The small gem inlaid in Rio’s north zone, Engenho de Dentro safeguards old houses and protects traditions that have withstood time. It is still common to see sandals standing for goalposts with kids playing soccer in the streets and residents sitting on the sidewalks, just like in the old times. The settlement of the region dates back to the eighteenth century when it was part of Inhaúma, a large rural area producer of sugarcane and coffee - which later gave rise to the neighborhoods of Del Castilho, Inhaúma, Olaria, Bonsucesso and even Penha. The name Engenho de dentro (engenho translates as mill in english) as well as the neighbors Engenho Novo and Engenho da Rainha derives from the sugarcane culture.
The deployment of the railroad Pedro II (later to be called Central do Brasil) was decisive for the occupation and development of the region from the second half of the nineteenth century. Beside the station, that received the name of the neighborhood, ran a grand railway complex for maintenance of locomotives, with workshops of painting, casting, carpentry, designed to meet 4000 km of roads, 700 locomotives and 5,000 cars, also from other states. Part of it is kept by the Train Museum and the newly opened square Praça do Trem. The decay of the federal railway system resulted in the abandonment of this structure up until the construction of the stadium Engenhão. Opened in 2007 for the Pan American Games, the stadium hosted the track and field, role that it will also play in the 2016 Olympic Games, where Rolé Engenho de Dentro begins.
Image: Engenho de Dentro in 1958, IBGE
Opened for the Pan American Games in 2007, the stadium was built by the City Hall in the ancient land of the Federal Railway and is leased to Botafogo until 2027. The construction has plenty of controversies related to its final cost, six times higher than expected, and structural problems that kept the stadium closed shortly after built.
With about 40.000 square meters, this big square was opened in 2016 next to the stadium, on the grounds of the old railway workshops, in an effort to transform the abandoned warehouses in an area for the locals, along with a public pathway with refurbished sidewalks, street furniture and landscape.
One of the old warehouses that served the rail network houses this museum with over a thousand items on the history of Brazilian railroads. There are relics like Baroneza, the first locomotive to circulate in the country, and the official car of the presidency in the 1930s, used by President Getúlio Vargas. After the extinction of the Federal Railway Network, its ownership was transferred to the Institute of Historical and Artistic Heritage (IPHAN).
Inaugurated in 1873, the station was rebuilt and enlarged around 1937 as part of the electrification project of railway lines, replacing the steam traction system. Then, it had 5 platforms and a metallic structure in the form of lattice arch. It was again redesigned for the 2007 Pan American Games and now for the Olympics.
The century-old parish raised funds for its construction dated from 1956, in a creative way. Reportedly, the canon built on the grounds of what is now the church, an amusement park, then called Mafuá, and gathered money from its box office. Another form of income came from the donation of coins that the old tram passengers tossed in a sheet stretched by catechists in the parish house wall.
The unity of the YMCA (ACM) of the neighborhood was built in 1983 on the grounds of the famous movie theater Belair, with capacity for a thousand people, until the 1970s. It was part of an international movement of social assistance emerged in England, in 1844, which settled in Brazil in 1893, in Rio de Janeiro.
The institute emerged as a colony for the alienated in the early twentieth century in order to reduce the overpopulation of the then National Hospice and also to isolate patients from the urban center. With the closure of the complex in Praia Vermelha in the 40s, it got bigger and turned into Psychiatric Center and Hospital Pedro II. Currently, its named after the renowned psychiatrist from Alagoas, Nise da Silveira, who developed there her method of healing through art.
The houses surrounding the square and along Alberto Leito Street portray the golden suburban times: houses with wide verandas and low walls, unique architecture and, in the vast majority of them, the figure of a religious saint at the top of the facade, besides the small plates with the resident's name and profession.
Baroneza dates back to a time when people believed that a railroad could never be substituted by a highway. In 1854, it was the first steam locomotive to run in Brazil in the 14.5 km stretch, connecting the coast of Rio de Janeiro to Petropolis. It was named in honor to Maria Joaquina, Irineu Evangelista de Sousa’s wife, who received the title of Baron of Mauá for the opening of the road. A century and a half later, the trains have almost disappeared from our landscape, but some of that history survives thanks to the enthusiasts in Museu do Trem.
Before being called Nilton Santos, the stadium built by the City Hall was named João Havelange in 2007, when it opened. The change met the request of the new tenant of the site, Botafogo, in honor of the player who spent his entire career in the black and white club. For Rio2016, the host of the track and field events has been called Olympic Stadium. However, confirmed by its popularization, the stadium will always be known as Engenhão, which is the augmentative of the neighborhood’s name.
It was at the Psychiatric Center of Engenho de Dentro, after spending a decade away from public service for political reasons, that Nise da Silveira resumed her activities, in 1944. The only woman among the 150 students who graduated in medicine at the University of Bahia in 1926, she refused to use the treatment methods of the time, such as confinement in hospitals, electroshock and lobotomy. Instead, she developed a procedure through affection, symbolic expression and creativity, a real revolution in psychiatry practiced in the country up until that time.
A unique carnival manifestation of Engenho de Dentro began at the turn of the century, when a group of patients, families and staff of the Municipal Institute Nise da Silveira joined to form the street carnival group Loucura Suburbana (Suburban madness). For 15 years the group has paraded its unconscious samba in a procession that meets on the patio of the Institute and seeks passage through the streets, always on Thursday prior to Carnival. To integrate interns and residents, the group maintains a year-round activity program, with free workshops for percussion, props, costumes, ukulele and musical composition.
The museum originated from the workshops of painting and modeling of the occupational therapy section, organized by Nise da Silveira in 1946, at what was then Pedro II Psychiatric Center. The inmate’s production was so rich and abundant that sparked scientific interest and went on to serve as data to the study and research on the images of the unconscious. The museum was opened in 1952 and stores over 300,000 documents, screens, paintings, drawings and modeling, from artists such as Adelina Gomes, Carlos Pertuis, Emygdio de Barros and Octavio Ignacio.
521, Ramiro Magalhães st.
Phone: (21) 3111-7471
Website: https://www.facebook.com/Museu-De-Imagens-Do-Inconsciente-866682123382510/timeline
Situated right next to the Municipal Institute Nise da Silveira this restaurant is known as the “Ugly’s Bar” in reference to the owner, Sebastian Barrozo de Souza. The house specialty is the roasted quail grilled in coal, with a secret seasoning of wine and spices. To keep the coal burning, the owner uses a hair dryer, which is picturesque, to say the least. It also offers other grilled delicacies such as gammon sausage and pork ribs, accompanied by beer on a glass bottle.
Hours: Mon to Fri, from 16h to 1h; Sat & Sun from 10 am to 1 am
Loja A – 906, Dias da Cruz st.
In the 1950s, the Recreational and Carnival Society Arranca (in englsh “pull out”, “yank”) was a street Carnival group that would “pull out” people from their homes, wherever it went, thus its name. It turned into a samba school in 1973 and uses its God mother Portela’s blue and white colors. It also adopted the hawk as its symbol. In 2017, it will parade at the C series of Rio’s Carnival, with a plot in honor of Regina Celi, Salgueiro’s forewoman.
198, Adolfo Bergamini st.
Phone.: (21) 3271-1371
Image: Wili Shampoo
SESC’s first unit was inaugurated in Rio, in 1947. The social service of commerce hosts music concerts, film festivals and theater plays, as well as activities in social eduaction, sports and leisure, health and social tourism.
Tue-Fri, 7 am to pm | Sat. & Sun., 9am to 6pm.
1661, Amaro Cavalcanti Ave.
Phone: (21) 3822-4830 / (21) 3822-9529
Website: http://www.sescrio.org.br/
