 7.30 p.m. local time (10.30 p.m. UTC, September 2). The first reactions to the cultural loss were quick, as the museum contained over 20 million objects; Brazilian President Michel Temer called the loss of the historical and cultural heritage "priceless". The cause of the fire has yet to be determined. No injuries or deaths were reported.

background

The building in the National Museum in 2004

The museum building, the São Cristóvāo Palace in Quinta da Boa Vista Park, dates back to the early 19th century when it was donated to the Portuguese royal family and renovated. It was the residence of Emperors Pedro I and Pedro II. In 1892, three years after the country became a republic, a museum was set up in the vacated building.

With continued budget cuts since 2014, the museum has not received the R $ 520,000 per year (about 107,500 euros) that would have been necessary for its maintenance. In 2015, the museum was temporarily closed because the cleaning and security staff could not be paid. Repairs to a popular exhibition hall had to be crowdfunded, and by 2018 the maintenance budget was cut by 90%. However, around 2018 funds were also released for renovation, which had already been requested in 2013.

Before the fire there were visible signs of decay, such as peeled walls and exposed wires. The museum celebrated its 200th anniversary in June 2018, at a time when the museum was partially abandoned. Not a single Minister of State took part in the ceremony.

The museum's vice director, Luiz Fernando Dias Daniel, pointed to the neglect by successive governments. He said, "For many years the curators have wrestled with various governments to obtain adequate resources to preserve what is now completely destroyed." He expressed that he felt "total dismay and immense anger".

At the time of the fire, the museum's collections counted over 20 million objects, spanning over 11,000 years of world cultural heritage. It contained important artifacts from across Brazil's history , including those "that helped define national identity".

The fire

The fire in the museum building, observed from a distance.

Shortly after its closure on September 2, 2018, a large fire broke out and reached all three floors of the National Museum. Firefighters were alerted at 7:30 p.m. local time and quickly reached the scene. The chief of operations reported that the two fire hydrants closest to the museum were not delivering water, so water tankers had to be sent to a nearby lake. The fire brigade said it had to wait 40 minutes.

A fire department spokesman told the media that fire teams had entered the burning building even though there were no people inside to rescue artifacts. With the help of museum staff, “they were able to remove many things from the inside”.

The fire had gotten out of control by 9:00 p.m. (00:00 UTC September 3), there were large flames and occasional explosions, and was being fought by firefighters from four sectors. Dozens of people went to Quinta da Boa Vista to see the fire. A specialized team of firefighters entered the building at 9:15 p.m. to try to block areas not yet hit by the flames and assess the extent of the damage. At 9:30 p.m., however, the entire building had been caught in the fire, including exhibitions of the imperial rooms, which were located in the two areas at the front of the main building. The four security guards who were on duty at the museum escaped. There were no reports of victims.

Firefighters from three sectors fought the fire at 9:45 p.m. Two fire trucks with turntable ladders were used, with two watercraft taking turns delivering water.

At 10:00 p.m. (01:00 UTC, September 3), dozens of museum employees joined the battle against the flames. Two floors of the building had already been destroyed by that time and the roof had collapsed. According to Edson Vargas da Silva, librarian and employee at the museum for 43 years, there was "too much paper, the wooden floor, too many things that burn quickly."

Before an investigation into the matter began, Brazilian culture minister Sérgio Sá Leitão had suspected that the fire was caused by either an electrical fault or a sky lantern common in Brazil that accidentally landed on the building.

Shortly before the museum was destroyed by this fire, it had agreed a support fund with the Brazilian Development Bank , with which the implementation of a modern fire protection concept was also planned.

Destruction of the collections

The Bendegó meteorite, which has been in the museum for 130 years, survived the fire.

Information on the condition of the pieces on display was reported as early as late September 2, when a member of the Parliament of Catalonia started sharing pictures of objects. One of them was a Roman fresco from Pompeii that survived the eruption of Vesuvius on August 24, 79 AD, but was lost in the fire. The oldest collection of ancient Egyptian exhibits on the American double continent was also destroyed . It contained objects that once belonged to the pioneer of Egyptology Giovanni Battista Belzoni - who was the first to get into the second pyramid of Giza and uncover the Abu Simbel temple complex and the grounds of Karnak. Also Etruscan , Greek and Roman artifacts.

The museum contained historical records from two centuries of Brazilian history and relics from the personal collection of the Emperor of Brazil Pedro II. The entire historical archive was only a pile of ashes. The burned remains of these documents were found up to three kilometers from the museum after the fire.

The museum owned a collection of approximately 100,000 pre-Columbian artifacts from Brazil and other parts of the American continent, including mummies from the Andes, textiles, and ceramics. This collection also showed objects of the present native tribes, including "striking feather art of Carajás ". In 2018 there were only around 3,000 Carajás left. After the fire, indigenous peoples began to protest in front of the museum. They criticized that "the museum containing their most valuable artifacts burned down" and were angry that no money was allocated to a museum with indigenous history. José Urutau, researcher at the National Museum and indigenous leader of the Guajajara ethnic group, said the fire meant "an irreversible loss for the indigenous cultures, comparable to the incursion of the European invaders in 1500". “The museum had a nationally and internationally unique collection of indigenous language certificates.” According to this, 40,000 objects from 300 indigenous peoples were stored in the museum. At the same time, it was the seat of the documentation center for indigenous languages ​​CELIN ( Centro de Documentación de Lenguas Indígenas ). The linguist told AFP that the fire at the National Museum was “an attack on the collective historical memory and the language of the Brazilian indigenous people”. He noted with concern: “One speaks of linguicide and epistemicide when the knowledge and culture of a people have been completely obliterated. The fire does exactly that ”.

The National Museum is not only the oldest museum in Brazil, but also the oldest scientific institution in the country. It also contained extensive collections of plant and animal species, etc. a. of extinct species. Because of its large geological, botanical, paleontological and archaeological collection, it was considered one of the most important museums in Latin America.

According to museum officials, almost 90% of the collections were destroyed. Pictures on social media showed artifacts rescued from the burning building. A fire department spokesman reported that various items had been recovered from the museum due to the efforts of firefighters and workers. The museum's conservation director, João Carlos Nara, told reporters that "there will be little left" and that they "have to wait for the firefighters to finish their job to really assess the extent". The next day, firefighters began more salvage work at the museum, trying to rescue what they could from beneath the charred remains of the collapsed roof.

The Bendegó meteorite , the largest iron meteorite ever found in Brazil, showed no major damage. The National Geographic Society stated that it is a "large, metallic stone" that is protected from damage because these properties make it fire-resistant. The museum's most valuable treasures include the fragmentary skeleton of a woman called Luzia , which is dated to an age of around 11,000 to 11,500 years, the Bendegó meteorite, the reconstructed fossil of the Maxakalisaurus and the museum's collection of Pompeii frescoes. The building itself was listed as number 6, mentioning the neoclassical building decor, its colonial history and the personal expansion of the Portuguese royal family, as well as the imperial history after independence.

According to an assessment by the museum curator on September 5, there were considerable losses in the areas where insects and arachnids were collected, and considerable losses in the mollusc group. The vertebrate collection, the herbarium and the library were housed separately and have therefore been preserved.

The Rio de Janeiro Zoological Garden, very close to the National Museum, was not affected by the fire.

  • Luzia - the "first Brazilian" , with around 12,500 to 13,000 years the oldest skeleton (fragments) in Latin America.

  • Maxakalisaurus

  • Fresco from Pompeii

  • Fresco from Pompeii

  • Historical work of art inside, ceiling painting in the throne room

Reactions

Protester on September 3, 2018 with protest poster.

Brazil President Michel Temer said that “the loss of the National Museum is invaluable to Brazil. Today is a tragic day for the museology of our country. Two hundred years of work, research and knowledge have been lost. The value of our story. It is a sad day for all Brazilians because the building where the royal family stayed during the Empire has been damaged. ”His testimony was repeated by Rio's Lord Mayor Marcelo Crivella , who called for reconstruction and said:“ It is one national obligation to reconstruct it from the ashes, to recompose every detail of the paintings and photos. Even if they are not originals, they will continue to be a reminder of the royal family that gave us independence, the empire, the first constitution and national unity ”.

French President Emmanuel Macron expressed his regret on Twitter at the event. He offered to send experts to help rebuild the museum.

The Brazilian environmentalist and politician Marina Silva called the fire "a lobotomy of Brazilian memory".

News of the fire quickly spread across the city of Rio de Janeiro, and protesters appeared at the gates in the early hours of Monday morning. Initial reports indicated that 500 people formed a chain around the building, which was still smoking. Some of the protesters tried to climb over the fence into the museum grounds. The police, who marched in full riot gear, then threw tear gas bombs into the crowd. However, the public was later allowed to enter the site.

Museums and cultural institutions

Kátia Bogéa, President of the Instituto do Patrimônio Histórico e Artístico Nacional ( Institute for National Historical and Artistic Heritage ) said: “It is a national and global tragedy. Everyone can see that this is not a loss for the Brazilian people, but for all of humanity ”, commenting that it was“ a predictable tragedy because we have known for a long time that the Brazilian cultural heritage has no budget ”.

Museums around the world have expressed their regrets. In the UK, the British Library said : "Hearts go to the staff and users of the National Museum of Brazil", calling the fire a "reminder of the fragility and preciousness of our shared global heritage"; London's Natural History Museum , Oxford University Museum of Natural History, and the Smithsonian Institution were among the institutions expressing their grief. The head of the Australian Museum said she was "shocked", "devastated" and "desperate". "

Aid pledges

The German government provided emergency aid amounting to one million euros. In addition, a coordination office was set up in the Foreign Office.

Securing the remains of the fire

Four days after the fire, staff at the facility began using drones. During overflights, pictures of artefacts should be made so that they can later be assigned to the collection based on their location.

See also

Web links

Commons : Fire in the National Museum of Brazil  - collection of pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Ernesto Londoño, Shasta Darlington: Fire Engulfs a Brazilian Museum, Threatening Hundreds of Years of History . September 2, 2018. Retrieved September 3, 2018.
  2. ^ Brazil museum fire: Treasures at risk . In: BBC News , September 3, 2018. 
  3. ^ Fire Devastates Brazil's Oldest Science Museum . 3rd September 2018. 
  4. ↑ tagesschau.de: Museum fire: Brazil is looking for those responsible. Retrieved September 5, 2018 (German).
  5. ↑ Incendio atinge o Museu Nacional na Quinta da Boa Vista, no Rio. Mais antigo do país, museu tem 20 milhões de itens e apresentava problemas de manutenção . In: Folha de São Paulo , September 2, 2018. 
  6. ↑ Fogo destrói Museu Nacional, mais antigo centro de ciência do País . In: O Estado de S. Paulo , September 4, 2018. Retrieved September 2, 2018. 
  7. ^ Fire at Brazil National Museum engulfs 200-year-old building . September 2, 2018. Retrieved September 3, 2018.
  8. ↑ Vice-diretor do Museu Nacional cita 'descaso' de vários governos e que incêndio destruiu tudo . In: G1 , September 2, 2018. 
  9. ↑ Claudia Dominguez, Flora Charner and Holly Yan CNN: Inferno at Brazil's National Museum causes 'irreparable' damage and grief . In: CNN . Retrieved September 3, 2018. 
  10. ↑ Fire engulfs 200-year-old Brazil museum . September 2, 2018. Archived from the original on September 2, 2018. Retrieved on September 3, 2018.
  11. ↑ Rio's 200-year old National Museum hit by massive fire . September 2, 2018. Archived from the original on September 2, 2018. Retrieved on September 3, 2018.
  12. ↑ Incendio de grandes proporções atinge o Museu Nacional, na Quinta da Boa Vista. Ainda does not have informações sobre feridos ou sobre as causas do fogo, que começou após o fechamento do museu a visitantes. Instituição criada por Dom João VI tem 200 anos de história. . In: G1 , September 2, 2018. 
  13. ↑ Incendio destrói prédio do Museu Nacional no Rio de Janeiro . In: VEJA.com , September 2, 2018. 
  14. ↑ The world has lost part of its memory - forever
  15. ↑ Firefighters try to save relics as fire engulfs Rio museum . Retrieved September 3, 2018.
  16. ↑ In pictures: Brazil national museum in flames . Retrieved September 3, 2018.
  17. ↑ Incendio atinge Museu Nacional, no Rio . In: Terra Online , September 2, 2018. 
  18. ↑ Incendio no Museu Nacional destrói Coleções e Exposições . In: Agência Brasil , September 2, 2018. 
  19. ↑ Parte do teto do Museu Nacional já com desabou incêndio . In: ISTOÉ Independente , September 2, 2018. 
  20. ↑ a b Dom Phillips, Jonathan Watts: Brazil museum fire: 'incalculable' loss as 200-year-old Rio institution gutted . In: The Guardian , September 3, 2018 at www.theguardian.com (English)
  21. ↑ Priceless Roman fresco, artefacts destroyed in Rio de Janeiro museum fire . In: ABC News , September 3, 2018. 
  22. ↑ a b c The Fire at the National Museum of Brazil: A Crime of Capitalism on the Human Heritage , WSWS, September 5, 2018
  23. ↑ Indigenous researcher: The fire in the National Museum of Rio is a cultural ethnocide , September 8, 2018
  24. ↑ Brazil's national museum: What could be lost in the fire? . Retrieved September 3, 2018.
  25. ↑ Brazil museum fire: Funding sought to rebuild collection . BBC. Retrieved September 4, 2018.
  26. ↑ Marcus Guidoti: Some people, probably scientists and students, trying to save what they can before the fire take over their part of the building. . Retrieved September 3, 2018.
  27. ^ “Cultural tragedy”: Massive inferno engulfs 200-year-old museum in Brazil . Retrieved September 3, 2018. 
  28. ↑ Bendegó: el que meteorito resistió las llamas del incendio del Museo Nacional de Brasil . September 3, 2018. Retrieved September 3, 2018.
  29. ↑ Michael Greshko, Ricardo Moraes: Grief and Anger Mingle After Devastating Brazil Museum Fire . News from September 6, 2018 on www.nationalgeographic.com (English)
  30. ↑ Dom Phillips: '200 years of knowledge lost': fire engulfs Brazil's national museum . September 3, 2018. Retrieved September 3, 2018.
  31. ↑ Incendio no Museu Nacional: veja a repercussão . In: G1 , September 2, 2018. 
  32. ↑ Associated Press: Firefighters try to rescue relics and finger-pointing begins after massive fire engulfs famed Rio museum . Retrieved September 3, 2018.
  33. ↑ Brazilians see metaphor for their struggles in museum fire . Retrieved September 4, 2018.
  34. ↑ Brazil museum fire: Outrage grows as government blamed for 'tragic' blaze . Retrieved September 4, 2018.
  35. ^ Tensions flare after fire destroys Brazil museum in 'tragedy foretold' . Retrieved September 3, 2018.
  36. ↑ Our hearts go out to the staff and users of @MuseuNacional of Brazil. A reminder of the fragility and preciousness of our shared global heritage #MuseuNacional . British Library. Retrieved September 3, 2018.
  37. ↑ NaturalHistoryMuseum on Twitter . In: Twitter . Retrieved September 3, 2018. 
  38. ↑ MuseumNaturalHistory on Twitter . In: Twitter . Retrieved September 3, 2018. 
  39. ^ Smithsonian Statement on the Fire at the National Museum of Brazil . Retrieved September 3, 2018.
  40. ↑ Brazil fire: Australian Museum head 'distraught' over loss of priceless treasures . Retrieved September 3, 2018.
  41. ^ Museums: Germany wants to help Brazil after a serious museum fire . In: ZEIT ONLINE . ( zeit.de [accessed on September 6, 2018]).
  42. ↑ Pesquisadores usam drones para salvar acervo de Museu Nacional . In: R7.com . September 6, 2018 ( r7.com [accessed September 7, 2018]).