Estrada Real - Petropolis

Located in the foothills of the Serra dos Orgaos National Park, Petropolis served as the summer residence of the Brazilian Emperors during the 19th century. The town’s name, the "city of Peter" was in honour of Pedro II the last Emperor of Brazil. Reigning for 58 years, the emperor brought economic stability, prosperity and international standing to the country. He championed civil rights and freedom of speech, was a supporter of the arts and sciences and pushed for the abolition of slavery, which was decreed in 1888, ending the practice after 350 years. His reign came to an end when after a sudden coup d’état, the monarchy was abolished, giving rise to the First Brazilian Republic (aka the Old Republic).

In 1894, Petropolis became the official capital of the state of Rio de Janeiro and held that position for eight years when it was replaced by the city of Rio.

Nicknamed the Imperial City, there are a great number of significant buildings belonging to the imperial period, such as the Imperial Museum, previously the Petropolis Imperial Palace, the summer residence of Pedro II. Constructed between 1845-1862, the Palace is a Neoclassical building surrounded by gardens containing more than 100 species of trees and flowers from all around the world. The entire construction was paid for by the emperor’s personal funds. He greatly believed that state funds should not be used for personal property. The Palace was converted into a museum, housing artefacts belonging to the monarchy, including the Imperial Crown of Brazil. An enormous library preserves a collection of 50,000 volumes and more than 250,000 original documents dating back to the 13th century. Pedro II was a prolific reader, and a great number of rare books held by the library belonged to the Imperial family.

Another historically significant, as well as beautiful, building is the Quitandinha Palace. Built in 1944 as a luxury casino hotel, when it opened it was the largest casino hotel in Latin America. It was also the site of the 1947 Rio Treaty, an “agreement binding the republics of the Western Hemisphere together in a mutual defense system”.

The façade has a white Norman-French style with a Brazilian Baroque and Art Deco interior. The nearby artificial lake was built to provide a source of water in case of fire. When gambling was outlawed in 1946, the casino had to be closed. The hotel entertained notable figures such as Eva Peron, Henry Ford, Errol Flynn, Greta Garbo, Brazil President Getulio Vargas and King Carol II of Romania. The hotel closed in 1962 and its 440 rooms were sold as private residences.

Having worked up an appetite I went looking for a good feed. Being close to the coast where seafood is popular, I settled on a stew called Moqueca made with shrimp, tomatoes, onions, garlic, lime and coriander powering me up enough to get me to Magé.



PS. Experience our virtual challenges in real life - The Conqueror Adventures

The team at The Conqueror Challenges
https://www.theconqueror.events