The history of this neighborhood is intertwined with the founding of the city of Rio de Janeiro. Back in 1565, Estacio de Sá, a Portuguese explorer sent to the Guanabara to fight the French attempts of invasion, established the limits of the city that he had just founded, donating to his collaborator, Francisco Velho, the area in front of the hill Morro Cara de Cão, across from the Botafogo Bay. Throughout the 17th and 18th centuries, an elite fleeing from the city center slowly occupied the district. Urban remodeling of the 20th century changed the topography of the region and transformed it into an aristocratic area. Today the neighborhood is a mix of the abandonment of the city and of its refinement. There are historical mansions preserved side by side with abandoned ones , along with the Americanized architecture of new buildings. In short, , Botafogo is the icon of a Rio immortalized by the lyrics of Fernanda Abreu, the “purgatory of beauty and chaos”. It is worth visiting the neighborhood for its historical, social, and cultural values as well as for the diversity of dining options, good and varied music, museums, cinemas, theaters, all of which ensure a bohemian atmosphere to the area.
Politician and notorious Brazilian diplomat, Rui Barbosa was Minister of Economy and one of the enthusiasts of the Republic and Brazil's modernization in the early 20th century. His residence became a center of culture and historical research about Brazil.
Address: 134, São Clemente St. - Botafogo
Opening Hours: Tuesday to Friday from 10am to 5:30pm / Saturday, Sunday and Holidays from 2pm to 6pm
Website: www.casaruibarbosa.gov.br
Image Credits: Veja Rio
After building the first church of the city, dedicated to São Sebastião – on the beach between the hills Morro Cara de Cão and Pão de Açucar – Jesuit priests moved to the big house on 132, São Clemente St., where they founded Externato São Inácio, which, at first, had only nine students enrolled and one teacher. The boarding school has expanded and today it has over 100 years of history.
Address: 226, São Clemente St. - Botafogo
Website: www.santoinacio-rio.com.br
Image Credits: Halley Pacheco de Oliveira
The center of creation and memory of the Amerindian societies was built to replace its former headquarters at Maracanã. Today, in addition to permanent exhibitions, the place has become a space for research and dissemination of indigenous culture.
Address: 55, Rua das Palmeiras - Botafogo
Opening Hours: Tuesday to Friday from 9am to 5:30pm / Saturday, Sunday and Holidays from 1pm to 5pm
Website: www.museudoindio.gov.br
Image Credits: Unisuam News
The palace has the nobility of a Lusitanian residence of the 18th century. It draws the attention of passers by and really looks like an ancient heritage. However, the residence of the consul of Portugal in Rio is not as old as it is assumed. The mansion was built in 1961 with the support of the Portuguese community in the country to serve as an Embassy.
Address: 424, São Clemente St. - Botafogo
Phone: (21) 3509-1850
Image Credits: O Globo / Fábio Rossi
The only cemetery in the south zone, created from a decree that authorized the Santa Casa de Misericórdia to manage the cemeteries of the city, was opened on December 4th, 1852. The main alley is jokingly called “Vieira Souto” in reference to the luxurious Avenue that borders the beach of Ipanema. Some of the most visited graves in the cemetery lay here, such as Tom Jobim’s, Luís Carlos Prestes’ and Santos Dumont’s.
Address: s/n, Real Grandeza St. - Botafogo
Website: www.cemiteriosaojoaobatista.com.br
Image Credits: Google Street View
The gazebo stands at a short distance from Botafogo beach and it overlooks the Guanabara Bay and Pão de Açucar. Until 1965, a slum stood at the area, which was later removed and the hill completely reforested.
Image Credits: O Globo / Pedro Teixeira
Originated from the merge of Club de Regatas Botafogo (founded for rowing in 1894) with Botafogo Football Club (formed for soccer in 1904), it is one of the most traditional clubs in Rio. The club lost its headquarters in General Severiano St. after a great crisis, but thanks to its strong political performance in the 90s, it managed to get the place back, and now that’s where administration and training center are located.
Address: s/n, Repórter Nestor Moreira Ave. - Botafogo
Website: www.botafogo.com.br
Image Credits: O Globo / Fred Huber
The psychiatric hospital located in the neighborhood of Praia Vermelha was originally called Hospício Pedro II. The building was founded in 1937, under the name Instituto de Neurossífilis. In 1965, it was renamed Hospital Pinel, after the French psychiatrist Philippe Pinel, who brought to Brazil the first relevant work on the care of the mentally ill.
Address: 65, Venceslau Brás St. - Botafogo
Phone: (21) 2542-3049
Image Credits: Google Maps
Besides being the official mascot of Botafogo club, Manequinho is, for many people , the neighborhood symbol. Designed by the artist Belmiro de Almeida in the earlytwenties , it was inspired by the famous Belgian statue Manneken-Pis. However, the model that Belmiro used for the statue, which is installed in front of Botafogo Futebol e Regatas nowadays, was a girl, the daughter of a friend of the sculptor. The piece nickname was given by the Cariocas.
On October 25, 1903, before the establishment of Botafogo Football Club, Botafogo rowers met with Flamengo colleagues to compete in a friendly match. Botafogo thrashed Flamengo by 5 to 1 at Paissandu field. Some of Botafogo’s athletes were part of the football team of the newly founded Fluminense.
It is said that the neighborhood was eventually baptized in 1590, when the land was sold to João Pereira de Sousa - known as “Botafogo”, for having been the head of the artillery of the most powerful Portuguese warship of the time, “Galeão Botafogo”.
Due to the large number of famous people buried there, the cemetery São João Batista is known as “the cemetery of the stars”. It is also the necropolis that houses more tombs for heads of state in Brazil, with at least nine former presidents of this republic. The main alley is jokingly called “Vieira Souto”, in a reference to the luxurious Avenue in Ipanema. Some of the most visited graves in the cemetery lay here, such as Tom Jobim’s, Luís Carlos Prestes’ and Santos Dumont’s.
During the 70s, the urban reform projects were back in vogue in the city, and the aim was to dismantle the slums from noble regions and take their dwellers to the most barren areas of the city. At the time, the government faced a great opponent, Bishop Dom Helder Camara, who, upon learning that the “Morro D. Marta” would be the next target, sent word: “in order to enter the “favela” you will have to go over the priest's corpse ”. So as not to confirm the priest’s words, the community stayed put.
Open every weekend and holiday eves with rock and blues concerts, this bar is dedicated to rock n’ roll. It also hosts the “Clube do Vinil”, where you can choose the songs you want to hear.
Address: 270, Álvaro Ramos St. - Botafogo
Phone: (21) 2244-7303 / (21) 3546-8681
Website: www.barbukowski.com.br
Image Credits: Veja Rio
Community Santa Marta, located on the slopes that rise from Botafogo, has one of the most privileged views of the south zone. To make access to the hill easier , a cable car was built in 2008, with five stations. The route, which is free, has 340 meters and takes 10 minutes to go through all stops.
Address: São Clemente St. around n. 307
Image Credits: Getty Images / Peeter Viisimaa
Multifunctional space, Comuna is a plataform where different ideas and projects converge . An open, common and collaborative place, it houses a restaurant and a bar, an exhibition space called bunker and an independent publisher, “A Bollha” (“The Bubble”) . It is famous for its burgers and for a funky warm up for the nightlife.
Address: 585, Sorocaba St.
Phone: (21) 3029-0789
Website: www.facebook.com/comunacc
Image Credits: Comuna/Divulgação
Housed in a mansion built on the grounds of the old São Clemente farm and uninhabited for years, the property dates back to the beginning of the last century. Now , the space accommodates a permanent exhibition of interior architecture. It houses a space with varied program of theater and music and the Bar Teto Solar.
Address: 180, General Polidoro St.
Phone: (21) 2543 5411
Website: www.solardebotafogo.com.br
Image Credits: www.solardebotafogo.com.br
Inaugurated in 2003, inspired by Barcelona houses, the Champagne bar “Black Sheep” is the first establishment in Brazil for the exclusive sale of domestic and international sparkling spirits. The ‘black sheep’ “jumped over the fence” of the concepts and prejudices associated with champagne drinking and offers a space for tasting in a relaxed atmosphere.
Address: 120, Bambina St. - Botafogo
Phone: (21) 2226-1064
Website: www.champanhariaovelhanegra.com.br
Image Credits: Veja Brasil / Ligia Skowronski
Installed in a two-story townhouse since 1999, the restaurant is an oasis for vegetarians or for those who simply seek a healthier meal option in the heart of Botafogo. It serves “à la carte” options and has over 40 dishes on the buffet, highlights go to the vegetarian feijoada and vegan sushi.
Address: 120, Dezenove de Fevereiro St. - Botafogo
Phone: (21) 2537-0750
Website: www.refeitorioorganico.com.br
Image Credits: www.refeitorioorganico.com.br
Surrounded by cinemas, Baixo Botafogo is a cluster of bars that spread their tables by a narrow sidewalk in Voluntários da Pátria St. Recently opened, the new part of the St. Nelson Mandela, attached to the subway, offers new bars, restaurants and delicatessen, which contribute to confirm the condition of the region as a bohemian space.
Address: Nelson Mandela St. close to the subway Botafogo and Voluntários da Pátria St. between n. 10-18
Image Credits: Fernando Schlaepfer
Cobal is a multipurpose space regularly attended by locals with diverse interests: happy hour in the bars and outdoor restaurants, shopping possibilities for natural products, domestic or imported. However, the stretch consisting of Conde de Irajá, Capitão Salomão and Visconde de Caravelas Streets has one of the best gastronomic centers of Rio, represented by starry restaurants such as Lasaai, Irajá, Oui Oui, Meza Bar, Il Borgo del Conte and Lima Gastrobar. Other traditional outlets are also scattered all over the area, such as the restaurant O Botequim, Caravelas do Visconde, Joaquina, Rota 66 and Manekineko (the last 3 within Cobal do Humaitá).
Address: 448, Voluntários da Pátria St. (Cobal do Humaitá. The other mentioned streets are on the surroundings)
Image Credits: Raphaella Perlingeiro
Birthplace of the festival “Humaitá Pra Peixe” in the 90s, the area was closed for almost two years after a fire, in 2007. Today, the place offers concerts, exhibitions, festivals, plays and other cultural events.
Address: 163, Humaitá St. - Humaitá
Phone: (21) 2535-3846
Website: www.entresergioporto.com
Image Credits: Wikidanca
