Naval Museum, Naval museum in Praça XV, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Museu Naval is a museum housed in a historic building in downtown Rio de Janeiro dedicated to Brazilian naval history. It displays ship models, artwork, cannons, medals, and documents spread across several exhibition rooms.

The museum was founded in 1972 and later underwent complete renovation to present Brazilian naval history in a modern way. This transformation brought new exhibition concepts and displays to the space.

The permanent exhibition "O Poder Naval na Formação do Brasil" fills seven ground-floor rooms and traces the navy's role in forming the country. Among the pieces are a 1557 letter by the French commander Nicolas Durand de Villegagnon describing Guanabara Bay at the time, plus warship models, furniture and uniforms. Temporary shows occupy the second floor.

The museum occupies the former Naval Club building in Rio de Janeiro's Centro, near the waterfront area of the port. The permanent exhibition "O Poder Naval na Formação do Brasil" fills seven ground-floor rooms, while the second floor holds temporary shows. Look for the 1557 letter by Nicolas Durand de Villegagnon describing Guanabara Bay.

The 1557 letter by French commander Nicolas Durand de Villegagnon, describing Guanabara Bay as it then was, is among the collection's notable documents. It sits in the permanent exhibition "O Poder Naval na Formação do Brasil", which fills seven ground-floor rooms.