Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Loading...
Loading...
Loading...
Loading...

No search results found for
“”

Make sure words are spelled correctly.

Try searching for a travel destination.

Places near me Random place

Popular Destinations

  • Paris
  • London
  • New York
  • Berlin
  • Rome
  • Los Angeles
Trips Places Foods Stories Newsletters
Sign In Join
Places near me Random place
All Brazil Canela Mundo a Vapor

Mundo a Vapor

This attraction is devoted to the wonders of steam power and features a replica of one of its most public disasters.

Canela, Brazil

Added By
Spiegel
Email
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list
CAPTION
Mundo a Vapor   Wikipedia
Mundo a Vapor   Cesar Cardoso on Flickr
Mundo a Vapor   Cesar Cardoso on Flickr
Been Here
Want to go
Added to list

About

Despite the life-size locomotive engine hanging out the front of the building, Brazil's Mundo a Vapor (Steam World) is committed to showing off the wonders of steam power rather than its disasters. 

More than a simple museum, this interactive collection of contraptions was started by a family of steam engineers who learned their craft by recreating the steam machines that powered the local sawmills. After their shifts at the local mill the teenage brothers who would go on to found Mundo a Vapor used spare scrap material to create miniature versions of steam rotors and engines like the ones they spent their days servicing. This fascination with steam power soon spread to locomotives, manufacturing, and other applications of pressurized thrust.

Mundo a Vapor now displays a number of their homemade miniatures as well as working models of steam engines used for both transportation and industrial purposes. One of the main attractions of the site is the paper-making exhibit where visitors can walk away with a freshly pressed piece of paper that was created right in front of them using steam power.

The facade of the building is near impossible to miss as it features a full-size replica of the Montparnasse steam train crash that famously broke through a station wall and hung off the outside. The train breaking out of the front of Mundo a Vapor communicates both the power and history of the steam power it so loves.

Related Tags

Museums And Collections Museums Railroads

Know Before You Go

Easily visible (there's a train wreck in front on the road between Gramado and Canela.

Community Contributors

Added By

spiegel428

Edited By

hrnick, EricGrundhauser

  • hrnick
  • EricGrundhauser

Published

May 23, 2014

Edit this listing

Make an Edit
Add Photos
Sources
  • http://www.portalgramado.com.br/entretenimentos/parques-e-museus/mundo-a-vapor
  • http://www.canela.tur.br/mundoavapor.htm
  • http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attraction_Review-g775227-d2040504-Reviews-Mundo_a_Vapor-Canela_State_of_Rio_Grande_do_Sul.html
Mundo a Vapor
RS 235 - Rod. Canela
Canela
Brazil
-29.361196, -50.834574
Visit Website
Get Directions

Nearby Places

Caxias do Sul Dog Favela

Caxias do Sul, Brazil

miles away

Capela Nossa Senhora das Neves

Bento Gonçalves, Brazil

miles away

Vila Flores Association

Porto Alegre, Brazil

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Brazil

Brazil

South America

Places 143
Stories 44

Nearby Places

Caxias do Sul Dog Favela

Caxias do Sul, Brazil

miles away

Capela Nossa Senhora das Neves

Bento Gonçalves, Brazil

miles away

Vila Flores Association

Porto Alegre, Brazil

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Brazil

Brazil

South America

Places 143
Stories 44

Related Places

  • Monon, Indiana

    Whistle Stop Restaurant

    Train cars and railroad artifacts abound at this restaurant devoted to railway history.

  • The Walt Disney Hometown Museum, 2008.

    Marceline, Missouri

    Walt Disney Hometown Museum

    A celebration of the animation wizard's childhood home and antique railroad memorabilia collection.

  • Snowplow engine.

    Edmonton, Alberta

    Alberta Railway Museum

    Ride aboard a centuries-year-old steam engine and explore dozens of trains parts, including an unusual "comboose."

  • Restored red caboose.

    Portland, Maine

    Maine Narrow Gauge Railroad Museum

    Its unique collection details the history of the state's svelte railroads.

  • Moorish architectural details

    Tampa, Florida

    Henry B. Plant Museum

    Step back into the glory days of Florida's nascent tourism industry at this Gilded Age palace.

  • Nairobi Railway Museum

    Nairobi, Kenya

    Nairobi Railway Museum

    Strolling through these vintage locomotives offers a surprising amount of insight into the history of Kenya.

  • Chemin de Fer Railway Museum

    Dire Dawa, Ethiopia

    Chemin de Fer Railway Museum

    Rusting railcars and locomotive equipment fill this Ethiopian train graveyard.

  • Rail yard at the museum

    Sochaczew, Poland

    Sochaczew Narrow Gauge Railway Museum

    This unique railroad museum secretly contains the history of Poland rebuilding itself from the inside-out.

Aerial image of Vietnam, displaying the picturesque rice terraces, characterized by their layered, verdant fields.
Atlas Obscura Membership

Become an Atlas Obscura Member


Join our community of curious explorers.

Become a Member

Get Our Email Newsletter

Follow Us

Facebook YouTube TikTok Instagram Pinterest RSS Feed

Get the app

Download the App
Download on the Apple App Store Get it on Google Play
  • All Places
  • Latest Places
  • Most Popular
  • Places to Eat
  • Random
  • Nearby
  • Add a Place
  • Stories
  • Food & Drink
  • Itineraries
  • Lists
  • Video
  • Podcast
  • Newsletters
  • All Trips
  • Family Trip
  • Food & Drink
  • History & Culture
  • Wildlife & Nature
  • FAQ
  • Membership
  • Feedback & Ideas
  • Community Guidelines
  • Product Blog
  • Unique Gifts
  • Work With Us
  • About
  • FAQ
  • Advertise With Us
  • Advertising Guidelines
  • Privacy Policy
  • Cookie Policy
  • Terms of Use
Atlas Obscura

© 2025 Atlas Obscura. All Rights Reserved.