Olinda () is a historic city in
Pernambuco, Brazil, in the
Northeast Region. It is located on the country's northeastern
Atlantic Ocean coast, in the
Metropolitan Region of
Recife, the state capital.
It has a population of 393,115 people, covers , and has a population density of 9,437 inhabitants per square kilometer. It is noted as one of the best-preserved colonial cities in Brazil,
and has been inhabited since 1535.
As the former capital of the
Captaincy of Pernambuco
The Captaincy of Pernambuco or New Lusitania ( pt, Nova Lusitânia) was a hereditary land grant and administrative subdivision of northern Portuguese Brazil during the colonial period from the early sixteenth century until Brazilian independence. A ...
during the
colonial era, Olinda has many historical buildings--the center was declared a
UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1982--and a rich culture. The
''Carnaval'' of Olinda, a popular street party, is very similar to traditional Portuguese carnivals, with the addition of African influenced dances, reflecting the history of the Northeast. All the festivities are celebrated on the streets with no bleachers or roping, and unlike in other cities, admission is free. There are hundreds of small musical groups (sometimes featuring a single performer) in many genres.
History
Several indigenous tribes occupied the coast of Northeastern Brazil for several thousand years, and the hills of the present day municipality of Olinda had settlements of
Caetés and
Tupinambá tribes, which were frequently at war. French mercenaries are thought to be the first Europeans to reach the region, but the Portuguese exploited intertribal rivalries and managed to build a stronghold on the former Caeté village on a high hill. Recent studies by the
Federal University of Pernambuco
Federal University of Pernambuco ( pt, Universidade Federal de Pernambuco, UFPE) is a public university in Recife, Brazil, established in 1946. UFPE has 70 undergraduate courses and 175 postgraduate courses. , UFPE had 35,000 students and 2,000 ...
have uncovered new evidence of the pre-colonial population of the area.
The settlement of Olinda was founded in 1535 by
Duarte Coelho Pereira, from Portugal; it was elevated to a town on March 12, 1537.
It was made the seat of the
Roman Catholic Territorial Prelature of Pernambuco in 1614, becoming the Diocese of Olinda in 1676. The economy of the region was dominated by the production of
sugarcane
Sugarcane or sugar cane is a species of (often hybrid) tall, Perennial plant, perennial grass (in the genus ''Saccharum'', tribe Andropogoneae) that is used for sugar Sugar industry, production. The plants are 2–6 m (6–20 ft) tall with ...
. This, combined with the importing of
slaves
Slavery and enslavement are both the state and the condition of being a slave—someone forbidden to quit one's service for an enslaver, and who is treated by the enslaver as property. Slavery typically involves slaves being made to perf ...
from Africa to support cultivation made Olinda a colonial stronghold.
Olinda was the capital of the Portuguese hereditary
captaincy of Pernambuco
The Captaincy of Pernambuco or New Lusitania ( pt, Nova Lusitânia) was a hereditary land grant and administrative subdivision of northern Portuguese Brazil during the colonial period from the early sixteenth century until Brazilian independence. A ...
, but was burned by Dutch invaders. The Portuguese built their town on the hill, for practical purposes (eg, sewers) and to make it easier to defend. In the 17th century the
Kingdom of Portugal
The Kingdom of Portugal ( la, Regnum Portugalliae, pt, Reino de Portugal) was a monarchy in the western Iberian Peninsula and the predecessor of the modern Portuguese Republic. Existing to various extents between 1139 and 1910, it was also kno ...
was united with Spain (the 1580-1640
Iberian Union). Taking advantage of this period of Portuguese weakness, the area around Olinda and
Recife was occupied by the
Dutch who gained access to the Portuguese
sugarcane
Sugarcane or sugar cane is a species of (often hybrid) tall, Perennial plant, perennial grass (in the genus ''Saccharum'', tribe Andropogoneae) that is used for sugar Sugar industry, production. The plants are 2–6 m (6–20 ft) tall with ...
plantations.
John Maurice, Prince of Nassau-Siegen
John Maurice of Nassau (Dutch: ''Johan Maurits van Nassau-Siegen''; German: ''Johann Moritz von Nassau-Siegen''; Portuguese: ''João Maurício de Nassau-Siegen''; 17 June 1604 – 20 December 1679), called "the Brazilian" for his fruitful period as ...
was appointed as the governor of the Dutch possessions in Brazil in 1637 by the Dutch West India Company on recommendation of Frederick Henry. He landed at
Recife, the
port of Pernambuco and the chief stronghold of the Dutch, in January 1637. By a series of successful expeditions, he gradually extended the Dutch possessions from Sergipe on the south to
São Luís de Maranhão
SAO or Sao may refer to:
Places
* Sao civilisation, in Middle Africa from 6th century BC to 16th century AD
* Sao, a town in Boussé Department, Burkina Faso
* Saco Transportation Center (station code SAO), a train station in Saco, Maine, U. ...
in the north. He likewise conquered the Portuguese possessions of Saint George del Mina, Saint Thomas, and
Luanda,
Angola, on the west coast of Africa. After the dissolution of the
Iberian Union in 1640, Portugal would reestablish its authority over the lost territories of the
Portuguese Empire, including the former Dutch Brazil. Sugarcane plantation slavery would continue to be a source of wealth in Olinda until the
Lei Áurea ("Golden Law") abolished slavery in an
independent Brazil in 1888.
Olinda declined in importance after the Dutch invasion. Recife became the capital of Pernambuco in 1827, and Olinda is part of the greater
Recife metropolitan area. Due to the historic position of the city, its cathedral, a
World Heritage Site, called São Salvador do Mundo, remains the primary seat of the
Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Olinda and Recife,
with a
co-cathedral in Recife. Olinda also has a
Minor Basilica, again a World Heritage Site (Minor): Basílica Abacial do Mosteiro de São Bento de Olinda.
Besides its natural beauty, Olinda is also one of Brazil's main cultural centers: in 1982 it was declared a
World Heritage Site by
UNESCO. The city relives the magnificence of the past every year during the large
Carnival
Carnival is a Catholic Christian festive season that occurs before the liturgical season of Lent. The main events typically occur during February or early March, during the period historically known as Shrovetide (or Pre-Lent). Carnival typi ...
, to the rhythms of ''
frevo'', ''
maracatu'' and other northeast music and dances.
Geography
Olinda is located on the coast of the state of
Pernambuco, six kilometers north of the center of
Recife. It is bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the east, the municipality of
Paulista to the north, and Recife to the south and west. It is part of the
Metropolitan Region of Recife (RMR).
The average elevation is 16 m above sea level. The landscapes is made of plains and hills, some of them steep. Olinda is mostly drained by the
Paratibe River
The Paratibe River is a river of Pernambuco state in northeastern Brazil.
See also
*List of rivers of Pernambuco
List of rivers in Pernambuco (Brazilian State).
The list is arranged by drainage basin from north to south, with respective tributa ...
(55.13% of the territory), with the remainder drained by the
Capibaribe River
The Capibaribe River () is a river located in Pernambuco state, Brazil, with a length of 240 kilometers. The Capibaribe originates in the Serra do Jacarará, in the municipality of Poção, and flows to the Atlantic Ocean at Recife.
Etymology
Th ...
. The municipality is in the
Atlantic Forest
The Atlantic Forest ( pt, Mata Atlântica) is a South American forest that extends along the Atlantic coast of Brazil from Rio Grande do Norte state in the northeast to Rio Grande do Sul state in the south and inland as far as Paraguay and th ...
ecoregion.
Olinda has a
tropical monsoon
An area of tropical monsoon climate (occasionally known as a sub-equatorial, tropical wet climate or a tropical monsoon and trade-wind littoral climate) is a tropical climate sub-type that corresponds to the Köppen climate classification category ...
type climate (
Köppen-Geiger:
Am'')'', typical of the eastern section of the northeastern Brazilian coast, with average monthly temperatures consistently above 18 °C, little
diurnal variation
A chronotype is the behavioral manifestation of underlying circadian rhythm's myriad of physical processes. A person's chronotype is the propensity for the individual to sleep at a particular time during a 24-hour period. ''Eveningness'' (delayed ...
in temperature, abundant rainfall most of the year, and high
relative humidity.
Economy
The main economic activities in Olinda are based in tourism, commerce, transportation industry and artcraft. The tourist sector has a boom every Carnival when thousands of people are in the old historic town center.
Economic indicators
Economy by Sector
Gallery
Historic Center
File:Historic Centre of the Town of Olinda-109015.jpg, One of the roads of the historic center
File:Historic Centre of the Town of Olinda-109016.jpg, A church in the historic center
File:Historic Centre of the Town of Olinda-109017.jpg, Distant view of historic center with sea behind
See also
*
List of museums in Pernambuco {{Short description, none
Below is a list of museums in Pernambuco, Brazil.
Recife museums
The Museum of Pernambuco State (Museu do Estado de Pernambuco or MEPE)
Historical and anthropological museum housed in a 19th-century mansion (Lord Beberi ...
References
External links
Official website of the ''prefeitura''Official website of the ''Câmara Municipal''Explore the Historic Centre of the Town of Olinda in the UNESCO collection on Google Arts and Culture*https://web.archive.org/web/20130407002251/http://olindavirtual.org/
*https://web.archive.org/web/20060614045202/http://www.olinda.com.br/ Commercial site
* Video Olinda, Pernambuco (PT
* Video Olinda street Carniva
{{Authority control
Olinda,
Populated places established in 1535
World Heritage Sites in Brazil
Historic districts
Populated coastal places in Pernambuco
1535 establishments in Brazil
Municipalities in Pernambuco
1630 establishments in the Dutch Empire
Populated places established by the Dutch West India Company