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Salvador

Photo salvador When disembarking in the “Bahia de Todos os Santos” to establish the city of Salvador, in 1549, the governor Tomé de Souza chose a favorable place to construct a fort that could shelter the colonial administration and support the ownership colonial of Brazilian lands. Few days after the arrival of the colonizers, had started to be raised a wall located next to the beach, which would be improved year the year.

The public building was already finished in little time where the local power would be installed, represented for the City council, and of the Portuguese crown, beyond by the first religious constructions, military and commercial.
The construction of new building would continue incessant after successive wars against the dutches in 1624, 1627 and 1638. Salvador was reconstructed with resources come of the mediator of the businesses of the sugar produced in the “Recôncavo Baiano” - region located in return of the “Todos os santos bay” - and, middles of century XVIII, hundreds of public constructions, religious, military and private made the life in pleasant city so beautiful as much as in Lisbon.

Beside of the natural attractions, the patrimony architectural of Salvador consists in a wealth valued for the physical preservation and the reborn of the natural, historical and cultural places of the city. With more than 450 years of existence, the capital of Bahia has in each piece of soil a referring history to the beginning of Brazil.
It’s not by chance that annually thousands of tourists of the entire world arrive in Bahia to know rich churches, immense convents, residential forts, large houses and original monuments. Therefore, the tourist places of Salvador offer the chance of a deep immersion in the time and their events.

Todos os Santos Bay

Bahia de Todos os SantosIt was in “todos os santos bay” that the firts General Governor of Brazil, Tomé de Souza, arrived in port, more specifically in the “Vila do Porto da Barra”, in 1549, date of foundation of the City.The “Bahia de Todos os Santos” can has as initial landmark the “barra lighthouse”, that marks the first tip of the Bahia, and be locked up in the Peninsula Itapagipana.

Barra Lighthouse

Farol da Barra - Barra LightHouseFirst fort constructed in the city with the objective to protect of enemy attacks and the entrance in the “Bahia de Todos os Santos”.
Constructed under the form of irregular polygon, it was initiated in 1583. The first wooden lighthouse served to indicate the entrance of the bay among, alerting for the dangerous of chorales and others. The current lighthouse of iron functions to the electricity base and was constructed in 1836.

Nautical Museum

Museu Nautico - Nautical MuseumInstalled in the “Farol da Barra”, the Nautical Museum of Bahia keeps histories and souvenirs of ships been shipwrecked in the baiana coast. The Museum shows to the visitants the quantity of instruments used for the navigators of today, as well as rejoinders of the models used from century XV. The visits can happen on Tuesday to Sunday, of 9 am to 7pm.

Porto da Barra

With almost all the coast surrounded for reefs, the city has in the “Porto da Barra” the only place where the landing of small boats in security is possible. In form of a small cove, the port was chosen by the Donee Francisco Pereira Coutinho to establish the Village of the Captainship of the Bahia.

Itapuã Lighthouse

Itapuã LighthouseThe Quarter of Itapuã has as landmark the famous statue of the mermaid. It initiates one of the popular complexes of beach tents, bars and restaurants.
Located in the Beach of Itapuã and full activity for orientation of navigations, it serves, for the beauty that is conferred to it, as source of inspiration for diverse composers of Bahia.
Itapuã LighthouseNext to the Lighthouse, it finds the Square Vinícius de Moraes, with the famous statue in real size of the beloved poet.

Forte Santa Maria

With date of foundation uncertain, only being able to affirm that during the second dutch invasion in 1638, already the three forts of the Barra existed, under the regimen of unified command. Fort in irregular form of heptagon, possessing four salient angles and three reintrantes, to barbete and the house of command with two floors. Its drawing is of the Italian type and its construction in rock masonry and whitewash. The south façade of the house of the command is coated with roofing tiles, waterproof treatment found in houses of two (or more) stories baianos of all the colonial period.

Pelourinho

Declared Historic site of the Humanity for UNESCO in 1986, the quarter of Pelourinho is the most set valuable of the Brazilian colonial architecture. With about 3000 property – a quarter of them was restored in the last four years - the quarter that the name of the obsolete trunk of rock takes, represents more than a construction style. It’s the symbol of Portuguese Crown authority, that believed that justice was the main attribute of the government. There, in the historical center of Salvador, enters the Palace of the Government, the House of the Chamber, the Ouvidoria and the College of the Jesuits, the laws were elaborated and executed; subjects, watched (for the magistrates and priests of the empire) and, finally, the disobedience was punished.
Although to be known by this name only from 1807, when the pelourinho of the city was installed there, the “Largo do Pelourinho” was constructed by 1780 and the majority of the official buildings dates of that period’s foundation of the city.
Until the end of century XIX, the Pelourinho exhibited not only the authority of the government, but also the nobility of the high baiana class: gentlemen of device, magistrates, doctors, professors.With the decay of the production of the sugar and with the arrival of the commerce to the high city, the quarter moved of profile: the residences, abandoned for its old inhabitants, had been busy for tenement houses and commercial store.Abandoning, the Pelourinho arrived to lose 30 building in a day, that literally came below. Today, restored, it’s the cultural and artistic center of the city.
Many people confuse the Pillory as the place where the slaves were punished. In the truth the Pillory was a criminal instrument of the time. The slaves were not punished in Pelourinho, even so served also for this purpose. The Pelourinho was a rock pole where the slaves were chained and submitted the public exposition for account of some delict that was done. Depending on the degree of the crime, the person it could be displayed, so that all the population could attend its public humiliation.
Today, the Pillory is a true complex of bars, restaurants and store that commercialize souvenirs of Bahia, popular art and artesanato. A true postal card of the City.

Terreiro de Jesus

Church of the JesuitsSquare XV of November, more known as “Terreiro de Jesus” because of the Church of the Jesuits (current Cathedral Basilica), keeps urban characteristics of the last centuries. Houses of two or more storeys richly decorated and three churches testifies the time where Salvador was capital of the colony.
The First College of Medicine of Brazil is located in Terreiro de Jesus. In the center of the square, a fountain of French origin (1855), all in casting iron, represents the Ceres goddess, of agriculture.

Praça da Sé

The temple constructed in 1553, was during three centuries, practical place of religious of the baiano people. In 1933, however, to take care of to the necessities of urbanization of the city, the old Sé was destroied
and gave to place the tracks of trams and, in 1940, a terminal of urban transport was inaugurated in the place.
In 1982, with the inauguration of one another great terminal, the Terminal of the Lapa, the region of the Sé entered in degradation process. With the revitalização of all the historical center of Salvador, from 1992, the “Praça da Sé” also became part of this project.
In 1999, as part of the commemorations of the 450 years of the foundation of the city, the new “Praça da Sé” was inaugurated, in which the Belvedere, with the monument of the "Cruz Caída", of authorship of Mário Cravo Jr, is the great prominence, since the place that offers the vision of a pretty put-do-sun, with sight for the “Baía de Todos os Santos”.
During the hollowings for the reform of the square, the ruins of the old Sé had been found, and transformed into small archaeological farm.

Municipal Square

Superior access to the Lacerda Elevator, it is also the address of the Chamber of Councilmen of Salvador, of the Building of the Municipal City, as also of the Rio Branco Palace, old seat of government of the State.
Prefeitura de Salvador Palacio Rio Branco - Rio Branco Palace

Lacerda Elevator

Lacerda ElevatorThe Lacerda Elevator joins the two parts of Salvador: the High City and the Low City. The elevator was constructed in 1873, for the engineer Antonio Lacerda, with two cabins moved as a hydraulical force. In 1932, a new tower was constructed and had been added more two cabins.
The elevator delays 30 seconds to make the trip, from 72 meters of height, and carries more than 28 thousand people in one day.

Market Modelo

Originally located to the side of the Street Chile, the old building of the Market Model tumbled before a fire, in 1969. The change for the building of old customs occurred one year later, having been used since then for popular commerce and handiwork, with the preservation of the bars and restaurants.
The old building of customs was constructed in 1861, and presents neoclássicas characteristics. But a new fire occurred in the Market model, no longer Old Building of Customs, in 1983. But its structure was salute, and remodelled thus to continue functioning as one of the main postal cards of Salvador.
After the withdrawal of rubbles of the 1983 fire, it was been found “catacumbas”, that served for the illegal commerce of slaves and contraband, after the Law that forbade the traffic.

Forte São Marcelo

Forte São MarceloInitially called as Fort of Saint Maria Del Popolo, this military construction is also known as the Fort of the Sea. Its function was to bar the attacks of pirates and to protect the ships anchored in the limit of the city. Its construction started in the year of 1650 for the engineer Philip Guiton, and has circular forms on a sand bank far of the beach.

Solar do Unhão

The solar belonged to the device gentleman Pedro de Unhão Castelo Branco, and was restored by the architect Lina Bo Bardi, that it projected the MASP of São Paulo. After to be tumbled, the Solar of the Unhão was adapted to contain the MAM (Museum of Modern Art).
The MAM makes use of eight exhibition halls, theater-audience, room’s video, library specialized and data base. Its permanent quantity is formed by paintings, engravings, photographs, drawings and sculptures of artists as Tarsila do Amaral, Portinari, Flávio de Carvalho, Di Cavalcanti, Rubem Valentim, Pancetti, Carybé, Mário Cravo, Sante Scaldaferri and others of international reputation.
Annex to the Museum of Modern Art is the Park of the Sculptures, that displays works of art the open sky.
The museum still has a beautiful sight for the “Todos os Santos Bay”.

Castro Alves Square

Praça Castro AlvesThe square was baptized with the name of the poet Antônio de Castro Alves, and is the center of the Carnival of Salvador, the most popular manifestation of Brazil. The monument of the Italian sculptor Pasquale Di Chirico, made in bronze and granite, immortalizes the poet in declamation attitude.

Dique do Tororó

Dique do TororoThe Levee is a lagoon made for the slaves with shovels and pickaxes, commanded for dutch invaders, in century XVII. They intended to surround the Rio Branco palace with an irrigation ditch that became inaccessible of the Portuguese. After a reform in 1998, the levee started to offer to the community ample areas of diversion, sport and leisure. It has a theater as open sky, communitarian spaces, rays for practical of row, decks for fishes, and piers for small boats.
A center of activities shelters two restaurants, square of events with floating stage, five play-grounds and track of cooper.
In the way of the lagoon are located the sculptures of the Orixás, projected for the sculptor Tati Moreno.

Church of the Bomfim

The foundation of the Church of Nosso Senhor do Bomfim if gave with the beginning of the brotherhood devotion to Nosso Senhor do Bomfim, established after the famous promise of captain Teodózio Rodrigues de Faria.
In 1745 the brotherhood was established, giving origin to the pilgrimages of peregrination to the temple from 1754. The construction of the Igreja do Nosso Senhor do Bomfim took 14 years, and was inaugurated after the introduction of the Image, in 1754.
The painting of the ceiling of the ship is a masterpiece of the master Frank Velazco. The room of former-votes, in turn, is a test of faith of thousand of pilgrims who had been thanking reached favours. The tradition to moor a ribbon in the pulse with three knots, repeating in each one of them the order, it’s sacred between the Catholics and it enters the practitioners of candomblé.
In the second Thursday of January after the Dia de Reis, a procession of Bahians of acarajé followed by the people leaves in one walked eight kilometers of the Church Nossa Senhora da Conceição da Praia in direction to the Church of the Bomfim. The Bahians wash the staircases of the temple in way the greetings.

Forte do Monte Serrat

Forte Monte SerratThe first existing military construction in the place enters the years of 1538 and 1587. At this time the Fort was known as Forte de São Felipe, denomination that lasted until the beginning of century XIX.
In Century XVI this fort, together with the forts of Santo Antonio of the north and the south, had the responsibility to hinder, by means of crossed fire, the landing of enemies in the port and neighboring beaches to the city.

Tip of Humaitá

Tip of HumaitaOriginally, all the area was known as Mont Serrat in reason of the fort, that is the most important construction in the external limit of the Peninsula of Itapagipe.
The Tip of the Humaita offers beautiful sight of the Cities High and Low, bay and its three bigger islands.The place is very looked for who wants to see the beauty put of the sun.
A lighthouse guides the navigators who enter in the bay and a religious set formed by the Church and the Convent of Nossa Senhora do Mont Serrat it opposes to the romantic environment of the couples of boyfriends.