“We are incredibly upset. We also feel this loss because it was such an important collection of the country’s natural history, of Brazilian society and
political history. This is the palace where the
Portuguese king held court after he fled Portugal for Brazil. It is a very important monument for the history of both countries”, the minister said arriving at the Royal Portuguese Reading Office in Rio de Janeiro, where he was scheduled to open the 9th workshop on Luso-Brazilian research.
The museum destroyed by the fire was created 200 years ago by King João VI of Portugal and was the oldest and most important museum in Brazil.
“It is a great loss for the Brazilian people, for the researchers who worked there and we feel a deep sense of solidarity with the Brazilians”, he added.
The National Museum collections that were destroyed in the fire on Sunday night and Monday morning held one of the biggest historical and
scientific collections in the country with about 20
million pieces.