Do you know the Crystal Palace in Petrópolis?

Today I will tell you about the Crystal Palace in Petrópolis

The Crystal Palace is located in the imperial city of Petrópolis, which is the city where the royal family chose to have their summer home. It is a city on average 5 degrees colder than the capital, Rio de Janeiro, and had an extensive German colonization, which can be clearly seen in the architecture of the region.

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Now let’s talk about the Crystal Palace. The Grand Palace It is one of the main attractions of the city and is also the place where the bauernfest is celebrated, one of the attractions that attracts tourists, mainly from Rio de Janeiro.

Opened in 1884, even during the second Brazilian empire, by Dom Pedro Segundo, the building was intended to show exhibits of birds and garden products.

The confluence moth, where the palace is, was one of the most important places according to the urban plan of the city of Petrópolis, designed by Major Júlio Frederico Koeler. For a while the square, which has many trees, called me a public promenade. As the square received many horticultural exhibits and a florist kiss in 1875, the palace was built to fight them. The structure was commissioned by Count D’eu from a French foundry. It was a prefabricated structure. It was built in the French workshops of St Sauver-Les-Arras.

The engineer Eduardo Bonjean was the one who since 1874 continued the construction of a building that had its cornerstone this year.

The inauguration in 1884 featured a great party, a dance attended by the imperial court.

In April 1888, the Freedom Festival was celebrated, commemorating the abolition of slavery in Petrópolis. During the event, Princess Isabel delivered 132 freedom letters to the last slaves in the region.

With the Proclamation of the Republic, the Crystal Palace was losing importance, since the Republicans wanted to weaken any symbol that could refer to the empire. In 1938 the palace became the headquarters of the Historical Museum of Petrópolis. This initiative was made by Alcindo Sodré. In the Historical Museum there were documents and objects that referred to the first and second reign, to recover and preserve the memory in that period. It was also intended to promote exhibitions, research and conferences on this subject.

When the Imperial Museum was created in the Imperial Palace of Petrópolis, the collection moved there. With that, it was empty, returning to its 1957 function due to the commemorations of the centenary of Petrópolis with a historical exhibition. In 1970 he hears a restoration of the building and gardens.

If you want to meet Petrópolis in person, take this tour here. In addition to the Crystal Palace, you will see many other places of interest, such as the Imperial Museum and the Santos Dumont House.