Brazil reopens National Museum with Sperm Whale skeleton and Meteor Artifact

Seven years after the devastating fire that severely damaged it, the National Museum in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, has finally reopened its doors to the public—though only partially for now. As of Wednesday, July 2, visitors can attend the free exhibition Entre Gigantes for the next two months. This exhibit features symbolic pieces that survived the 2018 blaze, including the iconic Bendegó meteorite, one of the museum's most renowned artifacts.

The exhibition was developed by museum staff in collaboration with partners from the Museu Nacional Vive project—a joint effort involving the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ, which manages the museum), UNESCO, and the Vale Cultural Institute.

As part of this initiative, the public now has temporary access to three interior areas of the museum’s main building, the Paço de São Cristóvão (St. Christopher’s Palace), which is currently under renovation. Visitors can observe the progress of the restoration, view the Bendegó meteorite—the largest ever discovered in Brazil—and marvel at a new addition to the collection: the 15.7-meter-long skeleton of a sperm whale, now suspended beneath the building’s new skylight.