Cinelândia is the popular name of a major public square in the centre of

Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro ( , , ; literally 'River of January'), or simply Rio, is the capital of the state of the same name, Brazil's third-most populous state, and the second-most populous city in Brazil, after São Paulo. Listed by the GaWC as a b ...

Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...

. Its official name is Praça Floriano Peixoto, in honour of the second president of Brazil,

Floriano Peixoto Floriano Vieira Peixoto ( 30 April 1839 – 29 June 1895), born in Ipioca (today a district of the city of Maceió in the State of Alagoas), nicknamed the "Iron Marshal", was a Brazilian soldier and politician, a veteran of the Paraguay ...

History

colonial times The ''Colonial Times'' was a newspaper in what is now the Australian state of Tasmania. It was established as the ''Colonial Times, and Tasmanian Advertiser'' in 1825 in Hobart, Van Diemen's Land Van Diemen's Land was the colon ...

, the main structure in the Cinelândia area was the ''Ajuda Convent'', built for women around 1750. Today's square started to gain its current shape in the early 20th century, when the

Brazilian government The politics of Brazil take place in a framework of a federal presidential representative democratic republic, whereby the President is both head of state and head of government, and of a multi-party system. The political and administrative o ...

considered that Rio de Janeiro, then the capital of the

Republic A republic () is a "state in which power rests with the people or their representatives; specifically a state without a monarchy" and also a "government, or system of government, of such a state." Previously, especially in the 17th and 18th c ...

, needed to be completely overhauled. Beginning in 1904, the centre of the city was remodeled following the latest trends in hygiene and urbanism under the direction of mayor

Francisco Pereira Passos Francisco Franco Pereira Passos (29 August 1836 – 12 March 1913) was a Brazilian engineer and politician. He was mayor of the Federal District of Brazil from 1902 to 1906, nominated by President Rodrigues Alves. During his tenure, Pereira Passo ...

. The centrepiece of the reform was a large boulevard – the ''Avenida Central'', now Avenida Rio Branco - which was built crossing the old city centre, passing by the Ajuda Convent. Most of the old colonial houses in central Rio were demolished. The area in front of the Ajuda Convent was turned into a public square. During the early decades of the 20th century a series of monumental public buildings were built facing the square. These were the

Municipal Theatre A municipal theatre is a theatre Theatre or theater is a collaborative form of performing art that uses live performers, usually actors or actresses, to present the experience of a real or imagined event before a live audience in a specific ...

(''Theatro Municipal''), the Brazilian National Library (''Biblioteca Nacional''), the Rio de Janeiro Municipality (''Palácio Pedro Ernesto'') and the Higher Court (''Tribunal Superior''). Located nearby were the National Senate (''Palácio Monroe'', demolished in the 1970s) and the National School of Fine Arts, today

Museu Nacional de Belas Artes The Museu Nacional de Belas Artes (MNBA; Portuguese for National Museum of Fine Arts) is a national art museum located in the city of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The museum, officially established in 1937 by the initiative of education minister , wa ...

. The square concentrated a great part of the political and cultural life of Brazil. The buildings surrounding the square, mostly following the French Beaux-Arts architectural style, were a symbol of the modernisation of the city. In the centre of the square, a monument to Marshal Floriano Peixoto, second president of the Republic, was erected in 1910. The bronze monument, designed by sculptor Eduardo Sá and cast in France, depicts scenes of important events in Brazilian history. Another bronze statue, inaugurated in front of the Municipal Theatre, pays homage to Carlos Gomes, Brazil's foremost 19th century composer. In 1979 a

Rio de Janeiro Metro The Rio de Janeiro Metro ( pt, MetrôRio, ), commonly referred to as just the ''Metrô'' () is a rapid transit network that serves the city of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The Metrô was inaugurated on 5 March 1979, and consisted of five stations op ...

station was opened in the square.

Cinelândia Station Cinelândia Station ( pt, Estação Cinelândia) is a station on the Rio de Janeiro Metro that services the Praça Marechal Floriano (commonly known as Cinelândia) public square in the Centro neighborhood of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. In 1979, t ...

was one of the first five stations in the then-new network.

Cinemas

The old Ajuda Convent survived the initial remodeling of the square, but was finally demolished in 1911. In its place, Spanish entrepreneur Francisco Serrador built a series of tall buildings that concentrated the best cinemas of the city. It was due to these theatres that the area became popularly known as ''Cinelândia'' ("Cinema land"). Most of the cinemas are now closed, but the region around Cinelândia is still a lively spot in Rio thanks to its bars, restaurants and cultural attractions.

History

Cinemas

References

See also