* Irene's Country Corner * - Brasil - Rio de Janeiro

 

 

Corcovado

© corcovado.com.br. Not for download from my site.

 

 

 © Irene. Not available for download.

 Standing at the top of the Corcovado mountain, stands the world famous statue of Christ. The monument measures 38 meters (124.7 feet high) from the pedestal to the top of the head of the statue. The pedestal measures 8 meters (26.25 foot) and it contains a chapel that can hold 150 people. The statue itself measures 30 meters (98.43 feet high).

Known as Christ the Redeemer (Cristo Redentor), the statue was brought to the top of the hill in 1931. It was elaborated by the Brazilian architect Heitor da Silva Costa and sculpted by the French Paul Landwilk. It was sculpted in sandstone because of its resistance to time, weather changes, cracking and deformation.

The monument was inaugurated on the day of Our Lady of Aparecida, 12 October, of the year 1931 by then President Getúlio Vargas and cardinal Dom Sebastião Leme.

To visit the statue, the visitors had to climb up 222 steps in the past, but on January, 19 2003, 3 elevators and 4 escalators were inaugurated, making access to the monument a lot easier. The construction took 3 years to be completed and it was a partnership between the Banco Real/ABNAMRO Bank, Gerdau, Arquidiocese do Rio, Ibama and Fundação Roberto Marinho. The statue receives about 6-8 thousand visitors per weekend.

 

The statue of Christ the Redeemer pays homage to Rio’s religiosity, and has become a symbol of the City and of its people, receiving all visitors with its arms open. In 1993 a new illumination was brought to the statue and now it can be better viewed from the most varied and distant parts of the city. The Corcovado mountain measures 704 meters high (2,310 feet) and it provides the most beautiful view of the city from its top. From that privileged position we can see a breathtaking view of the Guanabara Bay and the Sugar Loaf.

 

It can be accessed by car by the road through the Parque Nacional da Tijuca or by the funicular located in the Estrada de Ferro Corcovado leaving from the Cosme Velho station. The funicular was inaugurated 114 years ago, by Brazilian Emperor Dom Pedro II. The ride to the top takes around 20 minutes and it crosses the biggest urban forest in the world, the Tijuca National Park, a part of the Atlantic Forest considered as an example of nature preservation.

 

Those who take a ride in the Corcovado funicular also help preserving the forest. The funicular is electric so it doesn't harm nature, and part of the funds generated by the entrance tickets are destined to Ibama (Instituto Brasileiro do Meio Ambiente), the Brazilian institute for the preservation of nature.

 

 The pictures below, with the exception of the first three on top, were taken by me during some of my visits to the statue.
They are not public domain and not for download. Please, do not save them. Thank you !

 

© Irene. Not for download.

© Irene. Not for download.

The Corcovado hill and the statue of Christ on top,
seen from the Urca hill. Picture taken in June 2003.

The Corcovado hill and the statue of Christ on top,
 seen from the Urca hill. Picture taken in April 2006.

 

© Irene. Not for download.

© Irene. Not for download.

 The statue of Christ on top of the Corcovado hill.
Picture taken in November 1991.

The statue of Christ.
Picture taken on December 4 2004.

 

© Irene. Not for download.

© Irene. Not for download.

 

© Irene. Not for download.

© Irene. Not for download.

 The Copacabana beach seen from the Corcovado.
Picture taken on December 4, 2004 on a foggy day.

The Guanabara Bay.
Picture taken on December 4, 2004.

 

© Irene. Not for download.

© Irene. Not for download.

 The Rodrigo de Frietas Lagoon.
This picture was taken in November 1991.

The Lagoon and the famous Christmas Tree of Rio.
Picture taken in December 2004.

 

© Irene. Not for download.

© Irene. Not for download.

 The Christmas Tree in the Lagoon and Ipanema
beach on the background.

 A closer view of the tree. It has a beautiful
illumination at night.

 

© Irene. Not for download.

© Irene. Not for download.

 The Rodrigo de Freitas Lagoon on the left and the Jockey Club.
Picture taken on November 1991.

A closer view of the Jockey Club.
Picture taken on December 4, 2004.

 

© Irene. Not for download.

© Irene. Not for download.

 The lunch area on top of the Corcovado.
On the top the left you can see part of the Jockey Club.

The escalators and the entrance of the elevators,
inaugurated on January, 19 2003.

 

© Irene. Not for download.

© Irene. Not for download.

A hang-glider coming really close to the statue.
Picture taken in April 2006 while visiting the statue
with two American friends.

Me and my American friends Betty and Ruth.
April 18, 2006.

 

© Irene. Not for download.

© Irene. Not for download.

 From the top of the Corcovado, we have a beautiful
view of the city, including the Sugar Loaf.

The small chapel located on the bottom of the
statue of Christ. Picture taken in April 2006.

 

© Irene. Not for download.

 The famous Maracanã Stadium, the largest stadium in the world, and its surrounding districts.

The soccer stadium was built in 1950 for the World Cup, and designed to hold 166,369 spectators. Currently, after reforms, it can hold up to 114,145.

Its official name, Stadium Journalist Mario Filho, is a tribute to one of the most important Brazilian journalists, founder of the newspaper “Jornal dos Esportes”. It was inaugurated on 16 June 1950 with a match between a team from Rio de Janeiro and one from São Paulo.

 

The Rio-Niterói Bridge, the largest bridge in the world in terms of construction volume, is 13.9 kilometers long and 20 meters wide. The total constructed area is 210,600 square meters. It is the largest structure of its kind to this date.

The bridge connects the cities, Rio de Janeiro and Niterói and opened to vehicle traffic on March 5, 1974. Its true name is President Costa e Silva Bridge, but is popularly known as Rio-Niterói Bridge.

© Irene. Not for download.

 

 

© Irene. Not for download.

 

Corcovado

Adress: Rua Cosme Velho 513, Cosme Velho,
Rio de Janeiro - RJ
Tel: (55)(21) 2558-1329
Working Schedule:
From 8:30 AM to 6:30 PM.
The funicular departures every half-hour.
Email:
trem@corcovado.com.br
Website:
www.corcovado.com.br

 

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© Irene. Not available for download.

This page was created on: January 24, 2002.
Last updated on: January 3, 2007.

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© Irene. Not available for download.

 Nothing in this site is Public Domain. Graphics are copyrighted by various artists and are used with permission.
Please, click on the links above to visit the websites were you can download the graphics from. Do NOT save anything from my pages, please.