Petrópolis

For other uses of "Petropolis", see Petropolis (disambiguation).

Petrópolis Município de Petrópolis
Imperial Museum of Brazil
Seal
Nickname(s): The Imperial City
Motto: "Altiora Semper Petens" (Latin for, "Always looking for the top most")
Petrópolis Location of Petrópolis
Coordinates: 22°30′18″S 43°10′44″W
Country	Brazil
Region	Southeast
State	Rio de Janeiro
Government
• Prefeito	Paulo Mustrangi (PT)
Area
• Total	811 km2 (313.1 sq mi)
Elevation	809.5 m (2,656 ft)
Population (2006)
• Total	312,183
Time zone	UTC-3 (UTC-3)
Website	www.petropolis.rj.gov.br

Petrópolis (Portuguese pronunciation: [ˌpeˈtɾɔːpʊʎiʃ]), also known as The Imperial City of Brazil, is a town in the state of Rio de Janeiro, about 65 km from the city of Rio de Janeiro.

Nestled among the forested hills of the Serra dos Órgãos, in the valley of the Quitandinha and Piabanha rivers, Petrópolis is a popular summer holiday spot. Besides the climate and surroundings, the main attraction is the former Summer Palace of the second Brazilian Emperor, which is now the Imperial Museum, specializing in Imperial history and memorabilia.

Petrópolis is home to the National Laboratory for Scientific Computing (LNCC), a research unit of the Ministry of Science and Technology of the Brazilian Federal Government.

History

German-style cathedral in Petrópolis

The town's name ("city of Peter") honors Emperor Pedro II, the nation's second monarch and son of Pedro I. The city was the summer residence of the Brazilian Emperors and aristocrats in the 19th century, and was the official capital of the state of Rio de Janeiro between 1894 and 1903.

The town's origins can be traced to Bernardo Soares de Proença, who in 1720 opened an alternative route between Rio de Janeiro and Minas Gerais, across the Serra da Estrela. While traveling to Minas Gerais along this route, Emperor Pedro I found the region's climate pleasant. Thus, in 1830 he bought a farm, and had his Summer Palace built there, but he never saw it finished, because he stepped down from the throne. Other Brazilian aristocrats eventually followed suit. Pedro's Palace is nowadays the Imperial Museum, one of the main attractions of the 'alpine city' of Petrópolis, together with the Cathedral of Saint Peter of Alcântara, the Crystal Palace and the House of Santos-Dumont. The 'Imperial City' became in due time home to artists, intellectuals and celebrities, and by the twentieth century, one of the main tourist attractions in the country.

German farmers from the Rhineland were encouraged to immigrate and to settle on the Emperor's outlying lands, to help give the Palace a charming urban setting. The settlement of Petrópolis was founded on March 16, 1843, being promoted to district in 1844 and finally city in 1857. The road connecting the city to Rio de Janeiro was opened in 1910 and paved in 1928. The urban design was carried out by Major-Engineer Julius Friedrich Koeler.

On a visit to the Philadelphia Exposition of 1876, Pedro II was impressed by Alexander Graham Bell's new invention, the telephone, and had a line connecting his Summer Palace to his farm headquarters.

Even after the establishment of the Republic and the exile of the Imperial family in 1889, the city continued to play a significant role in Brazilian history. Curiously, it was a frequent choice as summer residence for presidents of the republic, who lodged at the Palace of Rio Negro. In 1903 the Palace of Rio Negro saw the signing of a peace treaty with Bolivia, which gave Brazil the Acre territory. On August 15, 1947, the Organization of American States opened there the Conference for the Maintenance of Peace and Security in the Continent, from which derived the Interamerican Treaty for Reciprocal Assistance.

Climate

The city's climate is tropical with humid summers and dry winters^{[citation needed]}. The rainfall is approximately 2,400 mm (94 in) per annum.

The temperature is mild. The annual average is around 19 °C (66 °F). In warmer months, the average temperature is 23 °C (73 °F) and the average of the coldest month is 15 °C (59 °F). The National Institute of Meteorology, the lowest temperature recorded was −0.7 °C (30.7 °F) on August 2, 1955 and the highest temperature recorded was 36.6 °C (97.9 °F), on November 6, 2009.

International events

Petrópolis (city of Peter) was one of the two cities who hosted a chess interzonal in 1973. Coincidentally, the other city was Leningrad, formerly known as Petrograd (city of Peter).

External links

Media related to Petrópolis at Wikimedia Commons

• Petrópolis City Hall
• National Laboratory for Scientific Computing
• Petrópolis Department of Transportation Urban - CPTrans
• Catholic University of Petropolis
• Lutheran Church in Petropolis
• Tourist Information of Petropolis