Showing posts with label Brazil. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Brazil. Show all posts

Monday, September 18, 2017

The abandoned trains of an old British railway station in Brazil


A few miles outside Sao Paulo, sits the picturesque village of Paranapiacaba. It was established in the middle of the 19th century by the British-owned São Paulo Railway Company. Designed by Jeremy Bentham according to a prison model style, it was the operational headquarters of the British railway company.

The British had built the zig-zag railway line in the hilly terrain to export coffee beans from the area through the port Santos. For 30 years Paranapiacaba prospered and at one time about 4,000 workers, mostly British citizens, lived there. When automated machines replaced the funicular, the population declined and many buildings were abandoned. The last steam train was decommissioned in 1982. 

Even though only about 1,000 people live in Paranapiacaba today, the village's abandoned buildings have been well preserved as the government of Brazil has declared it a historic district and has promoted tourism.  

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Monday, May 29, 2017

A deserted hotel in the Brazilian tropical jungle



It is now known as Esqueleto Hotel or 'Skeleton Hotel' because of its eerie appearance but its original name was supposed to be Gavea Tourist Hotel. Its construction began in 1953 in a wooded area between the neighborhoods of Gavea and São Conrado in Rio de Janeiro. 

The hotel had reached a height of 16 floors when the construction was halted 19 years later because of a bankruptcy. The massive building was left abandoned and the thick tropical jungle reclaimed much of the area around it. 

Eventually, the Skeleton Hotel became home to the moradores na rua (street dwellers) and later, a shelter for criminals who used it to hide weapons stolen from the army. Today, many adventurous locals visit the hotel through a secret path to explore its remains or climb to the top to enjoy the stunning view of the ocean.



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Monday, March 13, 2017

Rio's Olympic venues, abandoned 6 months later

6 months. That's how long it took for Rio's Olympic venues to fall into disrepair. It looks like Rio didn't learn any lesson from Athens, Beijing and Sochi, cities which built a great number of sport venues and facilities to host the Olympic Games without having any solid plans about the future. 

But it's not just the lack of planning. Brazil was already into an economic crisis while the Olympics were held there and the situation hasn't gotten any better. There are simply not enough money to maintain, or even guard the Olympic facilities, even if it's the Maracana stadium we're talking about. Once the largest stadium in the world, Maracana, has now remained empty and unused, as clubs and authorities argue over who should manage it. Although it is owned by the Rio de Janeiro's state government, officials have stopped paying for maintenance and security. According to media reports and photos, Maracana stadium has been looted and even cables have been stolen. 

Rio's the Olympic Park, which is now owned by the city of Rio, has remained deserted since the end of Paralympics as the city failed to find a new operator. Similarly, Rio's $19m Olympic golf has remained abandoned as the cost of maintenance is too high for the city. 

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Thursday, February 16, 2017

Rio's Maracana Stadium, left deserted after the Olympics



Rio de Janeiro's iconic Maracanã Stadium has a very long history dating back to 1950. That was when it was inaugurated to host the 1950 World Cup where Brazil was beaten 2-0 from Uruguay. The total attendance of that game was 199,854, making it the world's largest stadium. 

In the following decades, Maracana hosted football matches between the major football clubs in Rio, domestic football cup finals, concerts, and sporting events, including the final round of 1989 Copa América, the 2007 Pan American Games, the 2013 FIFA Confederations Cup, the 2014 World Cup and the 2016 Summer Olympics. 

Although it was inaugurated in 1950, Maracana's construction didn't officially finish before 1965. In 1992, after the collapse of an upper stand during a football match which resulted in the death of 3 spectators, Maracana's capacity was greatly reduced and it was converted into an all-seater stadium. Another renovation in 2000 increased its capacity to 103,000, while a renovation that kept the stadium closed between 2005-2006 reduced it to 87,000.

Another major and costly reconstruction, which included the construction of a new roof, was launched in 2010 to prepare the stadium for the 2014 World Cup and the 2016 Olympics. 

After the Olympics, Maracana has remained empty and unused, as clubs and authorities argue over who should manage it. Although it is owned by the Rio de Janeiro's state government, officials have stopped paying for maintenance and security as the government has been hit hard by Brazil's deep economic crisis. According to media reports and photos, Maracana stadium has been looted and even cables have been stolen. 

Maracana Stadium is the latest victim of the Olympics curse, with sport venues and facilities left abandoned after a city hosts the Olympic Games. 


SEE ALSO: More abandoned Olympic venues around the world // More abandoned sport facilities // More abandoned places in Brazil // LIST OF ALL DESERTED PLACES
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Guito Moreto/Agencia o Globo/thesun.co.uk

Guito Moreto/Agencia o Globo/thesun.co.uk

Guito Moreto/Agencia o Globo/thesun.co.uk

Guito Moreto/Agencia o Globo/thesun.co.uk
Guito Moreto/Agencia o Globo/thesun.co.uk

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