Campo de Santana (park)

Campo de Santana
Monument for Republican leader Benjamin Constant in the Campo de Santana plaza
Location	Rio de Janeiro, RJ
Established	1880 22°54′24″S 43°11′19″W / 22.90667°S 43.18861°W / -22.90667; -43.18861

Campo de Santana in a painting by Franz Josef Frühbeck (1818)

Drawing from 1856 depicting the old City Hall building located near the plaza

The Campo de Santana is a park located in the Praça da República in downtown Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The name of the plaza refers to the fact that it is located near the site where the Brazil was declared a Republic in 1889.

History

During the colonial period in Brazil, the area currently occupied by the park was an enormous swamp. Over time, the swamp was filled in and used as a public space. The region became known as "Campo da Cidade"/"Campo de São Domingos" and served as a divider between downtown Rio de Janeiro and the rural areas surrounding it.

In 1753, it became known as "Campo de Santana". This name originated with a church that was constructed in the region that developed a large number of devotees. The church was demolished in 1854 to make way for the first urban railroad station in Brazil, the Dom Pedro II Station. Later, on the site of this first station, the city's Central Station was built.

In the same area, several important buildings were erected. The Palácio do Conde dos Arcos (1819) functioned as the headquarters for the Brazilian Senate for nearly a hundred years. The building now houses the law school for the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro (UFRJ). The Brazilian Mint building (1863), which is currently the location of the Brazilian National Archive was one of many government buildings placed in the Campo de Santana region. The Army Command building (1811), City Hall, the Corp of Military Firefighters for Rio de Janeiro (state), the Rivadávia Correia municipal school, MEC radio station, and the churches of St. Mary and St. Gonçalo Garcia are also located in this area.

This part of the city also became the stage for several significant historical events, such as: the Acclamation of Emperor Dom Pedro I (1822), the Proclamation of the Republic (1889), and the Vaccine Revolt protests (1904).

Structure

In 1942, with the construction of the Avenida Presidente Vargas and the demolition of several buildings nearby, the plaza was divided in two. One side featured the Palácio Duque de Caxias, the Brazilian Military Command building (1937), and the Panteão Duque de Caxias. The gardens of the Campo de Santana, a wide, tree-lined public promenade constructed at the beginning of the 20th century, is located on the opposite side of the plaza. Reforms of this area, as part of a city-wide project, began again in 1873 and were completed in 1880 by French landscaper Auguste François Marie Glaziou. Several species of animal are present in the Campo de Santana park, including: capivaras, cats, wild ducks and peacocks.^[1] A little-known fact about the park is that it used to be the site of bullfights. They were popular spectacles until they were banned in 1907 by decree of the mayor, Francisco Marcelino de Sousa Aguiar.^[2]^[3]

Currently, the plaza is located between the Rua da Alfândega, the Rua Frei Caneca, the Rua Moncorvo Filho (near the campus of the UFRJ law school), and the Avenida Presidente Vargas. The park at the Campo de Santana was established in 1968 by the Instituto Estadual do Patrimônio Cultural (INEPAC) and, in 2012, the Instituto do Patrimônio Histórico e Artístico Nacional (IPHAN) also announced its commitment to maintain the park. The park is also a popular location among the city's homeless and drug users, which has generated complaints from residents. The local government considers this a significant social issue and has taken steps to increase security in the area.^[4]

References

Rio de Janeiro

Culture	Blocos Cidade Maravilhosa Cidade do Samba Banda de Ipanema

Geography	Zona Central, Rio de Janeiro South Zone Corcovado Ilha das Cobras Ilhas Cagarras Rodrigo de Freitas Lagoon Pedra da Gávea Sugarloaf Mountain Tijuca Forest Villegagnon Island

Places	Avenida Brasil Avenida Rio Branco Rua Farme de Amoedo Category:Buildings and structures in Rio de Janeiro (city) Arpoador Park Cinelândia Passeio Público Quinta da Boa Vista Rio de Janeiro Botanical Garden Vista Chinesa

History	History of Rio de Janeiro Timeline Transfer of the Portuguese Court to Brazil Vaccine Revolt Candelária massacre

Infrastructure	Category:Transport in Rio de Janeiro (city) Arco Metropolitano do Rio de Janeiro Rio de Janeiro Metro Afonsos Air Force Base Bartolomeu de Gusmão Airport Christ the Redeemer Galeão Air Force Base Santa Cruz Air Force Base Santos Dumont Airport Rio de Janeiro-Galeão International Airport Jacarepaguá Airport

Related	Category:People from Rio de Janeiro (city) Carioca Demographics of Rio de Janeiro Municipal Chamber of Rio de Janeiro Project Morrinho Category:Sport in Rio de Janeiro (city)

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