The Centro Cultural Municipal Parque das Ruínas, or simply Parque das Ruínas ''(Ruins Park)'', is a public park with an art gallery built around the ruins of a mansion, located in the Santa Teresa neighborhood in

Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro, or simply Rio, is the capital of the Rio de Janeiro (state), state of Rio de Janeiro. It is the List of cities in Brazil by population, second-most-populous city in Brazil (after São Paulo) and the Largest cities in the America ...

Brazil Brazil, officially the Federative Republic of Brazil, is the largest country in South America. It is the world's List of countries and dependencies by area, fifth-largest country by area and the List of countries and dependencies by population ...

. It is a venue for live outdoor concerts and houses a bar. The site was the residence of

Belle Époque The Belle Époque () or La Belle Époque () was a period of French and European history that began after the end of the Franco-Prussian War in 1871 and continued until the outbreak of World War I in 1914. Occurring during the era of the Fr ...

art mecenas , who invited intellectuals and artists to her mansion in the early 20th century. In 1993, after 40 years of abandonment, Rio de Janeiro's state government purchased the site and organized an architectural contest. In 1997 the former hotel was transformed into a cultural center, designed after the winning project of architect Ernani Freire, who kept the structure of the ruins and added a contemporary look. Today the site offers a variety of cultural events. The Parque das Ruínas offers a unique panoramic view of Rio de Janeiro, with a broad view of

Guanabara Bay Guanabara Bay (, , ) is an oceanic bay in Southeast Brazil in the state of Rio de Janeiro (state), Rio de Janeiro. On its western shore lie the cities of Rio de Janeiro (city), Rio de Janeiro and Duque de Caxias, Rio de Janeiro, Duque de Caxias, a ...

from one side and the

Centro Centro may refer to: Places Brazil *Centro, Santa Maria, a neighborhood in Santa Maria, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil * Centro, Porto Alegre, a neighborhood of Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil * Centro (Duque de Caxias), a neighborhood of Du ...

from the other side.

References

Culture in Rio de Janeiro (city) Parks in Rio de Janeiro (city) Belle Époque {{Brazil-struct-stub