World Heritage Identification Number: 189
World Heritage since: 1982
Category: Cultural Heritage
WHE Type: Historic Cities & Urban Areas
Transboundary Heritage: No
Endangered Heritage: No
Country: 🇧🇷 Brazil
Continent: Americas
UNESCO World Region: Latin America and the Caribbean
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The Historic Centre of the Town of Olinda: A Colonial Gem in Brazil
The Historic Centre of the Town of Olinda, located in the state of Pernambuco, Brazil, stands as a testament to the rich cultural heritage of the country. Established in the 16th century by the Portuguese, this charming town boasts a history deeply intertwined with the sugar-cane industry.
More to come…UNESCO Description of the World Heritage Site
Founded in the 16th century by the Portuguese, the town’s history is linked to the sugar-cane industry. Rebuilt after being looted by the Dutch, its basic urban fabric dates from the 18th century. The harmonious balance between the buildings, gardens, 20 Baroque churches, convents and numerous small passos (chapels) all contribute to Olinda’s particular charm.
UNESCO Justification of the World Heritage Site
Criterion (ii): The historic centre of Olinda contains a number of buildings that are outstanding from the point of view of both their architecture and decoration, including the Catedral Alto da Sé, the church of Nossa Senhora da Graça and examples of civil architecture ranging from the 17th to 19th centuries. The lush vegetation of the roadsides, gardens, hedgerows and convent precincts all form a landscape in which the salient feature is the town nestling in a mass of greenery, bathed in tropical light, with the sandy shore and ocean below.
Criterion (iv): From the last years of the 16th century onward, Olinda served as one of the most important centres of the sugarcane industry, which for almost two centuries was the mainstay of the Brazilian economy, and became the symbol of sugar and of the wealth it procured. The exceptional ensemble of landscape, urbanism and architecture in Olinda’s historic centre is an eloquent reflection of the prosperity nourished by the sugar economy.
Encyclopedia Record: Olinda
Olinda is a historic city in Pernambuco, Brazil, in the Northeast Region. It is located on the country's northeastern Atlantic Ocean coast, in the Metropolitan Region of Recife, the state capital. It has a population of 349,976 people, covers 41.681 square kilometres (16.093 sq mi), and has a population density of 9,437 inhabitants per square kilometre (24,440/sq mi). It is noted as one of the best-preserved colonial cities in Brazil and has been inhabited since 1535.Additional Site Details
Area: 190.9 hectares
Number of Components: 1
(iv) — Outstanding example of a type of building or landscape
Coordinates: -8.013333333 , -34.845
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© Allice Hunter, CC BY-SA 4.0 Resized from original. (This derivative is under the same CC BY-SA license.)
