Maçambará combines a clearly defined town center with a history that goes back to the settlement’s beginnings. On Praça Alberi Jovino Foletto, formerly Praça 22 de Outubro, a statue by artist Mano Lima stands in front of the town hall. The square is also a community gathering place. It brings together two distinct perspectives on the town to help you find your bearings: community life and a named cultural landmark.
Praça Alberi Jovino Foletto: Town Center and Art
Praça Alberi Jovino Foletto is in the town center, in front of the town hall, and serves as a community gathering place. Its former name, Praça 22 de Outubro, refers to the same square, now called Praça Alberi Jovino Foletto. The earlier name is therefore part of its history, not the name of a second square. The statue on the square is by Mano Lima, who was born in the locality of Bororé. The square, the area around the town hall and the artwork together create a distinct cultural focal point in the town center. If you want to get to know Maçambará through its named places, the square offers a clear point of reference where community and art come together.
Settlement History and Names
The settlement of Maçambará was founded in 1910 by cattle ranchers from Uruguay. The date and the ranchers’ origins provide a timeline and personal context for the founding story. The settlement’s name also has its own historical origin: Fazenda Recreio gave Maçambará its name. The founding and naming therefore tell different parts of the story. The year 1910 marks the settlement’s beginnings; Fazenda Recreio explains the origin of its name. Together, these details offer a brief guide to how the settlement’s history can be told, without treating the two events as one and the same.
Historical Landmarks in the Municipality
Other, distinct landmarks also form part of the municipality’s history. In the locality of Santo Isidro stands an old house where Osvaldo Aranha was born. Recreio railway station opened in 1913, was renamed Maçambará in the 1940s, and was built of exposed stone masonry. The two examples add different subjects to the story: the house is associated with a person, while the station can be understood through its opening, its later renaming and its construction. Alongside the settlement’s founding and its art, they add biographical and transport-history perspectives.
Protected Area and Natural Environment
The Reserva Biológica do São Donato protects wetlands in western Rio Grande do Sul and includes the area known as Banhado São Donato. It is located in the municipalities of Itaqui and Maçambará. One restriction is important when planning a visit: the protected area is not open to visitors; research is possible only by prior arrangement. The Reserva is therefore relevant as a subject of landscape and nature conservation, but it is not open to the public for sightseeing. This distinction helps set the natural area apart from the cultural landmarks in the town center and municipality.
Discover more destinations: Passo Fundo, São Lourenço do Sul, São Borja, Cachoeirinha, Pinhal, Gravataí, Chapada, Montenegro
For the broader travel overview: Rio Grande Do Sul.
