Top architectural sightseeing and landmarks of Rio de Janeiro - ideas on city exploration routes

» The Maracana Stadium is the largest football stadium in Brazil.
» The stadium was built for the World Cup in 1950 and has long been the most spacious football stadium in the world.
» The maximum capacity of the stadium is still unknown. According to various sources, it's from 180,000 to 200,000 places.
» The official name of the venue is Mario Filho. This name was in honor of the sports journalist who wrote a book about football; he was the founder of the famous sports magazine, talked with many players and has been closely involved in the construction of the stadium.
» Flamengo and Fluminense, as well as Brazil's national team of all ages hold games at the stadium.

» Quinta da Boa Vista is the palace and the park complex that embraces Sao Cristovao Palace, the park and the zoo of Rio de Janeiro.
» The Palace houses the National Museum of Brazil.
»  The museum's collection is very diverse (from insects to Aboriginal utensils).
» The zoo is the most memorable part of the complex.
» The zoo was built in 1945, so that's the oldest zoo in Brazil. About 2,000 different animals live there.

» The Rio de Janeiro Cathedral was built in 1976 in honor of the patron saint of the city, San Sebastian.
» The construction is very atypical for temples. It's built in form of a truncated cone with a diameter of 106 meters and a height of 96 meters.
» Architect Edgar de Oliveira designing the cathedral was inspired by Mayan pyramids in Mexico; however, the temple was designed in modern style.
» The interior of the cathedral is striking with its beauty and monumentality.
» In addition to the cathedral, you can visit the Sacred Art Museum situated in the basement. It represents a collection of different objects and works of art.

» The National Library of Brazil founded in 1810 is the largest library all around Latin America and the seventh largest in the world.
» The library was originally a branch of the National Library of Portugal and only people who have received special permission from the king had access to its books.
» Later library doors were opened to all visitors.
» Now the library has more than 9 million books, icons, periodicals, maps and manuscripts.
» The National Library of Brazil is an architectural monument.

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Facts: » The National History Museum was opened in 1922. It retains and displays a rich and varied historical and cultural heritage of the country.
» Iit's hard to explore all the exhibits in one day, because the area of the museum complex is more than 20,000m2.
» The museum has a collection of books, furnishings, paintings, sculptures, weapons, jewelry and much more.
» The National Museum is constantly being improved, restored; its exhibits, antique galleries and fountains are restored too.
» Today, the museum is an important cultural center and is under the auspices of the Ministry of Culture of Brazil. Every day it's visited by hundreds of tourists from all over the world.