Trick or treat?

Halloween is not really celebrated in Brazil but due to the English schools all over the country and also due to the influence of the American movie industry, it is becoming more and more common to see Halloween parties.

I have taken the pictures of an English school at Alto da XV district. This house has been reformed to houses the Potty Lazzarotto Museum, but the family didn’t obtain the support necessary to develop the project.

The Hoffmann House

Built in 1890, the Hoffmann House served as residence and commerce to immigrants of an Austrian family in the weaving business. With eclectic architecture, the House worked until 1974 as trade of fabrics and haberdashery. In 1993, the Hoffman House was expropriated by the administration of the city for its preservation as a historical unity. It is administered by the Cultural Foundation of Curitiba.

The Jerusalem Fountain

The Jesurasém Fountain was inaugurated on December 22, 1995 in Curitiba with the presence of the then-Jerusalem mayor Ehud Olmert and the then governor of Paraná Jaime Lerner.

It is a tribute to the 3,000 years of Jerusalem. The construction of masonry and concrete is 14.5 meters high and was designed by architect Fernando Canalli. At the top of the fountain there are three bronze angels, with about 600 pounds each, carved by the artist Lys Buzzi, representing the three major monotheistic religions of the world that believe in the existence of angels and for which Jerusalem is a sacred city: Christianity , Judaism and Islam. The fountain is placed at the end of Avenida Sete de Setembro.

On two sides of the base , we can find two psalms:

Psalm 122
6 Pray for the peace of Jerusalem: "May those who love you be secure.
7 May there be peace within your walls and security within your citadels."
8 For the sake of my brothers and friends, I will say, "Peace be within you."
9 For the sake of the house of the LORD our God, I will seek your prosperity.

Psalm 127
1 Unless the LORD builds the house, its builders labor in vain. Unless the LORD watches over the city, the watchmen stand guard in vain.

Cold Spring

How about a hot chocolate on this cold morning in Curitiba?

This year, spring in Curitiba has been atypical. Low temperatures prevent the coats departing for their period of hibernation. Extended life for the flu and the consumption of hot chocolate!

Skate League at Jardim Ambiental

Passing by the Ambiental Garden last Sunday, I noticed a crowd in the skate park and so, I got close to find out what was going on. It was a skate league called "Primeiro Tide Rise Jardim Ambiental de Skate", organized by Paraná Federation of Skate, for beginners, amateurs and open.

The Ambiental Garden Skate Park is public and it has a relaxed atmosphere. You can always find someone over there doing his maneuvers. This track revealed to the professional skate important names such as Carlos de Andrade Piolho, Marcelo Kosaka, Vitor and Mizael Simões, and Danilo Cerezini.

Eufrasio Correia Square

The name of this square evokes the parnanguara Eufrásio Manoel Correia, graduated in Law in Recife, prosecutor, provincial deputy and chairman of the city hall.

After the construction of the Railway Station, the Eufrásio Correia Square becomes the most important point of the city. The inauguration of the railway in 1885, linking Curitiba to Paranagua port, determined the transformation of the Station Area, which have been occupied by industrial and export trade companies.

Due to the movement of passengers, the square becomes the main meeting point of the city at that time.

During the management of Cândido de Abreu as governor of Paraná, in the last decade of the nineteenth century, the "Station Square" establishes itself as the new political and commercial center of Curitiba.

The development of road transportation, the transfer of the City Hall to the Civic Center and, finally, the construction on another site of the Road-rail Station, were the factors that marked the end of the polarizing role of the Eufrásio Correia Square.

Reference: http://www.patrimoniocultural.pr.gov.br/

The text above does not say, but today the City Council of Curitiba is also part of the square. The photos show groups of teens occupying the square on weekends. Clumping occurs because the Estação Mall is next to the square. The presence of a group of cops at the corner of square, indicates that some safety issues have occurred in this place.

The Observation Concrete Tower

The concrete tower was inaugurated on December 17, 1991, is the highest point in Curitiba with its 109 meters height. It is located at Merces Disctrict.

At the top of the tower there is an observation deck that allows a 360 degrees view of the city. It belongs to a telecommunications company and that is why you will find a museum about this subject at the bottom of the tower. It is really cheap to access the tower (less than one dollar).

I have taken a lot of pictures from up there and in a near future I wil post a series about it.

Garibaldi Society

The Garibaldi Society works in this building since 1900, but was created in 1883 to provide better integration of Italian immigrants in Curitiba.

During World War II, the building was raided and confiscated by the state. It was used as a courthouse and electoral court. The building returned to the Italian colony in 1965 and in 1993, the city turned into the a unit of preservation interest .

Dalton Trevisan - The Vampire of Curitiba

Born on June 14, 1925, in Curitiba, Dalton Jérson Trevisan has always been enigmatic. Before reaching the public in general, he used to launch his stories in very modest handouts. In 1945 he made his debut with a book of unusual quality, "Sonata ao Luar", and in the following year, he published "Sete Anos de Pastor". Dalton denies both. He states not to have even one copy of these two books.

In 1959 he published the book "Novelas Nada Exemplares" - bringing together a production of two decades. Due to this book he won the Jabuti Prize from Brazilian Book Chamber (he has never shown up to take the prize).

Dalton Trevisan has written several other books awarded nationally. His books have been translated into several languages: Spanish, English, German, Italian, Polish and Swedish. In 1996, he received the Ministry of Culture Prize for Literature for his body of work.

But Trevisan still refuses fame. He creates an atmosphere of suspense around his name which turns him into an enigmatic character. Nobody knows his phone number, signs only "D. Trevis", he does not give interviews and not receive visits, even from famous artists.

He has got so cloistered at home that earned the nickname "The Vampire of Curitiba," title of one of his books. In 2003, he has shared with Bernardo Carvalho the highest literary award in the country - the 1st Portugal Telecom of Brazilian Literature Prize - with the book "Pico na Veia".

www.releituras.com/daltontrevisan_bio.asp

Catedral Basílica de Curitiba

Located where Curitiba was born as a city, the Tiradentes Square, The Catedral Basílica was originally a small wooden chapel, which in 1715 was elevated to the First Church.

In 1860, during the lifting of the towers, the building had cracks which led to its complete demolition in 1875.

The inauguration of the current church took place in 1893, built in Gothic style inspired by Barcelona Cathedral.

Portugal Wood

Opened in March 1994 with the presence of President Mário Soares, The Portugal Wood has a green area of 20,850 m2. It is composed of Luso-Brazilian architecture elements.

It is divided in two parts: the recreation area and the Portuguese Poetry Alameda, which is an open path of stones in the woods, along the creek, where 22 pillars are distributed as basis for hand painted Portuguese tiles with snippets of Portuguese poetry.

Guaira Theater

The Guaira Theater in Curitiba is one of the largest and one of the most important in Latin America. It has three auditoriums: Bento Munhoz da Rocha with 2173 seats; Salvador de Ferrante auditorium (Guairinha) with 504 seats; and Glauco Flores de Sá Brito auditorium with 113 seats.

The main entrance at Santos Andrade square, has a front panel designed by Poty Lazzarotto.

The construction of the building started in 1952 and completed in 1974.

www.curitiba-parana.net/guaira.htm

Curitiba and The El Niño

A little joke about the weather in Curitiba, very appropriate to what we have seen this year: Do you know what comes after two rainny days in Curitiba? Monday!

Its been a long time since we have seen so much rain in Curitiba. Daylight savings time has arrived this weekend, but winter seems to like the city and is still among us! Meteorologists say the El Nino is the cause of rain above the historical average.

The photo shows the Tiradentes Square with the Rosário Church in the background, on a cold rainy morning of October.

The Ordem Church

Built in 1737, The Ordem is the oldest Church in Curitiba. In 1880, right before the visit of Dom Pedro II the emperor, the first restoration of the church was promoted.

Several reforms decharacterized its architectural lines, originally colonial, giving it undefined characteristcs, with a tower that could be an example of Moorish style according to some, or Gothic, according to others.

João Candido Square, The Belvedere and São Francisco Ruins

The João Cândido Square once was called Observatory Square and also Emilio de Meneses Square. It houses the Belvedere, an art-nouveau building of 1915. The square also houses the ruins of a never built San Francisco de Paula church from the beginning of the nineteenth century. The area was revitalized in 1995.

Esquadrilha da Fumaça (Smoke Squadron)

On October 10th, Curitiba received the "Esquadrilha da Fumaça” (Smoke Squadron) for an air show above Bacacheri Airport. Since the airport is pretty close to my house, we have a reasonable visibility of the maneuvers. The “Esquadrilha”, which is part of FAB (Brazilian Air Force), was founded in 1952 and is a world reference in its field.

The following excerpt was taken from the site (http://www.esquadrilhadafumaça.com.br/) of the squadron, which I recommend.

… excerpt taken from a German magazine report aerokurier April 1985: "If there was a festival of international aerobatic teams, the Smoke Squadron would probably be listed for a very first prize. With their EMB Red Tucano Airplanes, the Smoke Squadron can magically combine elegance with filling space ... If it depends on the creativity of the program, the precision or the domain of individual aircraft, the Smoke Squadron can not fear comparison with any other squadron of world.

The schematic image of the maneuver was extracted from the site of the squadron.

Facade architecture - David Carneiro Museum

Among the historians of Curitiba, Professor David Antonio Carneiro da Silva stands out due to his written and published work that was very important to rescue, preserve and disseminate the memory of Curitiba and Paraná.

The David Carneiro Museum was inaugurated in 1952, near the house of its owner, containing a representative collection of the History of Paraná and Brazil. It was shut in 1994 and its collection was incorporated to Paranaense Museum. The house of the historian that housed the museum with his name, was acquired by an international hotel and unfortunately only the facade was preserved.

Facade architecture - Sociedade União Juventus

One thing that particularly annoys me is the disfigurement of the landscape and history of a city, to make room for more functional and "modern" buildings .

Curitiba usually takes care of its historic buildings, being common to see examples of restoration. Even so, examples of disfigurement can be seen in the city.

The Sociedade União Juventus, with more than 110 years old, was founded by Polish immigrants, for years had its headquarters in downtown Curitiba. I do not know why the club had sold this building, but the fact is that in its place, a commercial building was built, preserving just the frontal facade, nothing more. Such an awful result.

The Flower Clock of Curitiba

The Flower Clock is a gift that Curitiba won from jewelers in 1972. It is a true garden of hours, which over the year, each change of season, blooms with bright and different colors. Located in Garibaldi Square, the Flower Clock has eight meters of diameter and is driven with electronic impulses from a clock-command installed in the Church of the Rosary.

Children's Day

Today it is children's day. What a pity that today in Curitiba it is raining cats and dogs! Therefore all the activities planned for children in the parks must have been significantly impaired.

But a kid is a kid and there is no stormy weather for them. At a mall of the city, a pool was set at the lobby and up to five children in kind of bubble are able to walk and roll on the water. I've heard one of them saying that he felt like a hamster. Fun guaranteed!

Moreira Garcez Building

In the 20's, Curitiba had about 79 thousand inhabitants. The traditional Rua XV de Novembro was already the main point of the city, with several pedestrian passing by. At the end of the decade, in 1927, Moreira Garcez Building, the first "skyscraper" of Paraná and the third of the country was built. The building was designed by John Moreira Garcez, architect and former mayor of Curitiba.

Oscar Niemeyer Museum (MON)

The Oscar Niemeyer Museum (or Museum of the Eye, as is known in Curitiba) was inaugurated on November 22nd, 2002, with the presence of the then president, Fernando Henrique Cardoso and the architect Oscar Niemeyer.

The museum has 144 square meters, with 33,000 m2 of built area. These dimensions make the MON the largest museum in America.

Paiol Theater

Build in 1906, the old gunpowder storeroom was "recycled" into an arena shaped theater in 1971. Baptized by the poet Vinicius de Moraes, it marks the beginning of Curitiba´s cultural transformation.

www.curitiba.pr.gov.br

Wire Opera of Curitiba

A walkway on a lake of 7.200 m2, gives access to this theater that is a benchmark of modern architecture in Curitiba.

Built in a non-operating quarry, the stage occupies 400 m2 and has 1998 seats between audience and cabins. Opened in 1992, the project of the architect Dominic Bongestabs, was built in steel and covered with transparent polycarbonate. Added to this a cascade of ten meters high.

Public Transport of Curitiba

The public transportation system of Curitiba is known in Brazil and internationally as a synonym of efficiency and inovation. It was implemented in the 1970s, seeking low operating costs and high quality.

This system includes exclusive channels for bi-articulates buses (270 passengers capacity) that links big terminals in every district of the city. With one ticket only, you can travel the whole city, switching stations or terminals.

The system is composed of 27 terminals, 351 tube stations (which allow rapid loading and unloading) and a big fleet of different kinds of buses (each kind has a different purpose).
More details can be found at http://www.urbs.curitiba.pr.gov.br/ and in many articles (including in english) at the internet.

Arab Immigration to Curitiba

The largest flow of Arab immigrants to Curitiba occurred after World War II. At that time 10% of Curitiba's population were composed by Arabs. They dedicated themselves mainly to the trade of clothing, shoes, fabrics and haberdashery.

The Arab Gastronomy is well apreciated in Brazil.