QUINTA DA BOA VISTA

Description

Essentials about Quinta da Boa Vista in brief

Quinta de Boa Vista is one of the most beautiful parks in Rio de Janeiro, with great historical importance. In fact, the park was once the garden of the São Cristóvão Palace, the residence of the emperors of Brazil in the 19th century. Today, Quinta de Boa Vista is home to the Rio de Janeiro Zoo, and the palace was the site of Brazil’s National Museum, which was largely destroyed in a major fire in September 2018.

The history of Quinta da Boa Vista

In the 19th century, Quinta de Boa Vista was part of a Jesuit farm. After the Jesuits were expelled from Brazil in 1759, the land was divided among large landowners. At the beginning of the 19th century, the land belonged to the rich Portuguese merchant Elias António Lopes, who had an estate built on a hill in 1803. From the hill there was a wonderful view of Guanabara Bay, which is why the estate was soon named Quinta de Boa Vista.

When Prince Regent John VI of Portugal arrived in Rio de Janeiro in 1808, Elias António Lopes gave him his estate. John VI felt very much at home there and spent a lot of time at the estate. In order to better accommodate the royal family, the estate underwent a renovation between 1816 and 1821 and was henceforth known as Paço de São Cristóvão (Palace of Saint Christopher). After the proclamation of the Brazilian Republic, the former imperial court left the country and the palace and its garden became orphaned.

The attractions of Quinta da Boa Vista

Today, Quinta da Boa Vista is a very popular park, especially among locals. This has mainly to do with the fact that there are only a few parks in the north of Rio de Janeiro. Here you can paddle a boat across a small lake, play various ball sports on sports fields or simply picnic on the lawn and feel like a king and emperor of yesteryear.