Beautiful Horizon - Belo Horizonte, Brazil

Belo Horizonte, wich means "Beutiful Horizon", is the third biggest and wealthiest city of Brazil. It is the capital of Minas Gerais state, located in the southeastern region of the country.
The first settlements in the region occurred in the early 1700s, but the city as it is known today was planned and constructed in the 1890s, in order to replace Ouro Preto as the capital of Minas Gerais. It is nowadays well known for the contrast between contemporary and classical buildings, being in fact the location of many modern Brazilian architectural icons.
Belo Horizonte has plenty of significant cultural landmarks, many of them situated in the Pampulha district, where there are very symbolic examples of Brazilian contemporary architecture. These include one of the largest football stadiums of the world, the Mineirão stadium, and the São Francisco de Assis Church, widely known as Igreja da Pampulha, designed by famous Brazilian Modernist architect Oscar Niemeyer. In Pampulha there is also the Universidade Federal de Minas Gerais campus, whose buildings themselves are important contributions to the city's architecture.



Pampulha Museum of Art







Pampulha Church








As in the rest of Brazil, football is the most popular sport among locals. Belo Horizonte has two of the most successful teams in the country, and the city also has one of the biggest football stadiums in the world, the Mineirão, opened in 1965.






Next to downtown is the famous Savassi region, where most of gastronomic and cultural activities occur, as well as the best of the city's nightlife. Many landmarks are located there, such as the Praça da Liberdade (Liberty Square), and its surrounding buildings, including the old Governor's house (Liberty Palace), the first building to be finished during the city's planned development in the 1890s.



























Belvedere
Belvedere is a wealthy district of Belo Horizonte, it's a very young neighborhood that has grown up around BH Shopping, a big shopping mall located in south of Belo Horizonte.













Alta Vila
Alta Vila is a shopping center and panoramic tower where is located Hard Rock Cafe Belo Horizonte












Hope you like it



thanks to all brazilian forumers, all these photos were taken or/and posted by SCC brazilian forumers and none of these pictures is mine