Corcovado – The Statue of Christ:

The Rio’s postcard of 98 feet had its cornerstone launched in 1922 and the inauguration on October 12, 1931.

The Statue of Christ, symbol of the city of Rio de Janeiro, was elected as one of New 7 Wonders of the World, in voting conducted by the Internet and by mobile phone messages, organized by the New 7 Wonders Foundation, of Switzerland, between 21 participants of monuments the entire planet.

And the choice was deserved. From the top of its 98 feet with a 26 foot pedestal – 2330 feet above sea level - the Christ is the image of faith and sympathy of the people of Rio and complete in 2007, 76 years. Since the year 2000, when it received new lighting, the statue and the accesses have been going through a process of revitalization. The high point was the opening of the mechanized access in 2002, with panoramic elevators and escalators. Thus, it will no longer be necessary to climb up the 220 steps to the foot of the statue.

The Statue of Christ now has three panoramic elevators, each with a capacity for 14 people. Access is through an area that serves both visitors who arrive by car as those who arrive by train on the platform of the Railway of Corcovado. It was also built metal walkways, supported by another structure, approximately four meters wide and four escalators, with traffic capacity of 9 thousand people per hour. The trip starts there, because the tower of 90 feet high, will uncover the first sight of the city. To finally get to the statue, four escalators were installed.

And even before coming to Christ, visitors can get to know a bit about the history of the postcard. The Cosme Velho Station, fully revitalized, has turned into an atmosphere of leisure and entertainment modern and comfortable. A new boarding area and shops were built to support tourism, VIP rooms and an auditorium. The big highlight is the Cultural Area, where we can see the entire rich history of the Railroad and the Monument.