The trapdoors
To the old cells.
Fernando Stankuns — CC BY-SA 4.0 · LabAm — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Josue Marinho — CC BY 3.0
The Museu das Bandeiras occupies the former council house and jail of Goiás, built between 1761 and 1766 by order of King José I and still one of the most imposing buildings in town, at the top of one of its main squares. The jail, in use until 1950, was on the ground floor; a wooden staircase leads to the upper halls used by the council and the courts, where trapdoors in the floor gave access to the cells. Listed as national heritage in 1951 and adapted as a museum in the 1950s, it tells the story of the bandeirantes, the expeditions that explored Brazil's interior in the 17th and 18th centuries, and of Portuguese presence in Goiás, with documents, furniture, clothing, weapons, porcelain, mining tools and household objects, 573 pieces in all. Entry is free according to the museum's listing; it opens Wednesday to Saturday 9:00-19:00 and Tuesday, Sunday and holidays 9:00-13:00, closed Mondays.
To the old cells.
Explorers of the interior.
From the gold era.
Praça Brasil Ramos Caiado, Goiás
The council house and jail of Goiás, built 1761-1766; the jail on its ground floor was used until 1950.
