Santa Teresa, Rio de Janeiro
Santa Teresa | ||
|---|---|---|
Neighborhood | ||
State Rio de Janeiro (RJ) | | |
| Municipality/City | Rio de Janeiro | |
| Zone | Centro | |
Santa Teresa (Portuguese pronunciation: [ˈsɐ̃tɐ teˈɾezɐ]) is a neighborhood in the city of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It is located on top of the Santa Teresa hill, by the centre of Rio, and is famous for its winding, narrow streets which are a favourite spot for artists and tourists.
The neighborhood originated around the Santa Teresa Convent, built in the 1750s on the Desterro hill. At the end of the 19th and early 20th century it was an upper class borough, as testified by its many opulent villas. Santa Teresa ceased being an upper-class neighbourhood long ago, but it has been revived as a fashionable hotspot. It is home to several artists and art studios and galleries. The offer of restaurants and bars is also varied.
One of Santa Teresa's most illustrious inhabitants was
Another museum is the Museu do Bonde, which tells the history of the famous Santa Teresa Tram since its historic origins. A ride on the tram is a popular attraction among tourists. It sports crossing the old Carioca Aqueduct, going through picturesque streets of the Santa Teresa neighbourhood and wonderful views of the city downhill.
History
Santa Teresa Convent
The neighborhood arose in the 1750s on the Morro Desterro ("Right Hill"), emerging from the eponymous Catholic
Around 1850 many people, fleeing the yellow fever epidemic in the city, flocked to the neighborhood. As it was at a higher altitude, Santa Teresa was less affected by the epidemic than the surrounding neighborhoods.
Santa Teresa tram
In 1872, a tram line was constructed to connect Santa Teresa to downtown Rio de Janeiro, which further advanced the access to the neighborhood. The tram ran up the streets of Rua Joaquim Murtinho (named after Joaquim Murtinho) and Rua Almirante Alexandrino, crossing the Carioca Aqueduct. Initially, the tramcars were drawn by mules, before electric tramcars replaced the mule- or horse-drawn trams in 1896. The tramcars' colours ranged from green to silver and blue, but came to be painted bright yellow after complaints from residents who said that the tram "disappeared" amid the greenery of the neighborhood. The iconic yellow trams – or bondes in Brazilian Portuguese – have become a symbol of Santa Teresa.
By means of organized demonstrations, residents were able to preserve the historic tram system by convincing the government to release funds for the streetcars. After an accident with a tram in 2011 that killed five people,[2] all service on the tram line was suspended for four years, in order to modernize the system.[3][4][5] Newly built, replica-vintage tramcars in the same style as the old fleet were acquired, and the line was rebuilt and reopened in stages starting in 2015. It was restored to its full length of 6 km (4 mi) in January 2019.[6]
Revitalization
Over time, Santa Teresa lost its status as an upscale neighborhood, like many of the historic districts of Rio's South zone. In recent years however, it has become a district of cultural interest because of its architectural value and prime location. In 2009 the city council started a gentrification program to revitalize the neighborhood. Walls were built to stop the surrounding favelas from growing; and taxes were imposed on water, energy and gas supply in order to decrease the number of poor people.
Culture
Traditionally Santa Teresa is a renowned gathering place for
Santa Teresa is also a vibrant gastronomic center, mainly around the Largo do Guimarães, as well as an artistic center. Due to the large number of artists and art studios, the neighborhood has come to be called Rio's Montmartre. The bohemian lifestyle has contributed to Santa Teresa being a main tourist attraction of Rio de Janeiro, as well as its recognition as one of the most unique neighborhoods in the world in 2016.[7]
The neighborhood, affectionately called "Santa" by locals, is composed of several steep staircases, slopes, cobbled roads and tortuous alleys, which provide the character of the neighborhood. These sloping roads connect Santa Teresa to the surrounding districts of
Education
The
Principal roads
|
|
Panorama
References
- ^ Art theft
- ^ "Acidente com bonde em Santa Teresa mata cinco pessoas". globo.com (in Portuguese). 27 August 2011. Retrieved 10 March 2016.
- ^ "Five die in Rio de Janeiro tram derailment". BBC News. 27 August 2011. Retrieved 24 May 2013.
- ^ Tramways & Urban Transit magazine, October 2015, p. 413. LRTA Publishing (UK).
- ^ "Bondes de Santa Teresa recebem 2 mil passageiros no sábado" [Santa Teresa tram carries 2,000 passengers on Saturday] (in Portuguese). G1 (Rede Globo). 1 August 2015. Retrieved 2015-11-29.
- ISSN 1460-8324.
- ^ The 15 Coolest Neighborhoods in the World in 2016, retrieved November 16, 2016
- ^ Home page. Associação Civil de Divulgação Cultural e Educacional Japonesa do Rio de Janeiro. February 14, 2009. Retrieved on March 18, 2014. "RUA MARCEL PROUST 201，SANTA TERESA, RIO DE JANEIRO，R.J，BRASIL，CEP20251-130"
- ^ "学校紹介 Archived 2015-01-12 at the Wayback Machine." Associação Civil de Divulgação Cultural e Educacional Japonesa do Rio de Janeiro. Retrieved on March 18, 2014. "Rua Cosme Velho,1166,Cosme Velho RIO DE JANEIRO，R.J，BRASIL，CEP22241-091"
External links
| International | |
|---|---|
| National | |
