The 1743 governors' palace where colony, kingdom and empire were run.
Landmark buildingThe Paço Imperial is the low whitewashed colonial palace on Praça XV de Novembro, a few steps from the ferry terminal to Niterói and Paquetá. For close to 150 years — from 1743 to the end of the Empire in 1889 — this was the working center of power in Brazil, and today it runs as a free cultural center with exhibitions, a bookshop and cafés in its courtyards.
Praça XV around it is the historic core of the city: the Arco do Teles passage, the Tiradentes Palace, the Chafariz do Mestre Valentim fountain and the weekend antiques fair are all within a block. It is the natural starting point for understanding how Rio's Centro grew.
Address: Praça XV de Novembro 48, Centro, Rio de Janeiro
Engineer José Fernandes Pinto Alpoim built it for governor Gomes Freire de Andrade, taking Lisbon's riverside royal palace as his reference; it opened in 1743 as the Casa dos Governadores. When Rio became colonial capital in 1763 it became the viceroys' palace, and with the Portuguese court's arrival in 1808 it was elevated to Paço Real, the seat of king and later emperors.
Key moments of Brazilian history happened at its windows and doors, including Princess Isabel's signing of the Lei Áurea abolishing slavery in 1888. IPHAN listed the building among Brazil's first protected monuments, and a 1980s restoration returned it to public use as a cultural center.
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