Memorial Minas Gerais Vale is a one-stop venue for discovering the social and cultural history of Minas Gerais. Explore the folkloric, contemporary and popular traditions of its people and get acquainted with the talents of its most famous artists. Learn about the state’s main industries, delve into its political significance and experience life in a rural village.
Some 31 exhibition rooms spread over three floors at the Memorial Minas Gerais Vale, which was the one-time administrative center of the Minas Gerais treasury department. This lavish palace building dates back to 1897 and was inaugurated at the same time as the foundation of Belo Horizonte. It reopened as a museum in 2010 after undergoing a makeover that carefully maintained the original aspects while adding modern elements.
The ground floor is a celebration of regional artists and writers. See paintings by Lygia Clark and photographs by Sebastião Salgado. Read excerpts from the poems of Carlos Drummond de Andrade printed on fashion pieces by Ronaldo Fraga. The museum café on this floor doubles-up as an exhibition of cachaça, the sugarcane liquor used to make caipirinha.
Climb the grand staircases to the second floor, where original artifacts and multimedia exhibits recreate life on farms, in mines and villages. The Stories of Belo Horizonte room highlights the city’s early beginnings, evolution and urban legends. Another room, the Pantheon of Minas Gerais Politics, details the state’s role in an unsuccessful attempt to gain independence from Portuguese colonists in 1789.
On the upper floor you’ll find permanent and temporary exhibitions that look further into art, handicrafts, music and theater. Regular concerts, lectures and movie screenings take place in the auditorium.
The museum is conveniently located on the west side of Liberty Square. It’s possible to park, for a fee, on nearby streets, although spaces tend to fill up fast. Public buses arrive at the square from most areas of the city.
Memorial Minas Gerais Vale is open from Tuesday to Sunday and admission is free. There are extended opening hours every Thursday.