In Itajubá, you can plan a stay that combines leisure at Horto Florestal Anhumas with the city’s multifaceted history. Historical accounts cover several predecessor buildings of today’s Igreja Matriz, a mansion with changing uses, Casa Rosada, and a museum in the former railway station building. This leaves two distinct questions at the heart of your planning: What visiting time suits the Horto, and which historical topics would you like to explore further? The following sites can be distinguished by their construction phases, former functions, and surviving details.
Visiting hours and leisure at Horto Florestal Anhumas
Horto Florestal Anhumas is open to visitors Tuesday through Sunday, from 8:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Group visits can be arranged by calling (35) 9-9888-6206. Visitor facilities include a multi-purpose sports court, an outdoor fitness area, and slides. There are also changing rooms for men and women. This means the Horto offers a range of leisure activities in one place: sports facilities, outdoor exercise, and slides. The stated visiting hours are especially useful for planning; if you are coming as a group, you can arrange your visit by phone.
City history across several construction phases
Today’s Igreja Matriz de Nossa Senhora da Soledade was inaugurated in 1934. It was preceded by four earlier churches, built in 1819, 1832, 1873, and 1912. This chronology distinguishes the predecessor buildings from today’s church: 1934 marks its inauguration, while the earlier dates refer to previous construction phases. Another chapter followed in 1957, when Dutch artist Henk Asperslagh painted the church’s interior. This painted decoration has been preserved ever since. The church’s history thus brings together a long sequence of construction phases and a precisely dated artistic contribution.
Casa Rosada offers a different historical perspective. The building was constructed at the beginning of the 20th century and was the residence of Wenceslau Braz Pereira Gomes, president of Brazil from 1914 to 1918. Casa Rosada is protected by IEPHA. Its doors and windows, as well as some of its furnishings, are original. Its history connects its former role as a residence with specific architectural and interior details that make the house distinctive.
Prédio Central da UNIFEI can also be understood through its former uses. Coronel Antônio José Rennó built the building as a mansion. In 1894, it became the rectory; in 1912, it was sold to Dr. Theodomiro Carneiro Santiago to house the Instituto Eletrotécnico e Mecânico de Itajubá (IEMI). This sequence shows three distinct stages: its original construction as a mansion, its use as a rectory, and its later intended use for IEMI. To understand the building, its construction history matters, as does the change in its intended functions.
Museu Municipal Wenceslau Braz is located in the center of Itajubá and is now housed in the Estação Ferroviária, a railway station building constructed in 1930. The site thus brings together the station’s history and its current use as a museum. The collection includes belongings of relatives of former well-known figures in Itajubá society. This connection to the collection also draws attention to the circles around these figures. The building, its central location, and the collection each provide a distinct link to the city’s history.
The Mercado Municipal is notable for its construction history: the present building was erected in 1954 at the initiative of the mayor at the time, physician Dr. Vicente Vilela Viana. Alongside the earlier churches and buildings with religious or institutional uses, this structure reveals another facet of the city’s history. Taken together, the dates do not form a single linear history, but rather offer several specific points of connection: earlier construction phases, changes in how buildings were used, preserved furnishings, and the history of a municipal market.
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For the main travel overview: Minas Gerais.
