The general's house
Replica by the ruins.
Paulo rsmenezes — CC BY-SA 4.0 · FrancoBras — CC BY-SA 3.0 · Paulo rsmenezes — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Paulo rsmenezes — CC BY-SA 4.0
The General Bento Gonçalves Historical Park belongs to Rio Grande do Sul's state culture secretariat. It was created in 1972 on the old «Sesmaria do Cristal», a land grant made by King João VI to the father of Bento Gonçalves, leader of the Farroupilha Revolution that shook the state between 1835 and 1845. The park covers some 280 hectares of native forest, ponds, pasture and wetland, bordered at the back by the Camaquã River, and its woods hold trenches thought to date from the revolution. In 1976 a replica was built beside the ruins of the original house where the general spent his last years, and it now holds a museum with replicas of Farroupilha costume. The park lies on the BR-116 highway between Porto Alegre and Pelotas, so it makes a good stop on the road, and it has a camping area. Check opening times before going.
Replica by the ruins.
In the woods.
At the park's edge.
BR-116 highway, km 423, Cristal municipality, Rio Grande do Sul
Leader of the Farroupilha Revolution in Rio Grande do Sul, 1835–1845.