Nova Friburgo (, ger, Neufreiburg, , en, New Fribourg, commonly referred to as just "Friburgo") is a

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality'' may also mean the ...

in the state 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 ...

in southeastern

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 ...

. It is located in the mountainous region, in the Center Mesoregion of the state, from its capital

. The town is above sea level. Its population was 191,158 (2020) and its area is 933 km². The main economic activities are the

undergarment Undergarments, underclothing, or underwear are items of clothing worn beneath outer clothes, usually in direct contact with the skin, although they may comprise more than a single layer. They serve to keep outer garments from being soiled o ...

industry, olericulture,

goat The goat or domestic goat (''Capra hircus'') is a domesticated species of goat-antelope typically kept as livestock. It was domesticated from the wild goat (''C. aegagrus'') of Southwest Asia and Eastern Europe. The goat is a member of the a ...

raising, various industries (textile, clothing, metallurgy) and tourism. It is also the coldest city of the state.

History

Up to the 19th century, the region of the present Nova Friburgo was inhabited by Coroado Purí Indians. In 1818, King John VI was interested in improving the relationship with Germany, in order to obtain support against the French empire. He then proposed a planned settlement that would promote the civilization in Brazil. A royal decree of May 1818, authorized the

Canton of Fribourg The canton of Fribourg, also canton of Freiburg (french: Canton de Fribourg ; german: Kanton Freiburg ; frp, Canton de Fribôrg rm, Chantun Friburg it, Canton Friburgo) is located in western Switzerland. The canton is bilingual, with French s ...

Switzerland ). Swiss law does not designate a ''capital'' as such, but the federal parliament and government are installed in Bern, while other federal institutions, such as the federal courts, are in other cities (Bellinzona, Lausanne, Luzern, Neuchâtel ...

, to establish a colony of 100 Swiss families in the Morro Queimado Farm, in Cantagalo District, a place with climate and natural characteristics similar to those in their country. Between 1819 and 1820, the region was settled by 265 Swiss families, in total 1,458 immigrants. It was named Nova Friburgo (New Fribourg) by the Swiss after the homeland of most of the families. Following the

Independence of Brazil The Independence of Brazil comprised a series of political and military events that led to the independence of the Kingdom of Brazil from the United Kingdom of Portugal, Brazil and the Algarves as the Brazilian Empire. Most of the events occurr ...

in 1822, the Imperial Government continued the policy of populating the nation by attracting

Europe Europe is a large peninsula conventionally considered a continent in its own right because of its great physical size and the weight of its history and traditions. Europe is also considered a Continent#Subcontinents, subcontinent of Eurasia ...

colonization Colonization, or colonisation, constitutes large-scale population movements wherein migrants maintain strong links with their, or their ancestors', former country – by such links, gain advantage over other inhabitants of the territory. When ...

. Eighty

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 **Ge ...

families previously assigned to settlements in the Province of

Bahia Bahia ( , , ; meaning "bay") is one of the 26 states of Brazil, located in the Northeast Region of the country. It is the fourth-largest Brazilian state by population (after São Paulo, Minas Gerais, and Rio de Janeiro) and the 5th-larges ...

, for unknown reasons ended up in Nova Friburgo, where they arrived on the 3 and 4 May 1824. Similar arrivals of

Italians , flag = , flag_caption = The national flag of Italy , population = , regions = Italy 55,551,000 , region1 = Brazil , pop1 = 25–33 million , ref1 = , region2 ...

, Portuguese and a minority of

Syrians Syrians ( ar, سُورِيُّون, ''Sūriyyīn'') are an Eastern Mediterranean ethnic group indigenous to the Levant. They share common Levantine Semitic roots. The cultural and linguistic heritage of the Syrian people is a blend of both ind ...

led to such population increases that the once village was elevated to city status on 8 January 1890. In 1872, the Baron of Nova Friburgo brought to the region the Leopoldina Railroad, to allow for the flow of the coffee from Cantagalo. Agriculture was the basis of economic activity until 1910, when the arrival of industrialists pioneered the development of an industrial sector still thriving to the present day. Of similar importance was the relative proximity to

Niterói Niterói (, ) is a municipality of the state of Rio de Janeiro in the southeast region of Brazil. It lies across Guanabara Bay facing the city of Rio de Janeiro and forms part of the Rio de Janeiro Metropolitan Area. It was the state capital, ...

and

and the improvement of transport and communication links such as paved roads and telegraph. This encouraged a small tourist industry to grow, which, together with local commerce, became the main source of income for the city. Nova Friburgo was affected by the

2011 Brazilian floods A series of floods and mudslides took place in in several towns of the Mountainous Region (''Região Serrana''), in the Brazilian state of Rio de Janeiro (state), Rio de Janeiro. Casualties occurred in the cities of Nova Friburgo, Teresópolis, ...

on 11 January with

mudslide A mudflow or mud flow is a form of mass wasting involving fast-moving flow of debris that has become liquified by the addition of water. Such flows can move at speeds ranging from 3 meters/minute to 5 meters/second. Mudflows contain a signific ...

s causing at least 820 deaths and more than 200 people to go missing in the biggest natural disaster in the history of Brazil. The population was left with no water, electricity, food or gas.

Climate

Nova Friburgo has a

subtropical highland climate An oceanic climate, also known as a marine climate, is the humid temperate climate sub-type in Köppen classification ''Cfb'', typical of west coasts in higher middle latitudes of continents, generally featuring cool summers and mild winters ...

(

Köppen climate classification The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, nota ...

Cwb), with fresh and dry winters and humid and mild summers. Annual average temperature is . The hottest temperature ever recorded was on October 15, 1948, and the coldest temperature ever recorded was on August 8, 2014.

Economy

The city has a strong drive towards tourism due to the landscape, rivers, trails and bucolic spots. It has the second largest network of hotels of the state, after the capital Rio de Janeiro. The urban district is visited for its cold climate, the tranquility and romanticism. However, there are also attractions more distant to the center, which are appreciated by those who are interested in

ecotourism Ecotourism is a form of tourism involving responsible travel (using sustainable transport) to natural areas, conserving the environment, and improving the well-being of the local people. Its purpose may be to educate the traveler, to provide fund ...

and adventure sports like

rafting Rafting and whitewater rafting are recreational outdoor activities which use an inflatable raft to navigate a river or other body of water. This is often done on whitewater or different degrees of rough water. Dealing with risk is often a ...

and

canoeing Canoeing is an activity which involves paddling a canoe with a single-bladed paddle. Common meanings of the term are limited to when the canoeing is the central purpose of the activity. Broader meanings include when it is combined with other act ...

. The district of Lumiar is one of the most important sites for these sports in the state. Nova Friburgo is known as the national capital of the undergarment industry, due to the vast production and variety of models, and the local brands begin to compete in the international market. Other major industries include textile mills and metallurgic industries. Agriculture is important in the area of olericulture and goat raising, as well as in the production of flowers, of which the municipality is the second largest producer in the country, surmounted only by Holambra, in the state of

São Paulo São Paulo (, ; Portuguese for ' Saint Paul') is the most populous city in Brazil, and is the capital of the state of São Paulo, the most populous and wealthiest Brazilian state, located in the country's Southeast Region. Listed by the GaW ...

. The municipality contains part of the

Central Rio de Janeiro Atlantic Forest Mosaic The Central Rio de Janeiro Atlantic Forest Mosaic ( pt, Mosaico da Mata Atlântica Central Fluminense is a protected area mosaic in the state of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The mosaic is inland, to the east of the city of Rio de Janeiro. History A p ...

of conservation units, created in 2006. It contains of the Macaé de Cima Environmental Protection Area, created in 2001.

Tourism

Visual do Caminho Para Parque dos Os tres Picos

The main attractions of the city are: * Alpine-style architecture of the buildings of MuryShopping, the Bucsky and Garlipp hotels and the restaurant Bräun & Bräun * "Casa Suiça" (the Swiss House) * Cheese-making school FRIALP * District of Lumiar * District of São Pedro da Serra * Encontro dos Rios (merging of rivers Macaé and Bonito) * Gastronomic center, in the district of Mury * Getulio Vargas Square * Marcilio Dias Square, which marks the beginning of the settlement, for it is the area where the first Germans camped, coming from Europe * Nova Friburgo Country Club * Park of Furnas do Catete, with the Cão Sentado (Sitting Dog) Stone * Pedra Riscada (scratched stone) * Saint John Baptist Cathedral * Suspiro Square, with the biggest

chairlift An elevated passenger ropeway, or chairlift, is a type of aerial lift, which consists of a continuously circulating steel wire rope loop strung between two end terminals and usually over intermediate towers, carrying a series of chairs. Th ...

of the country * The municipality contains 19% of the

Três Picos State Park The Três Picos State Park ( pt, Parque Estadual dos Três Picos) is a state park in the state of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It preserves a large, mountainous region of Atlantic Forest. Location When created, the Três Picos State Park was divided b ...

, created in 2002.

Demographics

* Population: 202,085 ** Urban: 178,377 ** Rural: 23,708 ** Male: 97,253 ** Female: 104,832

Racial composition

* White: 78.3% * Pardo (multiracial): 13.9% * Black: 7.0% * Asian: 0.1% * Indigenous: 0.1% * 0.5% not reported (Source:

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 informat ...

)

Ethnic groups

Portuguese, Swiss, German, Italian, Austrian, Spanish, Lebanese, African, Hungarian, Japanese.

Gallery

File:Nova friburgo av alberto braune 1940.jpg, Alberto Braune Avenue in 1940 File:Nova friburgo hotel gloria 1940.jpg, Gloria Hotel (right), 1940 File:Colégio Anchieta em Nova Friburgo.jpg, Side view of the school File:Lumiar.jpeg, Lumiar district, outskirts of Nova Friburgo File:Park Hotel 18.jpg, Park Hotel File:Parque Dos Tres Picos.jpg,

File:UERJ em Nova Friburgo.jpg, Campus of Rio de Janeiro State University in Nova Friburgo File:Circuito Terê-Fri - RJ - panoramio.jpg, Countryside File:Estrada entre fazendas.JPG, Horses in a bucolic scene in the rural region of the municipality File:Caminho pros Três Picos.jpg, Vale dos Frades (Frades Valley) File:Vista da cidade de Nova Friburgo de cima do Pico da Caledônia.jpg, View of Nova Friburgo from Caledônia peak

Sister cities

Fribourg , neighboring_municipalities= Düdingen, Givisiez, Granges-Paccot, Marly, Pierrafortscha, Sankt Ursen, Tafers, Villars-sur-Glâne , twintowns = Rueil-Malmaison (France) , website = www.ville-fribourg.ch , Location of , Location of () () ...

, Switzerland

External links

References

{{Authority control German-Brazilian culture Municipalities in Rio de Janeiro (state) Swiss German language Swiss Brazilian