|
 |
|
|
Rio de Janeiro is the cultural
capital of Brazil. Over its nearly 500 years of history, it has been
the spring board for all the country’s principal cultural
exports, and the port of entry for major international art exhibitions
or musical events bringing top names from the classical to the
contemporary. Rio’s architecture embraces churches and buildings
dating from the 16th to the 19th centuries, blending with the world
renowned designs of the 20th. Rio was home to the Portuguese Imperial
family and capital of the country for many years, and was influenced by
Portuguese, English and French architecture. Today, these wonderful old
buildings contrast with the high rise ultra-modern intelligent
structures, in a city that knows how to progress while at the same time
preserving its past.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
There are more than 50
museums,
with collections that help to relate Brazil’s 500 year history.
They can be found in buildings listed as national historic heritage, or
in award-winning buildings, illustrating the creativity of Brazilian
architecture. The principal cultural centers, such as the Modern Art
Museum, the National Museum of Fine Arts and the Bank of Brazil
Cultural Center are geared today to show international exhibits under
conditions of safety and conservation identical to the best museums in
the world.
In the borough of
Santa Teresa,
the Montmartre or Soho of Rio, there is a row of houses dating from the
start of the 20th century, with around 50 ateliers where more than 80
artists work, and who during the year open their doors to the public to
show works of art that vary from the classic to the contemporary. In
Lapa, a neighboring borough nearer to the center of town, antique shops
live alongside dance halls, both preserving important cultural habits
of the city.
|
|
|
|
|
|
In the field of music, Rio is the
birthplace of the samba, which has its greatest celebration in
February, during Carnival. The parade of the principal Samba Schools is
a unique and unforgettable spectacle.
In the South Zone, along the sea front, the city preserves the memory
of names such as Tom Jobim and João Gilberto, who wrote the
first chords of the Bossa Nova. The greatest names in Brazilian popular
music have always gravitated to Rio from all over the country, for
various reasons such as the number of clubs offering live music, the
fact that the international recording companies set up their head
offices here, or because Rio is the home of the greatest TV network in
the country.
Nature also has its cultural influence. One has just to visit the
Botanical Gardens, with one of the most important collections of plants
in the world - or the Tijuca Forest, the green heart of this marvelous
city.
|
|
|
|
