Museu Estadual do Carvão

Useful Information

Location:	Arroio dos Ratos, 54 km from Porto Alegre (-30.091781, -51.722689)
Open:	All year Tue-Sat 8:30-11:30, 13:30-16:30, Sun, Hol 13-17. [2020]
Fee:	free. [2020]
Classification:	Coal Mine
Light:	Incandescent Electric Light System
Dimension:
Guided tours:	self guided
Photography:	allowed
Accessibility:	yes
Bibliography:
Address:	Museu Estadual do Carvão, Rua Profª Silvana Narvaez, 61, Arroio dos Ratos 96740-000, Tel: +55-51-3656-1211. E-mail: E-mail:
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History

1872	The Imperial Brazilian Collieries C. Limited founded in Arroio dos Ratos.
1881	mining activities led by Nicácio Teixeira Machado in Butiá.
1885	Poço da Izabel inaugurated in the presence of the princess and her husband, Count D´Eu.
1908	Poço 01 opened.
1924	thermoelectric plant started production.
1956	thermoelectric plant shut down.
31-MAR-1986	museum opened to the public by State Decree No. 32,211.

Geology

Due to the geographical conditions responsible for its formation Brazilian coal, for the most part, has low quality. The coal in this region also stands out for its quality, which, even if it falls by world standards, is better than in the rest of the country. The state of Rio Grande do Sul is the largest producer in the country, with 52.3% of production.

Description

The Museu Estadual do Carvão (State Coal Museum) is a museum about coal mining, not a show mine. Its objective is to preserve the historical and cultural heritage of coal mining in Rio Grande do Sul and to act as Cultural Center for the Carboniferous Region of Baixo Jacuí. It is located in the restored ruins of Poço 01 and the first thermoelectric plant which was operated in Brazil. The Usina Termoelétrica was built by the Companhia Estrada de Ferro e Minas de São Jerônimo (CEFSMJ).

The coal of Rio Grande do Sul is of better quality than other coal deposits, nevertheless it is not good enough for furnaces and other uses. Also, during the 19th century, the transport was difficult. Not enough roads and railroads, but the industries which needed coal were located at harbours. As a result Brazil imported coal from Australia and Germany. This became more difficult during World War I which boosted the local coal mining. Nevertheless, domestic coal is mostly used to produce electricity. Today it is a fallback when hydroelectric power is low due to low water. The history of the coal mining is one important topic of the museum.

The next topic is the labor movement connected with mining. Since the 1930s the miners started to fight against the oppressive methods of the mining companies. They were living in towns owned by the company buying good in the company store for vouchers. The result was tight control over the private life and an effective disciplinary device. The workers depended for everything on the goodwill of the company.