Posts tagged: historical center

Belo Horizonte, the City of Music and Parks

Belo Horizonte is a city in Brazil, and is one of the cities where matches will take place World Cup 2014. The city, sometimes known as Beag, is one of the largest cities in the country.

Belo Horizonte is the capital of Minas Gerais. The city dates from the eighteenth century and still retains some of the buildings in classical style. The city has a contemporary style with modern buildings, like the Pampulha Complex, one of the icons of the city.

There are city views to the hills and mountains nearby. The city has numerous parks, such as the downtown City Park. The Parque das Mangabeiras, near the Praca do Papa, is one of the highest points of the city.

There are larger parks, among which is the Parque das Mangabeiras, which is six miles from downtown. Since this park is stunning open views towards the Serra do Curral and the city. Another park highlight is the natural reserve of Parque das Mangabeiras, where several species of birds and mammals.

The region is famous for its music. Some bands, like Uakti using traditional materials like wood, metal or glass to create music with an edge, yet traditional. The dance is also important in the life of this city. There are many groups devoted to contemporary dance. Each year, some dance schools are responsible for organizing projects to promote dance in the most troubled regions of the city.

There are several museums in the city. There are some museums, like the Museum of Mineiro or Abílio Barker Historical Museum. The city has several museums dedicated to art, as the Pampulha Museum of Art. Other museums are devoted to natural history, such as the Natural History Museum, Botanical Gardens and the Museum of Mineralogy. There are some curious museums, like the Telephone Museum or the Museum of Puppetry, which belongs to the comedy troupe Giramundo.

The theater is an important part of the city’s cultural life. Theatre companies strive to create plays of various streams. Notable groups, next to City Hall of Belo Horizonte, are responsible for preparing the biennial festival, filling the streets with artists, courses on theater and theater.

Belo Horizonte is famous for his drink Cachaca. La Comida di Buteco is a food festival every year chooses the best snacks and tapas bars in the region.

Some of the most interesting of the city are the historic and Pampulha. Other interesting neighborhoods is the neighborhood of Lourdes, famous for the Basilica of Lourdes, and the district of Santo Agostinho, where is located the Church of Nossa Senhora de Fátima.

The neighborhood of Pampulha is the most contemporary of the city, and here is the Mineirao stadium, one of the largest in the world. The Church of Sao Francisco de Assis is one of the most visited, with a modernist architecture.

The impressive historical center of the city stands the Cathedral Boa Viagem and the Church of Sao Jose. For here too there are several museums, one located in the old station Estacao da Praca. In Sete de Setembro Square is the Obelisk, 1922 an obelisk that celebrates a century of independence of Brazil from Portugal.

The liveliest area of the city is Savassi, full of restaurants, bars and galleries. Here also is the Praca de Liberdade and the Palácio de Liberdade, which, curiously, was the first building in the city. The most unique is undoubtedly the Rua do Amendoim, known for creating an optical illusion or a magnetic done when the cars parked on the hill seems to climb uphill.