Nilópolis, Rio de Janeiro State, Southeast Region, Brazil

🇧🇷 Nilópolis is a municipality in Brazil, located in the Rio de Janeiro state's south-western region, bordering São João de Meriti, Mesquita and Rio de Janeiro. It is the smallest municipality in Rio de Janeiro state and contains the Gericinó's Natural Park.

Beija Flor Nilópolis is famous for its Grêmio Recreativo Escola de Samba Beija-Flor de Nilópolis, one of the most successful and luxurious Samba schools and usually a top contender for winning the carnival parade in Rio.

History Nilópolis was an integral part of the hereditary captaincy of São Vicente, which belonged to Martim Afonso de Sousa, in 1531, who divided it into sesmarias, donating much to Brás Cubas, founder of Santos, in São Paulo, consisting of three thousand faças per coast of the loin of Salgado and nine thousand fathoms into the Meriti river,

This sesmaria included Nilópolis, São João de Meriti, Nova Iguaçu and Duque de Caxias, up to the Gericinó diapers, which were later transformed into new sesmarias and large farms.

In 1621, the area called Fazenda de São Mateus, came to belong to João Alvares Pereira, having the limits up to the waterfall of the mills of Francisco Dutra and André S. Mateus, between the date of the Waterfall (Pioim river), to part of the Maxambomba mountain range (present-day Nova Iguaçu).

In 1637, João Álvares Pereira had the Chapel of São Mateus built, on top of the hill of Nilópolis, of clay beaten (adobe) by the Indians here, already enslaved.

He succeeded João Álvares Pereira, Diogo Pereira, certainly his relative, until the year 1700, when the lands began to belong to Domingos Machado Homem, whose son Father Mateus, marries his sister Maria Gaga Machado with Captain Manuel Pimenta Sampaio in 1742.

In 1747, the chapel of St. Matthew is elevated to the matrix of St. John of Meriti, giving rise to the city, and receives the visit of Monsignor Pizzaro, in 1788, attesting to the use as a cured, therefore, ready for all acts of the Christian faith.

The passing of Domingos Machado Homem, married to Joana de Barcelos, is succeeded by Father Mateus Homem Machado, who continued to administer it with mills and great production of sugar and brandy that flowed in the Port of Pavuna.

When the death of Father Mateus Homem Machado, his will shows that the farm had 1280 fathoms of land, which they are tested on the Pavuna River, which divided them from the lands of Oliveira Braga (engenho Nazaré, the current neighboring neighborhood of Anchieta), running to the back with the river called Cachoeira Pequena (Maxambomba), which divides the lands of Captain From one band the lands depart with the ingenuity of Pavuna, Captain Inácio Rodrigues da Silva and the other with lands of Captain Manuel Cabral de Melo and helper Inácio Barcelos Machado.

And, in the year 1779, its owner is Ensign Ambrósio de Sousa Coutinho. The farm reaches its splendor with the production of 30 boxes of sugar and 14 barrels of brandy, with a population of 50 slaves being the most important in the region.

The mill was located on the current Antônio José Bittencourt street (formerly Coronel Júlio de Abreu street) corner of Lúcio Tavares street, and which through a path, gave access to the São Mateus chapel, where the successive owners of the area of the then São Mateus farm resided and spent the night.

With the inauguration on March 29, 1858 of the train line of the Dom Pedro II Railroad (later called the Central Railroad of Brazil), cutting the farm destined for Queimados, the native population was abandoning the lands, not only due to the abolitionist movement, but also due to new labor options due to progress and other new activities.

And the lands of Fazenda São Mateus from 1866, had as owners the capitalists of Rio de Janeiro the Count and the Baron of Bonfim, and finally, Jerônimo José de Mesquita, who negotiated them with the breeder of horses and mules, João Alves Mirandela, who had as his partner Lázaro de Almeida, according to the deed drawn up on September 22, 1900, in

From the deed it is stated that in addition to the negotiated lands there were two barracks and property, which was the chapel of São Mateus, and headquarters of the farm that was limited by the side of Maxambomba (current Nova Iguaçu) with the farm of Cachoeira, owned by the Baron of Mesquita and with the lands of the heirs of Antônio Rocha; on the side of Pav

João Alves Mirandela and his brother Manuel Alves Mirandela, great animal breeders for the Army, surrounded an area, next to the fence of the Gericinó farm, until his stepson Vitor Ribeiro de Faria Braga, convinced him to deforest the farm for a possible allotment.

Proceeding to deforestation, the same stepson proposed to João Alves Mirandela that a plant of the area be made, which was accepted by a public document, calling the then engineer of Central do Brasil, Teodomiro Gonçalves Ferreira, to execute the plant of the city that would arise from the forests of the farm.

And, already at the end of 1913 the newspapers announced lots measuring 12.50 meters by 50.00 meters, in soft installments.

One of these ads caught the attention of Colonel Júlio de Abreu who came personally to know the city that was emerging, and soon fell in love, buying several lots and then bringing several important friends, aiming to build a promising city.

He himself built the first stone and lime house, giving the name of Vila Ema, in honor of his wife, inaugurating it festively, with the presence of merchants, bankers, politicians, public men, linked to Rio de Janeiro, on September 6, 1914, the foundation mark of the city of Nilópolis.

In the same place he founded the bloc of Progresso de São Mateus, after Nilópolis, under his inspiration and presidency, having as honorful president, Nilo Peçanha, who was here twice, with the thought focused on obtaining the improvements that a city needs.

It was through him that the city immediately had a water connection; light and public lighting connection; post office; private and public schools; communication; train schedule; bridges connecting to Rio de Janeiro and Nova Iguaçu; rural prophylaxis service; music bands and a large magazine "Nilópolis". Nilópolis, has already been called the São Mateus stop; Engenheiro Neiva stop and station, in honor of Lucas Soares Neiva, builder of the train stop and platform; and, finally, Nilópolis, in honor of Nilo Peçanha, great benefactor of the municipality, from January 1, 1921, in an unforgettable festivity.

Nilópolis was linked for a long time and was an integral part of the village of São João de Meriti, then the fourth district of Nova Iguaçu, until at the request of Deputy Manuel Reis, by Law No. 1332, it was elevated to the seventh district of Nova Iguaçu from 1916, with only two years of existence.

And its development was in an extraordinary crescendo, thanks to the commitment of its laborious population until the new constitutional charter of the state of Rio de Janeiro was under discussion, Deputy Lucas de Andrade Figueira proposed an amendment, promulgated on June 20, 1947, becoming State Law No. 67, emancipating Nilópolis together with São João de Meriti, and which is celebrated on August 21 of each

The area of 22 km², which was the same as the Fazenda de São Mateus, was reduced to only 9 km², losing 5.60 km² to Gericinó; 5.60 km² to São João de Meriti and 1.80 km² to Nova Iguaçu, naturally the neighborhoods of Chatuba and Édson Passos (in Mesquita), Vila Norma, Éden, Tomazinho and São Mateus (There are projects to join Chatuba, Tomazinho and Vila Norma again to the municipality.

At the sporting level, the largest football expression in the municipality is Esporte Clube Nova Cidade, the second sports club of the Baixada Fluminense to join the First Division of the state of Rio de Janeiro, between 1989 and 1990, after becoming state champion of the Second Division, in 1988, and vice of the Terceirona in 1986. The team plays its games at the Joaquim de Almeida Flores stadium, which belongs to it. Currently Nova Cidade competes in the Second State Division. The other representative of the city in the same division is the Nilópolis Futebol Clube.

Tourist Industry The Nova Iguaçu Municipal Park where it has parts in the municipalities of Nilópolis and Mesquita (former iguaçuanos districts). In the part of Nilópolis, it is called "Gericinó" or "Kilt" as it is known by the Nilopolitans. It is 10.2 km long, it is an area of environmental protection and military area, since the Brazilian Army uses this area at some times of the year for training, thus being prohibited by law the occupation of housing and commerce. It has a pleasant climate and more than 9 km of bike lane and gym equipment. This track ends in a rural area on the slope of the Pavuna River already at the entrance to the Rio de Janeiro neighborhood of Realengo. It has many trees and woods. Very signaled and with security carried out by the military police. It has a Visitor Center in the centre of the park. And the Serra do Mendanha serving to modulate the landscape of the region. In the same park there is the first public Paragliding school in Brazil inaugurated in the current government.

Transport Nilópolis is served by the municipality's own bus companies, such as Nilopolitana Cavalcanti & Cia, and other companies that are not based in the city but provide services to its population.

Transport: Rail Nilópolis also has two railway stations, one in the city centre, which is the Nilópolis Station, and another in the neighborhood of Olinda, which is the Olinda Station. Both are part of SuperVia's Japeri Line.

Subdivisions Nilópolis has two districts: Nilópolis and Olinda. Which include some of the following neighborhoods: Nilópolis: Centro • Nova Cidade • Novo Horizonte • Nossa Senhora de Fátima • Santos Dumont • Frigorífico.

Olinda: Olinda • Manoel Reis • Bairro da Mina • Paiol de Pólvora • Cabral • Cabuís • Tropical.

Main Routes Mirandela Road - It runs through the entire neighborhood of the Center, starting on the famous boardwalk of Nilópolis and ending at the wall of the Gericinó Natural Park.

Marechal Castelo Branco Road — Known as "Soares Neiva", it begins near the municipal border in the Center, with approximately 2.5 km (2 km and a half), ending at "Rua Inácio Serra", this road already in the municipality of Mesquita.

Avenida Getúlio Moura — It runs through the municipality from end to end, starts at the municipal border in Olinda, going through the Center, ending already in Édson Passos.

Avenida Getúlio Vargas - It runs through the municipality from end to end, starts in the Santos Dumont neighborhood, runs through the Center, ending in Olinda already at the municipal border.

Rua Vicente Celestino - Located at one of the entrance doors of the municipality, it bears this name in honor of the singer of MPBVicente Celestino, it is located in the Santos Dumont neighborhood.

Rua Antônio José Bittencourt - Previously "Rua Coronel Júlio de Abreu", runs on the other side of the railway line, begins at the meeting with the Carmela Dutra Road near Praça do Chafariz in the Center, passing through Nova Cidade, ending already at the municipal border with Eden.

Via Light — intermunicipal expressway that connects Nova Iguaçu to Pavuna. In the part of Nilópolis (which by the way is the left side of the road), it passes at the height of the neighborhoods of Nova Cidade, Novo Horizonte, Cabuís, Olinda and Paiol de Pólvora.

Estrada Roberto Silveira - It starts on the other side of the municipality after Praça do Chafariz in the Center, runs through this neighborhood, passes through Olinda and ends at the municipal border with Anchieta.

Transbaixada — Future connecting highway, which will connect the Washington Luís Highway to Avenida Brasil, passing inside the Gericinó over the Sarapuí River.

health Hospitals and health centres in Nilópolis: Hospitals • Juscelino Kubitschek Municipal Hospital located in the Center

Municipal posts in the neighborhoods • New City • Novo Horizonte • Refrigerator • Our Lady of Fatima • Manoel Reis • Cabral • Cabuís • Olinda • Center - Melchiades Calazans Municipal Health Complex.