One of the main tourist attractions in the historic center of Petrópolis, the Imperial Museum suffered little damage from the heavy rain that hit the city last Tuesday afternoon (15). According to a note released today (18), the palace and the collection have been preserved. Casa Cláudio de Souza, which works as a branch in another location in the center, also suffered no damage.
“The Complex Gardens were affected, but without major damage to the space. There is mud in the lowest part and there were no trees or external pieces, such as statues and poles, falling. The entire lawn and flowerbeds are preserved and the gardening, cleaning and maintenance teams will initiate the necessary repairs”, adds the text released by the museum.
A separate property where the employees’ cafeteria and dressing room work was impacted by a landslide. The Pavilhão das Viaturas, an annex housing wagons and carriages from the 19th century, was also hit at the back by a barrier, but the parts were not damaged.
The center was one of the areas of the city most affected by the storm, which caused damage and landslides in several neighborhoods. When the volume of rain intensified, there were about 30 people in the Imperial Museum, including visitors and staff. They sheltered there until the next morning.
The government of Rio de Janeiro claims that it was the worst rain recorded in the city since 1932. 136 deaths have already been confirmed. The Fire Department and the municipal Civil Defense have been working in the search and evacuation of risk areas. There is concern about new landslides, given the forecast of more rains.
Holder of the country’s main collection related to the Brazilian empire, the Imperial Museum holds about 300,000 museological, archival and bibliographic items. In addition to a permanent exhibition, the place hosts constant events, temporary exhibitions and educational projects. Since the storm, the space has been closed to the public and there is still no forecast for reopening.
Other tourist attractions in the city were also spared by the rain and suffered no major damage. According to the Municipal Institute of Culture (IMC), the Casa de Santos Dumont Museum and the Casa do Colono Museum were not affected.
The Theatro Dom Pedro, which is currently under construction, and the Estação Nogueira Cultural Center, which houses the Train Museum, recorded flooding points, but the collections are preserved.
There was also no major impact on the Prefeito Paulo Rattes Municipal Park, in the district of Itaipava, the location least affected by the rain. The space, however, was closed to visitors and turned into a support point for receiving donations.
