Quinta da Boa Vista
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The Quinta da Boa Vista ( en, "Estate of the Good View") is a public park of great historical importance located in the São Cristóvão neighbourhood, in the North zone of the city 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 ...
. The park was part of the gardens of the São Cristóvão Palace, the residence of the Emperors of Brazil in the 19th century and the home of the Zoological Garden of Rio de Janeiro, with over 2000 species of animals. The building of the old palace hosted the
National Museum A national museum is a museum maintained and funded by a national government. In many countries it denotes a museum run by the central government, while other museums are run by regional or local governments. In other countries a much greater numb ...
, with collections on natural history, ethnology and
archaeology Archaeology or archeology is the scientific study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of artifacts, architecture, biofacts or ecofacts, sites, and cultural landscap ...
.


History


Origins

The area now occupied by the Quinta da Boa Vista used to be part of a
Jesuit , image = Ihs-logo.svg , image_size = 175px , caption = ChristogramOfficial seal of the Jesuits , abbreviation = SJ , nickname = Jesuits , formation = , founders ...
farm. After 1759, when the Jesuits were expelled from
colonial Brazil Colonial Brazil ( pt, Brasil Colonial) comprises the period from 1500, with the arrival of the Portuguese, until 1815, when Brazil was elevated to a kingdom in union with Portugal as the United Kingdom of Portugal, Brazil and the Algarves. Durin ...
, the land was divided and given to private landlords. In the early 19th century, part of the farm belonged to Elias António Lopes, a rich
Portuguese Portuguese may refer to: * anything of, from, or related to the country and nation of Portugal ** Portuguese cuisine, traditional foods ** Portuguese language, a Romance language *** Portuguese dialects, variants of the Portuguese language ** Portu ...
merchant, who around 1803 built a
manor house A manor house was historically the main residence of the lord of the manor. The house formed the administrative centre of a manor in the European feudal system; within its great hall were held the lord's manorial courts, communal meals w ...
on top of a hill. From this hill one could appreciate a wonderful view of the
Guanabara Bay Guanabara Bay ( pt, Baía de Guanabara, ) is an oceanic bay located in Southeast Brazil in the state of Rio de Janeiro. On its western shore lie the cities of Rio de Janeiro and Duque de Caxias, and on its eastern shore the cities of Niterói a ...
, hence the name ''Boa Vista'' (nice view) of the ''Quinta''. When
prince regent A prince regent or princess regent is a prince or princess who, due to their position in the line of succession, rules a monarchy as regent in the stead of a monarch regnant, e.g., as a result of the sovereign's incapacity (minority or illness ...
John VI and the Portuguese court arrived in Rio de Janeiro, in 1808, Elias António Lopes donated his farm to the Prince. John VI appreciated very much the gift, and stayed long periods in the manor house. At the time, the farm was located relatively far from the city of Rio de Janeiro, and was surrounded by
mangrove A mangrove is a shrub or tree that grows in coastal saline water, saline or brackish water. The term is also used for tropical coastal vegetation consisting of such species. Mangroves are taxonomically diverse, as a result of convergent evoluti ...
s and
swamp A swamp is a forested wetland.Keddy, P.A. 2010. Wetland Ecology: Principles and Conservation (2nd edition). Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, UK. 497 p. Swamps are considered to be transition zones because both land and water play a role in ...
s. Later these had to be eliminated to facilitate the access to the city.


Imperial Palace

To better accommodate the Portuguese Royal Family, the house went through a renovation between 1816 and 1821, directed by
English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ide ...
architect John Johnston. In front of the palace, Johnston installed a decorative gate, a gift sent from England to Brazil by
Hugh Percy, 2nd Duke of Northumberland Lieutenant General Hugh Percy, 2nd Duke of Northumberland (14 August 174210 July 1817) was an officer in the British army and later a British peer. He participated in the Battles of Lexington and Concord and the Battle of Long Island during t ...
. The gate was later transferred to the entrance of the zoological garden of the Quinta. The house became known as the ''Paço de São Cristóvão'' ( en, Palace of Saint Christopher). After the declaration of the
Republic of 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 an ...
, the Imperial family left the country and the Palace and its surrounding gardens became empty.


The Quinta today

The Quinta da Boa Vista is a very popular attraction for locals and also tourists. The fact that the North zone of Rio de Janeiro, where the Quinta is located, has very few public parks only contributes to its popularity. The main attractions are the park itself, with its green areas, centenary trees and lakes, as well as the National Museum and the Zoological Garden.


National Museum

Founded in 1818 by
King John VI of Portugal , house = Braganza , father = Peter III of Portugal , mother = Maria I of Portugal , birth_date = , birth_place = Queluz Palace, Queluz, Portugal , death_date = , death_place = Bemposta Palace, Lisbon, Portugal ...
, the National Museum was transferred to the old Imperial Palace of the Quinta in 1892. During its long history, its collections have been greatly expanded by acquisitions and donations, including by
Emperor Pedro II Dom PedroII (2 December 1825 – 5 December 1891), nicknamed "the Magnanimous" ( pt, O Magnânimo), was the second and last monarch of the Empire of Brazil, reigning for over 58 years. He was born in Rio de Janeiro, the seventh child of Empe ...
, a great sponsor of the sciences. The collections included
Astronomy Astronomy () is a natural science that studies astronomical object, celestial objects and phenomena. It uses mathematics, physics, and chemistry in order to explain their origin and chronology of the Universe, evolution. Objects of interest ...
(mostly
meteorites A meteorite is a solid piece of debris from an object, such as a comet, asteroid, or meteoroid, that originates in outer space and survives its passage through the atmosphere to reach the surface of a planet or moon. When the original object en ...
),
Palaeontology Paleontology (), also spelled palaeontology or palæontology, is the scientific study of life that existed prior to, and sometimes including, the start of the Holocene epoch (roughly 11,700 years before present). It includes the study of fossi ...
, Natural history,
Ethnology Ethnology (from the grc-gre, ἔθνος, meaning 'nation') is an academic field that compares and analyzes the characteristics of different peoples and the relationships between them (compare cultural anthropology, cultural, social anthropolo ...
(including many interesting works by Brazilian indigenous peoples) and
Archaeology Archaeology or archeology is the scientific study of human activity through the recovery and analysis of material culture. The archaeological record consists of artifacts, architecture, biofacts or ecofacts, sites, and cultural landscap ...
(mostly antiquities from ancient Egypt). Much of the art collection displayed by the Museum consisted of what was gathered by the Emperor Pedro II himself. In this manner, it reflects 19th-century views of Anthropology, Archaeology and sciences in general. Additionally, as is the case with the building, the collection was poorly preserved. Until the September 2018 fire, visitors could also see a few rooms of the ancient Palace with its original painted and
stucco Stucco or render is a construction material made of aggregates, a binder, and water. Stucco is applied wet and hardens to a very dense solid. It is used as a decorative coating for walls and ceilings, exterior walls, and as a sculptural and a ...
decoration, like the Throne Room, the Ambassadors' Room and the room of
Empress Teresa Cristina Dona Teresa Cristina (14 March 182228 December 1889), nicknamed "the Mother of the Brazilians", was the Empress consort of Emperor Dom  Pedro II of Brazil, who reigned from 1831 to 1889. Born a Princess of the Kingdom of the Two Sicil ...
. These rooms displayed a couple original pieces but were overall empty. File:Antiga entrada principal da Quinta da Boa Vista.jpg, Entrance
Gate A gate or gateway is a point of entry to or from a space enclosed by walls. The word derived from old Norse "gat" meaning road or path; But other terms include ''yett and port''. The concept originally referred to the gap or hole in the wall ...
File:Quinta da Boa Vista - Templo de Apolo e Pagode Chinês 2.jpg,
Temple A temple (from the Latin ) is a building reserved for spiritual rituals and activities such as prayer and sacrifice. Religions which erect temples include Christianity (whose temples are typically called churches), Hinduism (whose temples ...
and
Pagoda A pagoda is an Asian tiered tower with multiple eaves common to Nepal, India, China, Japan, Korea, Myanmar, Vietnam, and other parts of Asia. Most pagodas were built to have a religious function, most often Buddhist but sometimes Taoist, ...
File:Quinta da Boa Vista Palácio de São Cristovão Museu Nacional RJ.jpg, Neoclassical facade of the former Imperial Palace that was the National Museum of Brazil File:Quinta da Boa Vista 17.jpg,
Zoological Garden A zoo (short for zoological garden; also called an animal park or menagerie) is a facility in which animals are kept within enclosures for public exhibition and often bred for conservation purposes. The term ''zoological garden'' refers to zool ...
entrance


Zoological Garden

The Zoo of Rio is perhaps the most popular attraction of the Quinta. It was inaugurated in 1945 under President Getúlio Vargas and is the oldest in Brazil. Among its over 2000 animals, the collections of Brazilian monkeys and birds are particularly important.


References

*


External links

*
Website of the National Museum
*
Website of the Rio Zoo
{{Portalbar, Brazil, Ecology, Geography Parks in Rio de Janeiro (city) Gardens in Brazil