Polish Immigration to Curitiba

In 1871 a group of Poles arrived in Curitiba, settling in the districts of Pilarzinho, Santa Candida, Orleans and Abranches. But most of the Polish immigrants arrived in Curitiba between 1889 and 1914.

Polish immigrants were mainly devoted to agriculture. They have spread the use of the plow and other farming techniques. Curitiba is the second city outside of Poland with the largest population of Polish descendents, surpassed only by Chicago, in the United States. The Pope's Park, opened in 1980, soon after the visit of Pope John Paul II (1920-2005)to Curitiba, involves an area of 48 thousand square meters. Typical Polish immigrant Houses with all the original furniture and barns, were moved to this park at Centro Civico District of Curitiba.

Source: www.curitiba-parana.net

Mercado Municipal de Curitiba

Another spot in Curitiba that worth one (or many) visit is the "Mercado Municipal". Besides the obvious (fresh fruits or vegetables), there you can find grocery stores of imported spices, rare products, fine wines, high quality coffee and anything that is necessary in a recipe.

A recent attraction there is the newly launched Organic Market, riding the wave of food-based products without use of pesticides.

You better get there early, because the mess of people and cars is huge!

Palácio Avenida

The Palácio Avenida is one of the most important historical buildings in Curitiba. It is located in downtown, at the junction of Avenida Luiz Xavier with Oliveira Bello lane. The building, dated of 1929, was built by the Syrian-Lebanese immigrant and trader Merhy Feres. The complex is currently a mix of bank and cultural space, with the Teatro Avenida, a theater with capacity for 250 spectators.

During the Christmas time, all the windows are taken by the children's choir of HSBC, whose performances of holiday songs fascinates the tourists and citizens. I'll try to get better pictures of the presentations of the choir and the Palácio Avenida next Christmas.

Beto Batata

The Alto da XV Disctrict was not a reference in Curitiba in terms of restaurants, bars or any events related to culture. This reality began to change when Beto Batata settled in May 1999 in a house at Professor Brandão St.

Beto Batata is a reference in Curitiba for its swiss potatoes, super relaxed environment, good service and a vibrant place in terms of culture. From time to time, a different artist promotes a mutation. They change the colors, the tables, the photographs, the books, they change everything (except the menu, which does not need to be changed).

Ukraine Immigration to Curitiba

In Curitiba, some immigrant families arrived from Ukraine between 1876 and 1891 but most of them came from Galicia in the western portion of the country between 1895 and 1897. They settled mainly at Bigorrilho District, where there is a park and a Memorial dedicated to the Ukraine immigrants.

The smaller picture is a composition of the pictures that I have taken of the "Pessankas" that are exposed in the memorial made by Ukraine decendents.

Fonte: ww.curitiba-parana.net/parques/memorial-ucraniano.htm

The Train Ride from Curitiba to Paranaguá - The End

Few destinations in Brazil have the historical value like this train ride has. In the State of Parana, only Foz do Iguaçu exceeds the number of 150 thousand visitors annually. About 20% of the passengers are foreign tourists, who will never forget that they have visited one of the most daring works of the engineering in the world, which crosses the largest preserved area of Atlantic Forest of Brazil.

OK folks! Thank you for joining me on this ride. I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did. Next stop: Morretes Station. Choose the restaurant you believe is the best, order a "Barreado" and after that, lay yourself under a nice tree and watch the kids jump into the river "Nhundiaquara".

If you want to, you can continue the trip to Paranaguá to know our main port and this historical city, that almost took from Curitiba the condition of state capital.

You can return to Curitiba by another important attraction: The Graciosa Road. Prepare to go crazy again! It is simply amazing!

The Train Ride from Curitiba to Paranaguá - Part 6

In its 110 km, the railway guard hundreds of engineering works of art : there are 14 tunnels, 30 bridges and several large viaducts.

The highlights include the St. John Bridge, 55 meters high; the Carvalho Viaduct; The Rochedo Tunnel, settled on five pillars of masonry on the side of the rock - on this passage leads to the feeling of a journey by air, as if the train was floating.

The Train Ride from Curitiba to Paranaguá - Part 5

The effort and boldness of laborers, engineers and other professionals, resulted in one of the most daring works of the engineering in the world. After five years, the railway was inaugurated on February 02, 1885. Participated in the first trip engineers, federal and local authorities, journalists and others.

The Train Ride from Curitiba to Paranaguá - Part 4

Over 9,000 men were recruited to build the railway. Most of them lived in Curitiba and in the coastal cities, and most of them were immigrants who worked in the field. More than half of these men died during construction of the railroad, facing the poor security conditions. The location marked by the cross of the photo, the 65 km of the Serra do Mar, indicates where the Baron of Cerro Azul (a Curitiba hero during the federalist revolution) was cowardly executed by the army of Marshal Floriano Peixoto on the night of May 15, 1894.

Fernanda Takai's Show in Curitiba

Another pause in the railway series, but this time for a very good reason.

On Friday 18th , the Guaira Theater and Curitiba had the pleasure of hosting the Fernanda Takai’s Show, a great Brazilian singer, launching the CD and DVD "Black Light", based mainly on her solo album in which she plays cover songs recorded by Nara Leão. The set list brought some great covers of Duran Duran, Eurythmics and Michael Jackson.

The show was as the title of one of the songs (Chico Buarque) sung by her: " Com Açúcar e com Afeto” (With sugar and Affection). The lighting was perfect, the stage set up so that the band and especially Fernanda got too close to the public, the songs are fantastic (in my humble opinion, some arrangements were more inspired than the original) and her charisma is great, winning the audience with good humor and her sweet behavior. A great show in a such great theater. Attend any event at Guaira Theater is always a special occasion.

The teen and the car accident

I am going to pause in the Railway Serie to post a moment I have witnessed today.

This morning I caught a sad scene, but fortunately not tragic. As I was told, the boy in the picture (a minor) took his mother's car without permission, went to the club with his friends and around 06:00 A.M., speeding down the Rua Nossa Senhora da Luz, tried and failed to do the curve to take Itupava Street, in Alto da XV district. Flipped the car in the middle of the street, destroying the car and the traffic sign in that corner. Fortunately there were no fatalities, it only end up with a destroyed car, a lost staring of the boy and the mother's despair, giving explanations for the traffic cop.

Here in Brazil, driving is allowed only to people above 18. This accidente happened right in front of my favorite bakery (Familia Farinha) in the Jardim Social Disctict (close to where I live). In the background of the picture, you can see Curitiba Downtown.

The Train Ride from Curitiba to Paranaguá - Part 3

The purpose of the railroad Curitiba - Paranaguá was to promote a closer relationship between the coastal cities and Curitiba, aiming the social development of the coast. Moreover, it was essential to link the Port of Paranaguá to the southern states of Brazil, allowing the flow of grain production of the states and providing support to the region's economic development.

The Train Ride from Curitiba to Paranaguá - Part 2

The construction of Curitiba-Paranaguá railway officially began in February 1880. Considered impractical by many European engineers at the time, the construction began on three fronts: between Paranaguá and Morretes (42 km) between Roça Nova and Morretes (38 km) and between Roça Nova and Curitiba (30 km).

The house in ruins shown in the picture above what was once the Ipiranga house, which has served as lodging for the Emperor Dom Pedro II.

The Train Ride from Curitiba to Paranaguá - Part 1

Another “must do” in Curitiba is the train ride from Curitiba to Paranagua (city that holds our main port).

It is a 3 hours fantastic trip on a railway built in the decade of 1880, based on a defying engineering project, crossing mountains of rock and preserving the native Atlantic forest. It is a trip to the past with breathtaking views of the nature.
The recommendation for beginners is to choose the trains that best suits your budget (there are expensive ones that stops at the best places), buy the tickets in advance, dress light, choose the right side of the train for the best pictures, enjoy the view, jump the train in the station of Morretes city, visit this very cool city and have your lunch there ordering a "Barreado" the typical food of the region.

I have so many images of the trip to show and some stories to tell that I decided to split this post in 7 parts. So, take your seat and enjoy the ride!! The train is about to leave.

Spanish Immigration to Curitiba

The largest wave of migration that Paraná has received from Spain was between the 50’s and the 60’s. The Spanish immigrants came mainly from Galicia, Andalucía and Cataluña regions and settled in the cities of Curitiba and Londrina.

The ones, who settled in Curitiba, dedicated themselves to trade, gastronomy, construction and services. The Spanish immigrants had a great tradition in civil engineering, working specially with stone and granite. Many important buildings in Curitiba were built by Spanish contractors, such as the Palace of Government, Public Library, Court of Auditors and Teatro Guaira.
Fonte: www. centroespanhol.com.br

Largo da Ordem Crafts Fair - Part 3

Today the Largo da Odem Crafts Fair is coordinated by the Curitiba Department of Tourism and its stallholders properly recorded. It is considered one of the biggest and best crafts fairs of the Brazil.

So take your time, wake up very early, wear light clothes (in the summer) and confort shoes and prepare yourself for hours of fun, walking among the crowd and enjoying great stuff. I bet you won't leave the place without something (sometimes useless) in your hands.

Largo da Ordem Crafts Fair - Part 2

The Largo da Ordem Fair had its origin in the Hippie Fair, that used to take place at Zacarias Square until 1972, on clothes stretched on the pavement, whereupon the Fundação Cultural de Curitiba - FCC (Cultural Foundation of Curitiba) moved it to Garibaldi Square (its new address since then).

Largo da Ordem Crafts Fair - Part 1

A common pleasure in Curitiba is visiting the crafts fair at the Largo da Ordem on a Sunday morning (just like today). Besides the opportunity to buy crafts for attractive prices, you will also enjoy cultural events, have some nice snacks and see crowds of interesting people.

This democratic and relaxed fair happens every Sunday in the Historical Section of Curitiba. Initially occupying just the Largo da Ordem, now it spread to more than 1.5 km of the old town streets. In addition to nearly 2,000 tents of crafts, you will find art galleries, book stores, exhibition of old cars, bars and restaurants. It is a weekly event that you just can't miss.

Since I have more stories to tell about this fair and more interesting pictures, I will split this theme in 3 parts.

Open-air Market Day

Saturday is the open-air market day close to the district I live in. It is cool to get there early in the morning and get the very best among fruits e veggies, not to mention an easy place to park your car.

The greatest advantage of the open-air market (besides the exercise of walking) is the fact that products are always very fresh, which guarantees higher quality and longer life time. Also essential is to eat a fine "pastel" (*) with a nice cup of coffee (nowhere else you can find a better pastel). As the fruits and veggies tents are always the same, over time you just get to know everybody, which gives a feeling of being at home.

(*) Sorry if I can not translate the word "pastel". It is made of a thin crispy crust, stuffed with spicy ground beef.

Os Lambrequins (gableboards)

In Curitiba, the use of gableboards date from the late nineteenth century. It was believed that the gableboards were a clear evidence of the Germanic influence, since the German contractors were very active in Curitiba at that time. But as there were Germans in other parts of Brazil, where gableboards were not so trivial, the solution was to invent genealogies linking gableboards the Polish immigrants.

Here is the logic: if the majority of the Polish who immigrated to Brazil were established in Curitiba and only in Curitiba all wooden houses were decorated with gableboards than it could only be related to the Polish immigrants (or at least, this would be "the most likely" reason).

Thanks to this error, a portion of wooden architecture in Curitiba escaped the destructive fury that happened in the early 1950s when the press demanded that the colonial buildings of Curitiba were demolished.

UFPR - Universidade Federal do Paraná

The Federal University of Parana began its activities in Curitiba on March 1913 and can therefore be considered the oldest university in Brazil.

The first courses offered were Law and Social Sciences, Engineering, Medicine and Surgery, Commerce, Dentistry, Pharmacy and Obstetrics.

The picture shows the façade of the main building at Santos Andrade Square. Other important units distribuited in Curitiba like Reitoria and Centro Politécnico will appear in future posts.

O Paço da Liberdade

On February 24th 1916 was inaugurated the new building that hosted the city hall of Curitiba until 1969 The Paço da Liberdade (Liberty Hall).

It also hosted the Paranaense Museum from 1973 to 2002. Building of eclectic architecture with art nouveau elements represented mainly by canopies of iron, the design of the wooden doors and windows.

The Paço da Liberdade was reopened on March 29, 2009, as part of the celebrations of 316 years of Curitiba.

Poty Lazzarotto

Napoleon Potyguera Lazzarotto, known simply as Poty (Curitiba, March 29, 1924 - Curitiba, May 8, 1998) was Curitiba's most known artist.

The governor of Paraná, Manoel Ribas, awarded Poty in 1942 with a scholarship at the National School of Fine Arts in Rio de Janeiro. In 1946 he received from the French government, a scholarship, and in France he learned lithography.

According to some critics, the murals are the most representative pieces of his work. In its implementation, Poty employed various materials such as wood, glass (stained glass), ceramics, tile and concrete. His art can be seen in many public places in Curitiba, as the panels of the porch of the Teatro Guaira, in the lobby of Afonso Pena Airport, building murals at Largo da Ordem (as seen in the pictures above) and many other places all over Curitiba.

Brazil's Independence Day

Today is celebrated all over the country Brazil's Independence Day. In Curitiba the parade takes place at Avenida Cândido de Abreu where the crowd cheers as the military and students of public schools pass by. People in general, specially kids, enjoy the whole thing.

Italian Immigration to Curitiba

In Curitiba, the Italians immigrate since 1872, settling as farmers in various colonial cores of the region. These cores have led to the current districts of Pilarzinho, Água Verde, Umbará and Santa Felicidade, among others.

Today, their descendants play an important role in all areas in Curitiba. Santa Felicidade District is known for the preservation of Italian culture in Curitiba, especially gastronomy.

Japanese Immigration to Curitiba

The Japanese immigration to Brazil began in 1908 based on an agreement between the governments of Brazil and Japan.

In Paraná, the city of Maringa and Londrina are those with the highest number of descendants of Japanese immigrants.

In Curitiba, many Japanese have arrived since 1915, settling mainly in the districts of Uberaba, Campo Comprido, Santa Felicidade and Araucaria.

Today, there are about 35 thousand of Japanese descents in Curitiba.

Rua das Flores

A friend said that her city is best expressed by its streets - the stores, the bars, the restaurants, the people, and just walking around.

I believe that every resident of Curitiba has its own definition of the city. For me, Curitiba is defined by its climate (undefined and almost always cold), its squares and parks, for Sunday lunch at Santa Felicidade Italian district and the Rua das Flores (or Rua XV de Novembro, or simply the Calçadão).

The backbone of Curitiba is the Rua das Flores. The XV was the first street in Brazil in which a large portion (from Osório Square to Santos Andrade Square) was devoted exclusively to pedestrians. In it, people just pass by, enjoy the view, work and shop.

The Portal of Passeio Publico

This photo was taken on a Sunday from the top of our double decker bus.

Gone are the days when Sunday in Curitiba was synonymous of empty streets. Nowadays wherever you go, you will find big crowds enjoying the city. The Passeio Público is an important park of Curitiba and its portal is a true copy of the Dogs' Cemetery Gate in Paris. Built in 1913, its style is art nouveau and was designed by the German architect Friedrich Kirchgassner.