| Rio de Janeiro - Museums - Copacabana Fortress |
Copacabana’s Fortress stopped being a military building in 1986, when it became
Army’s Historic Museum. The museum’s patrimony includes pieces, mainly documents and weapons, which show the Brazilian Army’s history from the
colonial epoch to the empire era. There’s and library and an extensive reading room.
One of the main museum’s attractions is the replica of Floriano Peixoto’s private
office. The fortress rooms are decorated according to the role they had in 1940. However, besides military pieces, pictures and other
curiosities, the most interesting is the fortress architecture itself, which was registered in 1990 and can’t have its external structure
changed.
The fortress also offers a wonderful view of the city, since it’s placed on a
strategic position. When Rio de Janeiro became capital of Brazil, in the 18th century, the construction of a fortress to increase the security
in Guanabara’s Bay became a need. There were plenty of attempts to start the works, but the project was never put into practice.
Only in the beginning of the 20th century, in 1908, the works of Copacabana’s
Fortress were started, after the demolition of an old church that existed there, the Nossa Senhora de Copacabana Church, which also gave the
district’s name. The fortress inauguration was in 1914.
More than 2000 people worked in the fortress construction, which was equipped
with the most modern weapons of that time. The Brazilian Navy brought 5 long-range cannons, from Germany. They were placed in the fortress
domes.
Address: Praça Coronel Eugênio Franco, 1
Phone: 55-21-2522-4460 / 2287-3781
E-mail: mhexfc@openlink.com.br |
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