Enxaimel houses
Exposed timber frames.
Silvio Klotz — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Silvio Klotz — CC BY-SA 4.0 · MTur Destinos — Public domain · MTur Destinos — Public domain · Silvio Klotz — CC BY-SA 4.0
Enxaimel is the Brazilian name for the German building technique of an exposed timber frame filled with brick, brought by German immigrants to Santa Catarina. In Pomerode's Testo Alto district, about 30 km from Blumenau, the Rota do Enxaimel runs for about 16 km between farms and old houses and holds the largest concentration of enxaimel buildings outside Europe: the municipality has more than 240 of them, about fifty buildings along the route are formally listed, and the national heritage institute protects the whole landscape. In 2021 the UN World Tourism Organization named the route one of the world's «Best Tourism Villages», Brazil's only winner that year. About 3,000 people live in the district. You drive or cycle it, and there is no charge.
Exposed timber frames.
Farm district.
A quiet country road.
Testo Alto district, Pomerode, Santa Catarina
A route of about 16 km in Pomerode's Testo Alto district with the largest concentration of German timber-frame houses outside Europe; it is free.