Blumenau is a city in Vale do Itajaí, state of Santa Catarina, in the

South Region Southern Region or South Region may refer to: * Southern Nigeria * Southern Region (Boy Scouts of America) * Southern Region, Bauchi, Nigeria * South Region, Brazil, an official grouping of states for economic and statistical purposes * Southern R ...

of Brazil. It is away from the state capital of

Florianópolis Florianópolis () is the capital and second largest city of the state of Santa Catarina, in the South region of Brazil. The city encompasses Santa Catarina Island and surrounding small islands, as well as part of the mainland. It has a populat ...

. The city was founded by the German chemist and

pharmacist A pharmacist, also known as a chemist (Commonwealth English) or a druggist (North American and, archaically, Commonwealth English), is a healthcare professional who prepares, controls and distributes medicines and provides advice and instructi ...

Hermann Bruno Otto Blumenau (1819–1899), who arrived on a boat via Itajaí-Açu River accompanied by seventeen other Germans. It has a cultural agenda focused on parties based on the daily life and habits of European immigrants, with emphasis on German heritage, including the second largest Oktoberfest in the world, which takes place during 17 days in October.

History

The city was founded September 2, 1850, by Hermann Bruno Otto Blumenau and seventeen other

German German(s) may refer to: * Germany (of or related to) **Germania (historical use) * Germans, citizens of Germany, people of German ancestry, or native speakers of the German language ** For citizens of Germany, see also German nationality law **Ger ...

immigrants. Later arrivals include biologist and early proponent of Darwinian Evolution,

Fritz Müller Johann Friedrich Theodor Müller (31 March 1822 – 21 May 1897), better known as Fritz Müller, and also as Müller-Desterro, was a German biologist who emigrated to southern Brazil, where he lived in and near the German community of Blumenau, ...

. The history of Blumenau is the result of the arrival of German immigrants who settled these fertile areas of 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 ...

. Having an interest in the problems faced by European immigrants, in 1845 Hermann Blumenau reached an agreement with the

Society for the Protection of German Emigrants A society is a group of individuals involved in persistent social interaction, or a large social group sharing the same spatial or social territory, typically subject to the same political authority and dominant cultural expectations. Socie ...

to represent it and traveled to Brazil, aiming to create new German settlements and to check the situation of those that already existed. He traveled to

Rio Grande do Sul Rio Grande do Sul (, , ; "Great River of the South") is a Federative units of Brazil, state in the South Region, Brazil, southern region of Brazil. It is the Federative_units_of_Brazil#List, fifth-most-populous state and the List of Brazilian st ...

, and then to Santa Catarina, where he visited the German colony of

São Pedro de Alcântara 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.S. ...

. Aware of comments about the Itajaí Valley, he explored it in detail, in association with his compatriot Ferdinand Hackradt, since the aforementioned society was dissolved. After taking certain precautions, Hermann Blumenau headed for Germany, to seek immigrants. On September 2, 1850, Hermann Blumenau returned to the chosen area with the seventeen initial immigrants. Despite the floods, clashes with wild animals and even with the indigenous peoples, due to the work of German immigrants willing to migrate continuously in greater numbers, the settlement prospered. On February 4, 1880, the municipality of Blumenau was created, composed of about 13,000 residents.

Demographics

, Blumenau had an estimated population of 361,855 people, with an area of 519 km² (200 sq mi). The main ethnic origin of the city inhabitants are

and Italian. The city displays many historical and cultural reminders of their heritage, such as houses and other buildings built in traditional German styles, statues, and memorials. Blumenau, compared to other Brazilian cities, has a very high Human Development Index, 0.806 as of 2010.

Ethnic composition

:''Source: 2010

IBGE The Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics ( pt, Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia e Estatística; IBGE) is the agency responsible for official collection of statistical, geographic, cartographic, geodetic and environmental information ...

Census''

Religion

:''Source: 2010 IBGE Census''

Geography

The city is located in a valley bisected by the Itajaí-Açu River, surrounded by hills with forests. The lower areas, including towers and tall buildings in the city center, constantly suffer from the threat of floods. Blumenau's first recorded flood took place in the dawn on September 23, 1880. The worst took place in 1983 and 1984, when the city was completely isolated for weeks. Today, Blumenau is well-prepared against such threats, but many citizens prefer to live in higher areas spread into the nearby hills and plains to avoid flooding. However, this planning could not avoid even worse flooding in late November 2008, that killed over 100 and forced thousands to evacuate.

Climate

The climate of Blumenau is considered to be subtropical, a climate of transition between the predominantly tropical climate of Brazil and the predominantly temperate climate of Argentina. Under the Köppen climate classification, the city has a warm,

humid subtropical climate A humid subtropical climate is a zone of climate characterized by hot and humid summers, and cool to mild winters. These climates normally lie on the southeast side of all continents (except Antarctica), generally between latitudes 25° and 40° ...

. Blumenau, like the entire state of Santa Catarina, is located south of the Tropic of Capricorn; therefore it is mild in the winter with temperatures averaging 16.6 °C (61 °F) and hot and humid in the summer with high temperatures averaging around 30 °C (87 °F). On July 23, 2013 the downtown of the city got a snow-rain mix and higher neighborhoods had accumulating snow.

Economy

Blumenau's main economic activity is still the textile industry, represented by large manufacturers such as

Cia. Hering Companhia Hering (Cia Hering) is a Brazilian textile and retail clothing company, being the leading clothing textile company in Latin America. The company has 805 stores. The company is one of the oldest Brazilian companies still in activity, fou ...

, Karsten and Teka. Another area that draws attention is that of information technology; the city is the headquarters of the so-called Brazilian Silicon Valley, and many software leaders in its segment, some of whom were born in Blusoft and Instituto Gene startup incubators. Blumenau is also known as a location for the manufacturing of metallurgic, mechanical, and electrical equipment. It has a strong economy, boosted by strong trade, service, and tourism events, with exhibitions of international importance, which are generally held in ''Vila Germânica'' (German Villa Park). Additionally, a new but rapidly expanding market is the production of craft beer, such as

Eisenbahn ''Eisenbahn'' is a microbrewery in Blumenau, Santa Catarina, Brazil. It produces beer following the Reinheitsgebot, with a variety of flavours and fermentations. "Eisenbahn" means railroad in German and refers to a station that was close to the ...

Transport

Even though Blumenau has its own airport, normally passengers use scheduled flights operated from

Ministro Victor Konder International Airport Navegantes–Ministro Victor Konder International Airport is the airport serving Navegantes, Brazil, as well as Itajaí, Balneário Camboriú, and Blumenau. It is named after the Itajaí-born Victor Konder (1886-1941), Minister of Public Works (1 ...

, located in the nearby municipality of

Navegantes Navegantes (, ''Seafarers'') is a coastal and tourist city located in Santa Catarina state, southern Brazil. The population is 83,626 (2020 est.) in an area of 112.0 km². Ministro Victor Konder International Airport serves the popular bea ...

. Gol Airlines,

Azul Brazilian Airlines Azul Linhas Aéreas Brasileiras S/A (''Azul Brazilian Airlines''; or simply Azul) is a Brazilian carrier based in Barueri, a suburb of São Paulo. The company's business model is to stimulate demand by providing frequent and affordable air serv ...

, Latam, and Avianca offer for its passengers bus transfers between Navegantes and Blumenau at regular times.

Tourism

The Blumenau's Tourism Department maintains four tour routes covering different aspects of the city. Besides these, there's the festival of the municipality. Also, the Oktoberfest of Blumenau, held every October, attracts over a million tourists every year.

Subdivisions

Blumenau has 35 neighbourhoods:

Notable people

Hermann Blumenau Hermann Bruno Otto Blumenau (December 26, 1819 – October 30, 1899) was a German pharmacist who founded the city of Blumenau, situated in the Itajaí-Açu river valley in the state of Santa Catarina, Brazil. Biography Hermann Bruno Ott ...

(1819–1899) German pharmacist who founded the city of Blumenau *

Emílio Henrique Baumgart Emílio Henrique Baumgart or Emil Heinrich Baumgart (in German) was a Brazilian engineer. Background Baumgart was born on May 25, 1889, in the city of Blumenau, in the state of Santa Catarina, Brazil. His father was the German immigrant Gustav B ...

(1889 in Blumenau - 1943) architect and engineer *

(1821 – 1897 in Blumenau) biologist, an early advocate of Darwinism * Vera Fischer (born 1951 in Blumenau) actress * Rita Schadrack (1931 in Blumenau – 1988) film, stage, and voice actress *

Martin Drewes Martin Drewes (20 October 1918 – 13 October 2013) was a German Luftwaffe military aviator and night fighter ace during World War II. He is credited with 52 victories of which 43 were claimed at night whilst flying variants of the Messerschmit ...

(1918 – 2013 in Blumenau) Luftwaffe military aviator, night fighter ace in WWII *

Mariana Weickert Mariana Müller Weickert (born February 17, 1982) is a Brazilian model represented by Ford Models. She was chosen by the German ''Vogue'' magazine for a 25-page editorial with major New York stylists. Lately she has been following a career as a T ...

(born 1972 in Blumenau) model *

João Geraldo Kuhlmann João Geraldo Kuhlmann (1882 Blumenau, Santa Catarina -1958 Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro) was a Brazilian botanist. Life Kuhlmann was a specialist on taxonomy of angiosperms. He was a great collector of herborized material (his collection ...

(1882 in Blumenau - 1958) a botanist, specialist on the taxonomy of

Angiosperm Flowering plants are plants that bear flowers and fruits, and form the clade Angiospermae (), commonly called angiosperms. The term "angiosperm" is derived from the Greek words ('container, vessel') and ('seed'), and refers to those plants th ...

s *

Luiz Henrique da Silveira Luiz Henrique da Silveira (February 25, 1940 – May 10, 2015) was a Brazilian politician and lawyer. He represented Santa Catarina in the Federal Senate from 2011 to 2015. He was governor of Santa Catarina from 2003 to 2006 and 2007 to 2010. He ...

(1940 in Blumenau – 2015) politician and lawyer *

Edward af Sillén Edward af Sillén (born 1982 in Blumenau, Santa Catarina, Brazil) is a Swedish screenwriter and director for stage, film and TV. He has translated and directed many highly successful theatre shows including ''Twelfth Night'' by William Shakespear ...

(born 1982 in Blumenau) Swedish screenwriter & director for film and TV *

Armin Zimmermann __NOTOC__ Armin Zimmermann (23 December 1917 – 30 November 1976) was a German admiral and Inspector General of the Bundeswehr from 1 April 1972 until 30 November 1976. He joined the Kriegsmarine in 1937. Awards *German Cross in Gold on 4 Mar ...

(1917 in Blumenau – 1976) German admiral and

Inspector General of the Bundeswehr Inspector, also police inspector or inspector of police, is a police rank. The rank or position varies in seniority depending on the organization that uses it. Australia In Australian police forces, the rank of inspector is generally the ne ...

Sport

* Tiago Splitter, (born 1985 in Blumenau) former professional basketball player *

Tiago Volpi Tiago Luis Volpi (born 19 December 1990) is a Brazilian professional footballer who plays as a goalkeeper for Liga MX club Toluca. Career Early career Volpi started his career at Fluminense in 2008, before moving to São José a year later, he ...

, (born 1990 in Blumenau) football goalkeeper *

Bruna Pickler Bruna Boege Pickler (born 17 June 1990 in Blumenau), is a Brazilian athlete, actress, composer and sports reporter. Bruna Pickler competes in recurve archery and in 2021 ended up ranked 17th archer on national Brazil level for Olympic outdoor ...

, (born 1990 in Blumenau), athlete, actress, composer and sports reporter * Ana Amorim Taleska, (born 1983 in Blumenau) handball player *

Christian Maicon Hening Christian Maicon Hening (born 25 August 1978), better known under the nickname Chris, is a Brazilian former professional footballer who played as a centre-back or defensive midfielder, notably for Eintracht Frankfurt from 2003 to 2011. He was nam ...

, (born 1978 in Blumenau) football player * Eduarda Amorim Taleska, (born 1986 in Blumenau) handball player *

Rafael Schmitz Rafael Schmitz (born 17 December 1980) is a Brazilian retired footballer. He was a commanding central defender who was good in the air but also very agile and had good passing ability. Career Schmitz started his professional career at Malutrom, ...

, (born 1980 in Blumenau) football player *

Barbara Bruch Barbara may refer to: People * Barbara (given name) * Barbara (painter) (1915–2002), pseudonym of Olga Biglieri, Italian futurist painter * Barbara (singer) (1930–1997), French singer * Barbara Popović (born 2000), also known mononymously ...

, (born 1987 in Blumenau) female volleyball player * Jean Carlo Witte, (born 1977 in Blumenau) football player *

Nathan Allan de Souza Nathan Allan de Souza (born 13 March 1996), simply known as Nathan, is a Brazilian footballer who plays for Fluminense, on loan from Atlético Mineiro. Mainly an attacking midfielder, he has also been deployed throughout his career in a central mi ...

, (born 1996 in Blumenau) football player *

Ana Moser Ana Beatriz Moser (born August 14, 1968 in Blumenau) is a Brazilian former volleyball player, who played as an outside hitter. She was a member of the Women's National Team for over a decade, serving as the team captain and winning the squad's ...

, (born 1968 in Blumenau) former volleyball player, team captain and team gold medallist at the

1996 Summer Olympics The 1996 Summer Olympics (officially the Games of the XXVI Olympiad, also known as Atlanta 1996 and commonly referred to as the Centennial Olympic Games) were an international multi-sport event held from July 19 to August 4, 1996, in Atlanta, ...

Twin towns – sister cities

Blumenau is twinned with: *

Bariloche San Carlos de Bariloche, usually known as Bariloche (), is a city in the province of Río Negro Province, Río Negro, Argentina, situated in the foothills of the Andes on the southern shores of Nahuel Huapi Lake. It is located within the Nahuel ...

, Argentina * Campinas, Brazil * Osorno, Chile * Petrópolis, Brazil *

Weingarten Weingarten may refer to: Places * Weingarten, Württemberg, Germany ** Weingarten Abbey * Weingarten (Baden), Germany * Weingarten, Rhineland-Palatinate, Germany * Weingarten, Thuringia, Germany * Weingarten, Switzerland * Weingarten, Missouri ...

, Germany * Posadas, Argentina * Badajoz, Spain * Oxapampa, Peru

References

Sources

External links

* {{Coord, 26, 56, S, 49, 03, W, region:BR_type:city, display=title Populated places established in 1850 1850 establishments in Brazil German-Brazilian culture Municipalities in Santa Catarina (state)