Petrópolis

Emperor Pedro I passed this way in 1822 on the road to Minas Gerais, stayed at a farm owned by a priest named Correia and found the climate so pleasant that he planned a summer palace there. He abdicated in 1831 before it was built. On 16 March 1843 his son, Pedro II, signed a decree ordering both a settlement, to be peopled by German immigrants, and the summer palace, begun in 1845. The town was planned by the engineer Major Julius Friedrich Koeler, with the palace, public buildings and commerce in the centre and districts for the settlers around it.

For the rest of the empire Petrópolis was the summer capital in all but name. The court moved up from Rio each year, Pedro II spent at least forty summers here, diplomats lived in the town for most of the year, and wealthy families came to escape yellow fever on the coast. In 1877 the first telephone line in Brazil was strung from the palace.

After the republic was declared in 1889 and the imperial family went into exile, the city remained a summer seat for presidents at the Rio Negro Palace and was the state capital from 1894 to 1902. In 1947 the Quitandinha hotel hosted the signing of the Rio Treaty. On 15 February 2022 extreme rainfall caused floods and mudslides that destroyed parts of the city and killed at least 231 people.

Petrópolis's identity rests on its imperial past. The palace that became the Imperial Museum is one of the most-visited museums in Brazil, Pedro II is entombed in the cathedral, where Princess Isabel and the Count of Eu were later also buried.

The German settlers left a strong mark on the city's street names, family names and festivals. The Bauernfest, the festival of the German settlers, has been held each winter since 1989, with music, folk dance, food and beer, and opens the winter high season. Portuguese, Afro-Brazilian, Italian, Syrian, French and Lebanese communities also shaped the city, and the Serra Serata is an annual festival of Italian culture.

Beer is part of the culture: a 2017 law recognised Petrópolis as the state's beer capital, and breweries large and small are a source of local pride. The city also hosts a regular calendar of cultural events, including the Rock the Mountain music festival.

The 2022 census counted about 279,000 people in the municipality, the largest in the state's mountain region; the population has been roughly stable or slightly falling since around 2000. The city stretches along narrow valleys from the historic centre through the districts of Itaipava and Pedro do Rio, where the land falls lower; most people live in the neighbourhoods that line the rivers and climb the slopes on either side.

The economy combines tourism with brewing — Grupo Petrópolis and Bohemia are based here — clothing, especially the wholesale and retail shops of Rua Teresa, chocolate-making and services.

The steep valleys shape everyday life. Housing climbs the hillsides, and when summer storms break, rivers rise fast and slopes can give way, as they did with deadly results in February 2022. Since then rebuilding and the safety of homes on the slopes have been constant local concerns. Winters are the busy season for visitors, and weekends in the centre and Itaipava are crowded.

The cool climate and immigrant history give Petrópolis a different menu from the coast. German heritage shows in the traditional German dishes served especially at the Bauernfest, such as sausages, sauerkraut, Sauerbraten and Black Forest cake, washed down with beer, and Itaipava has many of the city's restaurants.

Beer is central. Petrópolis is one of Brazil's largest brewing centres: the Bohemia brand began here in the 19th century, Grupo Petrópolis produces Itaipava and other brands, and craft breweries have multiplied. Chocolate is the other local product, made in the city and sold in shops in the centre and along Rua Teresa.

Coffee and cake in a confeitaria near the palaces is part of a visit, as are the everyday Brazilian staples of rice, beans and grilled meat at per-kilo lunch restaurants. In winter, a hot chocolate or a cold local beer after a walk through the centre is the typical end to a day.