Museu da Família Colonial, Historical museum in Blumenau, Brazil

The Museu da Família Colonial occupies two 19th-century buildings in Blumenau: the 1864 house where Edith Gaertner, heir of the city's founder's family, lived, and an 1858 house built by German immigrant Hermann Wendeburg. Its 6,200-piece collection of household utensils, furniture and tools fills the rooms, and the grounds cover 15,000 square metres, including the horto where Gaertner buried her cats.

The 1864 building initially served as a residence for Victor Gaertner, a relative of the city's founder Dr. Blumenau, before being converted into a museum decades later. This transformation marked an important shift toward preserving the architectural and social legacy of the region's German pioneers.

The collection displays everyday objects and furniture from German immigrant families, revealing how they lived during the early settlement years. Visitors can see their homes, kitchens, and work spaces, understanding the foundations of daily life in that era.

The museum is open Tuesday through Sunday, and visiting typically takes one to two hours to explore all rooms thoroughly. Access is at ground level, and guided tours through the houses help visitors understand objects in their original context.

Behind the houses lies the "Cemitério de Gatos", where Edith Gaertner buried her cats with full ceremony. The graves once held porcelain headstones and sculptures by Miguel Barba; after vandalism only one pair of sculptures still watches over the small tombs, which are considered the only cemetery of its kind in the world.