SOUTHERN BRAZIL - Brazil - page 347

VISITORS' CHECKLIST
* 1,416,400. k 4 miles
(6 km) N of city. @ n Mercado
do Bom Fim, Loja 12, Parque
Farroupilha, [phone].
_ Semana Farroupilha (Sep).
www .portoalegre.rs.gov.br/
turismo

E Memorial do
Rio Grande do Sul
Praça da Alfândega. Tel [phone]
7210. # 10am-6pm Tue-Sat. 7
www .memorial.rs.gov.br
The memorial features
well-presented exhibits
relating to the state's social
and political history. It also
houses the state archives
and an oral history center.

The picturesque Parque Aldeia do
Imigrante, Nova Petrópolis

Nova Petrópolis 2
66 miles ( 106 km) N of Porto Alegre.
* 18,700. @ ª n Parque Aldeia
do Imigrante, [phone]. _
Festa do Folklore (Jul), Oktoberfest
(Oct). www .novapetropolis.rs.gov.br

Ornate foyer of the Neo-Classical
Teatro São Pedro

theater hall. Built in 1858,
it is a popular venue for
lunch and tea.

E Casa de Cultura
Mário Quintana
Rua dos Andrades 736. Tel (054)
3221 7147. # 9am-9pm Tue-Fri,
noon-9pm Sat & Sun. 7
www .ccmq.rs.gov.br
This Neo-Classical building
was designed as a hotel in
1923 by German architect
Theo Wiedersphan. For many
years, it was also the home
of Mário Quintana, one of the
state's foremost poets. Today,
it hosts exhibitions relating
to modern art and literature.

German immigrants arriving
in the 1820s were the first to
settle in the rolling hills north
of Porto Alegre. The town
of Nova Petrópolis, founded
in 1858, remained relatively
isolated until the mid-20th
century and retains a strong
German character even today.
Stretching along Avenida 15
de Novembro, the town's
commercial center features
a number of German-style
buildings. Midway along
the avenue is the interesting
Parque Aldeia do Imigrante ,
which pays tribute to the
region's early settlers. Set
within an araucaria forest,
the park houses a collection
of beautifully reconstructed,
half-timbered buildings dating
between 1870 and 1910. The
Lutheran church, houses,
school, smithy, and cemetery
help re-create the atmosphere
of a 19th-century German
hamlet. The park also hosts
festivals and concerts and
features a large bandstand
and beer hall.
The hamlets and farmsteads
surrounding Nova Petrópolis
also have a distinctly German
flavor. Here, German is still
the dominant language and
old-world traditions, such as
music and dance, thrive.
Y Parque Aldeia
do Imigrante
Av 15 de Novembro 1966.
Tel [phone]. # 8am-6pm
daily. & 7

E Museu de Arte do
Rio Grande do Sul
Praça da Alfândega. Tel [phone]
2311. # 10am-7pm Tue-Sun. ^
www .margs.org.br
Late 20th-century works by
local artists are prominently
displayed in this museum.
More absorbing, however, is
the small section devoted to
19th-century art. The museum
also hosts a number of inter-
esting traveling exhibitions.

E Usina do Gasômetro
Av Presidente João Goulart 551.
Tel [phone]. # 9am-9pm
Tue-Sun.
Built in 1928 as a thermo-
electrical power station, the
Usina opened in 1991 as a
cultural center hosting theater
and art exhibitions. It also
houses a wine museum and
an art-house cinema. The west-
facing terrace offers spectac-
ular views of the sunset over
the river. There are daily boat
trips from the adjacent pier.

E Santander Cultural
Rua 7 de Setembro 1028. Tel (051)
3287 5500. # 10am-7pm Mon-Fri
& 11am-7pm Sat & Sun. 7
This vibrant arts complex
has an impressive repertoire
featuring art, music, and
cinema. The Neo-Classical
building originally served
as a bank between 1927 and
1932. Despite extensive reno-
vations, it retains many of its
original features including
stained-glass windows.

Works on display at the Museu de Arte do Rio Grande do Sul