São Leopoldo
São Leopoldo on the map of Brazil
São Leopoldo is part of the metropolitan area of Porto Alegre in the southern Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul. Named after Maria Leopoldine of Austria city has approximately 210,000 inhabitants.
Geography
São Leopoldo has the coordinates 29 ° 46 ' South and 51 ° 09' West. It lies in the valley of the Rio dos Sinos 35 km north of Porto Alegre and 10 km south of Novo Hamburgo.
The area is 102 km ² and it is located 26 m above sea level. The climate is subtropical with a mean annual temperature of 19 ° C.
History
Reached on July 25, 1824, the first 39 ( or 126, according to another source ) German immigrant who Feitoria, no longer a functioning state property in the then so-called Colonia Alemã de São Leopoldo. The colony territory reached (today city names ) of Esteio in the south to Caxias do Sul in the north of Taquara in the east to Porto dos Guimarães (São Sebastião do Caí ) in the west. Other waves of immigrants settled in the region. They were regarded as very hard-working and not working as " peasants " but also as " artisans ". By 1830, already 3700 immigrants had come. From 1835 to 1844 the colony fell into civil war and chaos was almost wiped out. There were but wanted more emigrants in Germany, they were from the Brazilian state of free crossing land (130 acres), and seed money given for the first two years. Already on 1 April 1846, the city was founded, ie regardless of Porto Alegre.
1923 held here on Ferdinand Schröder, who later became head of the Centre for the Protestant emigrants care and member of the South - Committee of the United Evangelical Lutheran Churches in Germany.
Economy
The handicraft production formed the core of early industrialization, today diversified production. The gross domestic product of 1.2 billion reais ( FEE/2001 ) The Unisinos is a major university in Rio Grande do Sul. Shortly before the turn of the millennium, the city was connected to the S- Bahn network Trensurb of Porto Alegre.
Attractions
Structures
- Igreja Nossa Senhora da Conceição, catholic church in neo-Gothic style from 1865.
- Igreja de Cristo, Protestant church in neo-Gothic style from 1911.
- Sanctuary of Our Lady Sagrado Coração do Jesus Catholic Church, built 1958-1968, inside: grave of Father Johann Baptist Reus, next to: Jesuit cemetery.
- Sociedade Orpheu, the oldest social club founded in Brazil, in 1858.
- Ponte 25 de Julho, historic iron bridge over the Sinos River.
- Praça do Imigrante, Square with the monument of immigrants in 1924.
Museums
- Museu histórico Visconde de São Leopoldo, Historical Museum on the history of immigration and colonization in São Leopoldo, founded in 1959, since 1985 in a new building also contains a historical archive of 140,000 documents, 38,000 newspapers, 13,000 photographs and a library of 9,000 volumes on the geography, history, art and culture of Rio Grande do Sul.
- Casa do Imigrante, building of the former Feitoria (factory) from 1788, served as a temporary shelter of the first German immigrants in 1824, made in March 1992 listed building, now a museum with objects at the German immigration, including furniture, weapons, household appliance, agricultural equipment and tools.
- Museu do Trem, railway museum in the old station of 1874, contains documents and articles on the history of the railway in Rio Grande do Sul, including historic railroad cars.