The Museu de Ciência e Técnica, occupying a former mining school, was founded by Frenchman Claude-Henri Gorceix (1876). It boasts an exceptional collection of minerals (most notably a very rare imperial topaz) excavated from the subsoils of Minas Gerais and around Brazil. Various instruments used for boring and digging are on display, including a drill, diving suit, vibrating table and magnetic separator. The museum's astronomy department hosts observation sessions on Saturdays from 8-10pm.