Four Museums and Gardens to visit in Rio de Janeiro
Submitted by Andy_B on Friday, 09 April 2021 Page Views: 209
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While Rio is mainly known for its natural landscape, beaches and parties, it is also a cultural hub with a rich history in Brazil, with countless things to discover. Rio de Janeiro was in fact the capital of Brazil for almost two centuries and is currently one of the largest metropolises in the Americas. Let’s take a look at some of the amazing museums and parks located in this city.The Botanical Garden of Rio de Janeiro
(photo top left) Founded in the early 19th century by King John VI of Portugal after transferring the Empire’s political structure to Brazil, this location originally served as a place for acclimatizing imported spices for the royal family. Shortly after the independence, it turned into a public park. With an area that spans over 350 acres next to the Christ the Redeemer statue, this park contains over 6,000 different plant species, with more than 1,000 palm tree varieties alone.The garden also contains more than 140 different bird species, which makes it a perfect location for the photography enthusiasts. The Botanical Garden is also a very important scientific research entity for the country, as it helps cataloguing and studying many of the trees from the South American biomes.
By the way, just a few miles away from the Botanical Garden is the famous Copacabana Palace Hotel. Originally serving as a casino, the building has an impressive architecture and rich history. While you are not able to gamble in Rio anymore, you can play slots online to win real money with Novibet instead.
Museum of Tomorrow
Founded just 6 years ago, this museum features state-of-the-art architecture and technology, with its building being fully supplied by renewable energy sources. Designed by the famous Santiago Calatrava, it features moving solar panels that look like wings on the outside.
The Museum of Tomorrow (photo left) holds both permanent and temporary exhibitions in science and technology themes, such as interactive geology and evolution panels, cosmology exhibitions that can tell the story of life as it is from the beginning.The Enchanted One
This one is not actually in Rio, but in the nearby city of Petropolis, home to the old imperial government. The "Enchanted One" was the original home of the famous aviation pioneer and inventor Alberto Santos-Dumont, who designed the picturesque residence himself on a steep hill. It's also known as the Santos Dumont House Museum.While inside of the Enchanted One you are able to see some of Santos-Dumont’s inventions from the early 20th century, such as the first hot water shower system powered by ethanol, single-step staircases and a sky observatory deck on the rooftop. By the way, the house was built without any kitchen, as the famous inventor would get all his meals from a nearby hotel which still exists.
Museum of Contemporary Art
Located just a few miles from Rio in Niteroi, the Museum of Contemporary Art is one of the most famous landmarks from that region. Designed by the world-famous architect Oscar Niemeyer in the late 1990’s, the MAC attracts visitors from all over the world in its contemporary art collection and UFO design.With many thanks to Rodrigo S Souza for their kind help and support of this article, including Creative Commons photos.
