Mauá statue
On a column, 1910.
Fulviusbsas — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Rjcastillo — CC BY 4.0 · A. Jacob — CC BY 4.0 · Marinha do Brasil — CC BY-SA 2.0 · Mariordo (Mario Roberto Durán Ortiz) — CC BY-SA 4.0
Praça Mauá is the gateway to Rio's renewed port district, about 25,000 square metres on the Guanabara Bay waterfront and part of the «Orla Conde», the long promenade along the bay. It was laid out in the early 20th century when the port needed a modern quay; before that it was a small beach called «Prainha», and the numbering of the port warehouses and of Avenida Rio Branco began here. At its centre a column carries a statue of Irineu Evangelista de Sousa, the Viscount of Mauá, the industrial pioneer who built Brazil's first railway; it is by the sculptor Rodolfo Bernardelli and was unveiled in 1910. After decades of neglect beneath an elevated road, the square reopened on 6 September 2015 as part of the Porto Maravilha port renewal, once the viaduct had been torn down. Today it faces the Museum of Tomorrow and the Rio Art Museum, as well as the 1929 A Noite building, the city's first skyscraper, and the light rail passes through. It is a place to sit at sunset over the bay and a starting point for walks to Valongo Wharf or the port murals.
On a column, 1910.
Over Guanabara Bay.
The waterfront promenade.
Praça Mauá, port district, central Rio de Janeiro
Museu de Arte do Rio (MAR)The Museu de Arte do Rio, known by its initials MAR, opened on 1 March 2013 on P2 minutes walk4.8
Museum of TomorrowThe Museum of Tomorrow, Museu do Amanhã, is a science museum designed by the Spa3 minutes walk4.6
Valongo WharfValongo Wharf looks like a patch of old paving stones exposed in Rio's port dist8 minutes walk4.5
Espaço Cultural da MarinhaThe Brazilian Navy's cultural centre stands on the old customs docks in central 10 minutes walk4.9
Confeitaria ColomboConfeitaria Colombo is a historic café and pastry shop in central Rio, founded b13 minutes walk4.3The Museum of Tomorrow, the Rio Art Museum, the 1929 A Noite building and a light-rail stop.