Brazilian National Archives, National archives in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
The Brazilian National Archives occupies a two-storey neoclassical building with a pink stucco facade and grey stone trim. Six stone columns support a balcony with a balustrade beneath a triangular pediment, and ground-level arches carry banners such as "ARQUIVO NACIONAL" and "A Cidade do Trabalho". Inside, two speckled grey granite columns with pale carved capitals stand before a staircase with dark wood balustrades and a white coffered ceiling.
The archives were founded in 1838 as an imperial public institution and gained independence as a separate agency shortly after. During the 20th century it was restructured and modernized to meet growing demands for document management.
The archives run public programmes such as the Arquivo em Cartaz international archives film festival, the journal Revista Acervo and National Archives Week. Since 2017 the institution has taken part in the GLAM project of Wikimedia Commons, and its holdings include pre-1959 diplomatic records between Brazil and the United States.
The building is located in central Rio de Janeiro and is reachable by foot from several transit connections. Visitors should know that some collections require advance registration to access.
The archive opened for public consultation in 1874, one year after Joaquim Pires Machado Portella became its director. A new regulation, approved by Decree No. 6,164 of 24 March 1876, set out more detailed working procedures. The institution also holds pre-1959 diplomatic records between Brazil and the United States, and access to some of them may require contacting Brazil's Ministry of Foreign Affairs.
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