Tijuca Forest

Located in the heart of the city, just a few minutes from most of the neighborhoods in Rio, the largest urban forest in the world replanted by man, with about 3200 hectares, has the great advantage of merging hundreds of species of fauna and flora found only in Atlantic Forest.

The Tijuca Forest has historical nooks and attractions worth visiting, as the Cascatinha, Mayrink Chapel, the Excelsior Belvedere, Barracão, Paulo and Virginia Cave, the Lake of the fairy, the Chinese View and Weir of Solitude (Possível tradução. Na minha opnião deveríamos manter tudo em português), points frequented by whole families on weekends.

History

The Tijuca Forest has been reforested in the nineteenth century after years of intensive deforestation and planting (mainly coffee). The reforestation initiative was a pioneer throughout Latin America.

The person responsible for reforestation, as suggested by Emperor Pedro II in 1861, was Major Gomes Archer, the first administrator of the forest where he worked initially with 6 slaves and, later, with 22 employees, planting in 13 years 100 thousand seedlings. The replanting was done with species, for the most part native to the Atlantic Forest Ecosystem.

The second administrator, Baron Gastão d'Escragnolle continued the replanting from 1874 to 1888. In addition to introducing another 30 thousand seedlings, held a work of transformation in the forest area of recreation, a park for public use, including exotic species, creating bridges, fountains, lakes and places of leisure with the help of the French landscaper Augusto Glaziou.

Even in the nineteenth century, the painter Nicolas Antoine Taunay resident and owner of some land in the forest, portrayed its natural beauties that are historical documents of the city of Rio de Janeiro.

The painter received his friends and members of the court in his home, making the beauty of the forest known to Brazilians and foreigners who came to visit.

In the twentieth century, Raymundo Ottoni de Castro Maya, who managed the forest from 1943 to 1946, rebuilt the park’s image, which had been forgotten during the early years of the Republic.

In partnership with architect Vladimir Alves de Souza and the landscape artist Roberto Burle Marx, Castro Maya regained the forest receiving 1 cruzeiro per year (symbolic) as payment for his administration.

On the recovery of the forest were introduced works of art, buildings and nooks. There were also introduced toilets and services. Two restaurants were opened: The Squirrels (Os Esquilos) and Forest (using the old premises farmers of coffee - the Forest restaurant was opened in the former slave quarters of a farm). The Brazilian Equestrian Society was installed in the former home of Lord of Bom Retiro. Many ranchers and owners of land - as the Count Gestas, the Baron de Mesquita, Counselor MAYRINK, Guilherme Midosi, the Viscount Asseca, besides those already mentioned above, and professionals as Job of Alcantara and Luiz Fernandes, the slaves Eleuthério, Father Ricardo and Father Antonio and other distinguished visitors, left their names in the history of the park in hills, roads, paths, caves, waterfalls etc..

The forest has become such a scenario then privileged place where nature and culture are intertwined, harmonizing and complementing each other.

Address: Praça Afonso Viseu, Alto da Boa Vista - Tijuca