Rio de Janeiro, a city brimming with cultural treasures, is opening its historical archives to the world. For generations, the General Archive of Rio de Janeiro City has preserved the city’s history. Now, in partnership with Google Arts & Culture, the Archive is bringing Rio’s past and present to life online, making some of the rarely-seen collections available to the public.

At the heart of this initiative lies the digitization and preservation of the Paschoal Nardone collection, which comprises 124 films (over 2,000 meters of film!) showcasing Rio’s transformation between the 1920s and 1940s. But there are other fascinating stories to explore, too. Here are five highlights from the collection.

The Paschoal Nardone Collection

The General Archive of Rio de Janeiro City and University Audiovisual Preservation Laboratory of UFF have digitized 124 rare film reels from the 1920s to the 1940s, revealing everyday life and historical events in Rio. These films, which were shot with a commercial camera in Brazil, are currently threatened by “vinegar syndrome,” a chemical reaction that can damage film. In this story, you can watch the films as well as learn more about how these works were digitized in just weeks, and what stories and images they revealed, preserving this visual record of a city’s growth.