Casa dos Contos

Minas Gerais · Brasilien · Museum

Poet Cláudio Manoel da Costa died in custody in the gold town's counting house in 1789 – at night he is still said to pace the floorboards, reciting his verses.

Casa dos Contos in Ouro Preto served as the Crown's counting house and gold foundry during the Minas Gerais gold rush. The poet and independence conspirator Cláudio Manoel da Costa was imprisoned here after the crushed Inconfidência Mineira revolt of 1789 – he was found dead in his cell, and historians still argue whether it was suicide or murder ordered by the Portuguese Crown. Guards and visitors tell of footsteps crossing the creaking floors at night and a figure that seems to declaim poetry. From the basement vaults, where enslaved people were once held, come reports of moans and strange sounds. Today the grand 1780s mansion is a museum.

FAQ

Wo befindet sich Casa dos Contos?

Casa dos Contos liegt in Minas Gerais, Brasilien.