Parks and public spaces of Rio

Rio  has major parks and ecological reserves, such as the Tijuca National Park, the Parque Estadual da Pedra Branca, the complex of Quinta da Boa Vista and Botanic Garden (the oldest in Brazil).

Tijuca National Park, property of the Union, is a public monument for the preservation of natural fauna and flora species. Initially under the name of “Parque Nacional do Rio de Janeiro,” it was created by the Federal Government on 6 July 1961 and is an area that today is 3972 hectares.  It houses a wealth of biota in almost all its extension, covering the regions of the high and picturesque city – including the Tijuca Forest. The park was artificially replanted in the nineteenth century at the behest of King Pedro II.

Among the sights of the parks caves, trails and waterfalls, are the city’s famous landmarks such as the Pedra da Gavea, the peak of the Corcovado and Tijuca (culmination of the reserve, bringing it 1,022 meters above sea level). Mountainous areas include the massif of Tijuca. The park was considered an “Environmental Heritage and Biosphere Reserve” by UNESCO in 1991.

Parque Estadual da Pedra Branca, located in the west, houses the culmination of Rio de Janeiro: the peak of Pedra Branca, which is 1024 meters high. It is the largest ecological park in the city and the largest urban forest in the world, with a total area of 12,500 hectares  – about 10% of the municipal territory. It is hidden by vegetation typical of the Mata Atlantica (cedar, jacarandas, jequitiba and IPES), the rich fauna serving as a shelter for leopards, three-toed sloth, anteaters, fox, armadillos and Cotias.

Besides the varied natural heritage, Parque Estadual da Pedra Branca has some buildings of cultural interest to tourists, such as an ancient aqueduct, dams, ruins of old farms from headquarters, and the porch and the Pau subsede Hunger in Jacarepagua – the main access route to the region. Near the Park is the Museum Nise da Silveira, in Juliano Moreira Colony.

The Walk is a public park garden in the heart of the city, designed and partially implemented by Valentim da Fonseca e Silva. It was the first public park in the Americas, built in the eighteenth century. With inspiration from the Passeio Público de Lisboa, and following the French style, it has straight boulevards, which are orthogonally crossed, and others that form diagonal decorative elements.  The artist also created fountains, statues and pavilions.

In 1864, (at the request of Emperor D. Pedro II), the layout of the gardens was changed, by the French landscaper Auguste Marie François Glaziou, into a romantic style, with sinuous curves and avenues, lakes and bridges. After successive interventions over the last century, in 2004 a comprehensive reform was passed to restore the original layout of Glaziou. Master of the original decoration Valentine left the whole of Chafariz Boy in Iron (1783), and Source of Amores, with statues of alligators in bronze.

The Park State of Grajau, in the north, contains 55 hectares of the remaining Atlantic Forest and several species of native fauna.  A stronghold for mountaineering, climbers scale the 444 meters of the Stone Andarai.

The west, in turn, is covered by a large number of green areas, such as the Ecological Park Chico Mendes. Opened in 1989 in the Recreio dos Bandeirantes, it offers guided tours to nurseries of endangered species and trails for hiking.  The park was named in honor of a leading rubber tapper killed in Acre, and is administered by the Foundation RIOZOO.

Other parks include the Municipal Park of Mendanha – an important reserve of Atlantic Forest in the neighborhood of Campo Grande, rich in hardwood and shrubs of medical value, and varied wildlife – the Natural Reserve of Grumari, the Bosque da Barra – with 50 acres of boulevards, wooded stretches, sports courts and a large lake – the Reserve Marapendi in the Baixada Jacarepagua – where the lagoon to Marapendi can be seen up close, framed by vegetation of restinga – and mangrove reserves, such as the Restinga da Marambaia and Guaratiba bar.

In the south, are the Parque do Flamengo, the Park and Parque Eduardo Guinle Henrique Lage. Officially named Parque Brigadeiro Eduardo Gomes, but popularly known as the “Flamengo Landfill,” the Parque do Flamengo is a complex for leisure built on successive embankments along the Guanabara Bay. Opened in 1965, it occupies 1.2 million square meters, extending to the Santos-Dumont Airport in the center, until the beginning of the beach of Botafogo, with most of its territory along the Beach of the Flemish.

Among the elements of the complex are the Museum of Modern Art, the Monument to the square, the Marina da Gloria, and the Monument to Estacio de Sa.  There are areas to practice sports and a strip of sand on the Beach of the Flemish.

In the neighborhood of Laranjeiras, is the Parque Eduardo Guinle, with a large green area on a slope, where the official residence of the governor is.  The former mansion of Guinle, the original project of the 1920s included only the gardens and palace of Eduardo Guinle, designed by French landscaper Gérard Cochet. His designs included the first set of residential buildings aimed at elite carioca, gardens with the signing of Burle Marx, playgrounds, walks, streams and an artificial lake.

Besides these, one can see the State Park of Chacrinha in Copacabana, with 13.3 hectares of forest surrounded by residential buildings.  The trails provide access to Morro de Sao Joao, the Park City, with 470 thousand square meters of green area.  Here the Museum of the City and Parque Henrique Lage are situated at the foot of the Corcovado hill. The latter belonged to the industrial Henrique Lage. A pleasant garden spreads around the palace.