Have you heard of Corcovado Hill? It’s on this hill that the statue of Christ the Redeemer is located in Rio de Janeiro. Find more details about this location in this text. Read!
CORCOVADO HILL
The famous Corcovado Hill is one of the best-known places in Brazil. At 710 meters high, the Corcovado hill is within the Tijuca National Park. It’s located in the West area of the city.
THE HILL AND THE CHRIST
In this place is located Christ the Redeemer, statue that is 38 meters high and can be seen from different points of the city. Without a doubt, it’s the most visited tourist attraction in Rio de Janeiro and a symbol of the country. Christ the Redeemer is considered one of the Seven Wonders of the Modern World, in a vote in July 2007!
When visiting Christ the Redeemer you will have a privileged view of the city. From the top of the Corcovado hill, you can see the other cities, the Guanabara Bay and even the mountainous region of Rio de Janeiro State.
CURIOSITY
The first name given by the Portuguese to the hill in the 16th century was “Pinnacle of Temptation”. It was an allusion to the passage in the Bible of the “Final Temptation of Christ”, where the devil took Jesus to a “very high place.” The passage also says that the Apostle Matthew, explains the place as a very high place and that from there it’s possible to see “all the kingdoms in the world”.
In the following century, the curved shape of the hill was observed and it was named Corcovado. This name resembles a hump. In Latin, the word CORCUVARE, where COM is “together” and CURVARE is “fold, curve”. So, Corcovado is one that has a hump. The name has become popular and until today the famous hill is called Corcovado.
Find out here Christ the Redeemer Curiosities.
THE CORCOVADO IN THE ARTS
Corcovado Hill has been a source of inspiration for several works in literary works, cinema and the arts in general. In music, one of Tom Jobim’s songs is called Corcovado and refers to the hill. Read an excerpt:
“Muita calma pra pensar
E ter tempo pra sonhar
Da janela vê-se o Corcovado
O Redentor, que lindo”
“Too calm to think
And have time to dream
From the window, you can see Corcovado
The Redeemer, how beautiful”
Beautiful, isn’t it? 🙂
HOW TO ACCESS?
To reach the peak of Morro do Corcovado and the statue of Christ the Redeemer it’s possible through an access road inaugurated in 1930. There’s also the option to access the attraction with the Corcovado Train, an electric train.
The Corcovado Railway was inaugurated by Dom Pedro II in 1884 with steam traction. This is the smallest railway in the world, only 3,824 meters long. The trains started to have electric traction in 1912.
See here How to get to Christ the Redeemer.
OTHER DETAILS
You must imagine that Christ the Redeemer is the most visited tourist spot in the city, right? Yes. Christ the Redeemer attracts more than 1 million tourists, including Brazilians and foreigners. The statue was only inaugurated in October 1931.
Have you ever visited Christ the Redeemer? Don’t miss this opportunity. From the top of the hill, you will see many neighborhoods in the south area, such as Copacabana and Ipanema beaches, Lagoa Rodrigo de Freitas, Botafogo and Aterro do Flamengo, as well as Maracanã and Sugarloaf Mountain.
TIP
Give preference to visiting Corcovado Hill and Christ the Redeemer on sunny days, as the presence of clouds will block you from enjoying the views of the attraction.
FAMOUS VISITORS
Many personalities have visited the Corcovado hill. They were: Michael Jackson, Albert Einstein, Princess Diana and even Barack Obama. Do you also need to go there, right? HAHA.
SPORTS ACTIVITY
If you like sports activities in the middle of nature, Corcovado Hill also offers you that. You can do rock climbing and trails that give access to Christ the Redeemer. Very interesting, isn’t it?
Get more information about these activities here in the text about Tijuca Forest.
As you can see, everything in Rio de Janeiro has its charms. Be sure to make the most of your visit to the wonderful city!