Rio鈥檚 Historic Downtown, Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
If you can tear yourself away from the beautiful beaches and incredible landscapes of聽Rio鈥檚聽coastline, you鈥檒l find a treasure trove of sites in Rio鈥檚 historic downtown. With a long history as capital of both Portugal and Brazil, there is no shortage of heritage sites to visit.
In November, 1807 the Portuguese Royal Court relocated from Lisbon to Rio de Janeiro to escape Napoleon鈥檚 invasion. Even though Brazil鈥檚 colonial capital had been moved from聽Salvador聽to Rio 45 years earlier. It was still a backwoods town at the time, without roads, a sewage system or many common conveniences of the time. Since it was to become the capital of Portugal, changes had to be made. The end result was Rio soon became a modernized city filled with public libraries, botanical gardens, public squares and opulent government buildings. Rio continued as Brazil鈥檚 capital after it achieved independence from Portugal and the construction of wonderful buildings continued. It wasn鈥檛 until 1960 that the capital was moved to Brasilia. ...... (follow the instructions below for accessing the rest of this article).
In November, 1807 the Portuguese Royal Court relocated from Lisbon to Rio de Janeiro to escape Napoleon鈥檚 invasion. Even though Brazil鈥檚 colonial capital had been moved from聽Salvador聽to Rio 45 years earlier. It was still a backwoods town at the time, without roads, a sewage system or many common conveniences of the time. Since it was to become the capital of Portugal, changes had to be made. The end result was Rio soon became a modernized city filled with public libraries, botanical gardens, public squares and opulent government buildings. Rio continued as Brazil鈥檚 capital after it achieved independence from Portugal and the construction of wonderful buildings continued. It wasn鈥檛 until 1960 that the capital was moved to Brasilia. ...... (follow the instructions below for accessing the rest of this article).
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Sights Featured in This Article
Guide Name: Rio鈥檚 Historic Downtown
Guide Location: Brazil » Rio de Janeiro
Guide Type: Self-guided Walking Tour (Insider Tips)
Author: Maggie Kayes
Read it on Author's Website:
Sight(s) Featured in This Guide:
Guide Location: Brazil » Rio de Janeiro
Guide Type: Self-guided Walking Tour (Insider Tips)
Author: Maggie Kayes
Read it on Author's Website:
Sight(s) Featured in This Guide:
- Real Gabinete Portugu锚s de Leitura
- S茫o Francisco Square
- Igreja S茫o Francisco de Paula
- Cinel芒ndia Square
- Biblioteca Nacional
- Teatro Municipal
- Pal谩cio Pedro Ernesto
- Catedral Metropolitana do Rio
- Aqueduto da Carioca
- Escadaria Selar贸n
- Jardim Bot芒nico
- Christ the Redeemer
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