Nova Friburgo (; ; ), commonly referred to as just Friburgo, is a municipality in the state of Rio de Janeiro in southeastern Brazil. It is located in the mountainous region, in the Center Mesoregion of the state, from the capital Rio de Janeiro. The town is above sea level, with a population of 189,939 (2022 Census) and its area is 933&nbsp;km<sup>2</sup>. In 1818, King John VI was interested in improving the relationship with Germany, in order to obtain support against the French empire. He then proposed a planned settlement that would promote the civilization in Brazil. A royal decree of May 1818, authorized the Canton of Fribourg of Switzerland, to establish a colony of 100 Swiss families in the Morro Queimado Farm, in Cantagalo District, a place with climate and natural characteristics similar to those in their country.

Between 1819 and 1820, the region was settled by 265 Swiss families, in total 1,458 immigrants. It was named Nova Friburgo (New Fribourg) by the Swiss after the homeland of most of the families.

Following the Independence of Brazil in 1822, the Imperial Government continued the policy of populating the nation by attracting European colonization. Eighty German families previously assigned to settlements in the Province of Bahia, for unknown reasons ended up in Nova Friburgo, where they arrived on the 3 and 4 May 1824. Similar arrivals of Italians, Portuguese and a minority of Syrians led to such population increases that the once village was elevated to city status on 8 January 1890.

In 1872, the Baron of Nova Friburgo brought to the region the Leopoldina Railroad, to allow for the flow of the coffee from Cantagalo. Agriculture was the basis of economic activity until 1910, when the arrival of industrialists pioneered the development of an industrial sector still thriving to the present day. Of similar importance was the relative proximity to Niterói and Rio de Janeiro and the improvement of transport and communication links such as paved roads and telegraph. This encouraged a small tourist industry to grow, which, together with local commerce, became the main source of income for the city.

Nova Friburgo was affected by the 2011 Brazilian floods on 11 January with mudslides causing at least 820 deaths and more than 200 people to go missing in the biggest natural disaster in the history of Brazil. The population was left with no water, electricity, food or gas.

Geography

Nova Friburgo lies in the mountainous region of the Serra do Mar, in the state of Rio de Janeiro. The Bengalas and rio Grande rivers all flow through or near the city. Its neighboring municipalities are: Cachoeiras de Macacu, Silva Jardim, Casimiro de Abreu, Macaé, Trajano de Morais, Bom Jardim, Duas Barras, Sumidouro, and Teresópolis.

According to the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE), the city has a total area of 360 square miles (933 km2), all land.

Demographics

In 2022, the population was estimated at 189 939 inhabitants according to the census conducted that year by the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE). According to the 2010 census, 159 372 inhabitants lived in the urban area and 22 710 in the rural area (16.1%).

Of the total population in 2010, 35 838 inhabitants were under 15 years old, 128 357 were aged 15–64 and 17 887 were 65 or older. In 2010, the life expectancy at birth was 75,77 years, and the total fertility rate per woman was 1,87.

Indicators and religion

left|thumb|[[Cathedral of St. John the Baptist, Nova Friburgo|Cathedral of St. John the Baptist]]

Nova Friburgo's Human Development Index (HDI-M) is considered high by the United Nations Development Programme (PNUD), with a value of 0,745, ranking 648º in Brazil and 13º in Rio de Janeiro. Most of the city's indicators are close to the national average, according to the PNUD. The education index is 0,645, longevity is 0,846, and income is 0,758. The Gini coefficient, which measures social inequality, was 0,42, where 1.00 is the worst and 0.00 is the best. The share of the city's total income held by the wealthiest 20% of the population was 56,57%, or 12,29 times higher than that of the poorest 20%, which was 4,8%. The municipality is home to the episcopal see of the Diocese of Nova Friburgo, which is the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist, comprising 19 municipalities.

Ethnicities and imigration

In 2022, the population consisted of 125,897 white people, 18,825 Black people, 301 Asian people, 44,773 mixed-race people, and 132 Indigenous people. 172,145 residents were originally from Rio de Janeiro, and of that total, 124,740 were born in Nova Friburgo.

Politics

alt=Nova Friburgo City Hall|left|thumb|[[Nova Friburgo City Hall]]

Municipal administration in Nova Friburgo is carried out by the Executive and Legislative powers. The Executive is led by the mayor, supported by a cabinet of secretaries. The first mayor was Everard Barreto de Andrade. The mayor elected in the 2024 municipal elections was Johnny Maycon, re-elected by Partido Liberal with 64,99% of valid votes for his second consecutive term, alongside Rodrigo Ascoly (MDB) as vice-mayor. The council is responsible for drafting and voting on fundamental laws for administration and the Executive, particularly the participatory budget (Budget guidelines law). As of January 2024, the city had 62 920 voters, according to the Superior Electoral Court (TSE).

Economy

thumb|Avenue Alberto Braune, in the center of Nova Friburgo in 2024In the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of Nova Friburgo, the industrial and service sectors stand out, though agribusiness also plays a significant role, particularly coffee production.

In 2021, wages and other compensation totaled 1,274,274 thousand reais, and the average monthly wage for the entire municipality was 1.8 times the minimum wage. There were 7,893 local establishments and 7,506 active companies.

Primary sector

alt=Strawberry farm in the Campo do Coelho district|left|thumb|Strawberry farm in the [[Campo do Coelho district]]

In 2021, livestock and agriculture contributed 130.267,26 thousand reais to Nova Friburgo's economy, According to the IBGE, in 2022, the municipality had a livestock population of 5,644 cattle, 1,210 horses, 5,200 pigs, 330 goats, 350 sheep, and 13,000 poultry, including hens, roosters, broiler chickens, and chicks, as well as 1,250 quails. That same year, the seasonal crop yielded 12,600 tons of tomatoes and 576 tons of cassava. and in permanent crops, 434 tons of guavas, 2,141 tons of bananas, and 1,345 tons of persimmons.

Attractions

alt=Pedra do Cão Sentado|thumb|Pedra do Cão Sentado

Attractions in the city include:

  • Pedra do Cão Sentado: located along the highway connecting Nova Friburgo to the municipality of Bom Jardim, with a height of 111 meters.
  • Demerval Barbosa Moreira Square: Located next to Getúlio Vargas Square, the square is frequently used for cultural events, such as street theater, Carnival, and others.
  • Getúlio Vargas Square: It is the city's main square. It has been listed by the National Institute of Historic and Artistic Heritage since 1972.
  • Marcilio Dias Square: also known as Paissandu Square, the square is surrounded by beautiful, towering trees. The square is where the city’s dance groups hold their rehearsals.
  • Suspiro Square: A charming spot where the cable car is located, the Chapel of St. Anthony, Troubadours Square, the Fountain of Suspiro, the Military Training Program, Laércio Ventura Municipal Theater and Praça das Colônias.
  • Nova Friburgo Country Clube : The city’s only country club, founded in April 1957. It covers an area of 194,000 square meters.
  • St. John the Baptist Cathedral: It was consecrated in 1869. The cathedral district comprises 19 municipalities and is one of the city's few cathedrals.
  • Jardim do Nêgo: Geraldo Simplício, a native of Ceará known as Nêgo, is in charge of the sculpture museum. It covers an area of nearly 30,000 square meters.
  • Três Picos State Park: The largest state park in Rio de Janeiro, with entrances on RJ-130 and RJ-116.
  • Pico da Caledônia: Pico da Caledônia is the second-highest mountain in the Serra do Mar range, with an elevation of 2,257 meters.
  • Juárez Frotté Municipal Park: Located six kilometers from downtown in the Cascatinha neighborhood. It is a very popular tourist attraction in the neighborhood, drawing around a thousand visitors The theater opened in September 2008.

Media

Signals from several free-to-air television stations are available, including SBT Interior RJ, Band Rio Interior and InterTV Serramar (TV Globo). The A Voz da Serra is Nova Friburgo's local newspaper, founded in April 7, 1945.

The Rádio Friburgo is the first radio station of the city, since 1946.

Infrastructure

Housing and Crime

alt=Praça Demerval Barbosa Moreira|thumb|[[Praça Demerval Barbosa Moreira]]

In 2022, the city had 97,082 permanent private households. Of this total, 57,943 were single-family homes, 3,135 were townhouses or condominiums, and 15,370 were apartments. That year, 78.54% of households were connected to the public water supply system; 99.43% of dwellings had garbage collection (whether through a cleaning service or not); 99.43% of residences had a bathroom for the exclusive use of the household, and 74.54% were connected to the sewer system.

As in most medium- and large-sized Brazilian cities, traffic accidents remain a problem in Nova Friburgo. In 2021, the rate of assaults in the municipality was 8.87 per 100,000 inhabitants. The suicide rate that year was 7.30 per 100,000 inhabitants. As for the rate of deaths from traffic accidents, the figure was 10.5 per 100,000 inhabitants. Nova Friburgo is considered the second safest municipality in the state of Rio de Janeiro.

Heart

The healthcare network includes 22 primary care clinics, one health center, four general hospitals, two specialized hospitals, and three psychosocial care centers (CAPS). The municipality is home to several major hospitals. One of them is Raul Sertã Hospital, the city’s main and most important hospital, which is administered by the Nova Friburgo municipal government and serves as a referral center for the interior of Rio de Janeiro. Raul Sertã Hospital was inaugurated on April 28, 1918. Another major hospital is São Lucas Hospital, which opened on April 17, 1966.

Transports

Public transit

In 2022, Nova Friburgo had a fleet of 133,702 vehicles, including 83,835 cars, 3,632 trucks, 5,638 pickup trucks, 8,670 pickup trucks, 23,476 motorcycles, 2,958 scooters, 1,765 utility vehicles, 340 buses, 366 minibuses, 358 tractor-trailers, and 26 other types of vehicles, with cars being the most commonly used.

Nova Friburgo has two bus terminals: the Rodoviário Sul, which opened in 1995 and is located in Ponte da Saudade, and the Terminal Norte, located in Duas Pedras. In the city center stands the old city bus station, now called Estação Livre, which serves the city with both urban and rural routes.

Roads and highways

Major highways in Nova Friburgo includes:

  • RJ-116
  • RJ-142
  • RJ-150
  • RJ-148

Emergency services

Visible policing is carried out by the Rio de Janeiro State Military Police (PMERJ), through the 11th Battalion, headquartered in the municipality.

Fire service is provided by the Rio de Janeiro State Military Fire Department, 6th Military Fire Brigade, headquartered in the municipality.

Notable people

  • Edson Barboza, professional mixed martial artist and former Muay Thai kickboxer
  • Saudade Braga, first female mayor of the municipality
  • Jhennifer Conceição, swimmer
  • Rafael Galhardo, football player
  • Marlon Moraes, professional mixed martial artist
  • Gustavo Nery, football player
  • Benito di Paula, singer-songwriter and pianist

References