Cinelândia

This whole area around you is known today as Cinelândia. Ask anyone and they’ll tell you that you’re in Cinelândia Square, when in fact its real name is Floriano Peixoto Square, in honor of the second President of the Republic of Brazil. You’ve seen his statue in front of the library. Cinelândia means ‘Cinema Land’ – so it has something to do with the movies, no suprise there. But why this name? Back in colonial times, the square was home to the Ajuda convent, built around 1750. But in the early 1900s, the Brazilian government decided to give the capital a much-needed makeover. They opened up a central avenue, now known as Rio Branco Avenue, which ran through the historic center. The convent was spared, and the open space all around became a public square that would see the construction of a number of impressive buildings, including the theater, the library and the courthouse you can see on your left. So, where does “Cinelandia” come in? In 1911, they eventually demolished the Ajuda convent. Spanish entrepreneur Francisco Serrador thus saw an opportunity to create a series of buildings to house the city’s finest cinemas. It was thanks to these cinemas that the area came to be known as Cinelândia! When the subway station opened, it was naturally named Cinelândia too, even though most of the cinemas had already closed by then.