In the Catete district, next door to Laranjeiras, the Palácio do Catete was the center of power in Brazil for more than six decades. Today it houses the Museum of the Republic, and its gardens are among the area’s best-loved green retreats — enjoyed by residents, students and families with children.
The palace was built between 1858 and 1866 for Antônio Clemente Pinto, Baron of Nova Friburgo, one of the great coffee barons of the Empire. The eagles crowning the top of the building earned it the nickname “Palácio das Águias” (Palace of the Eagles). Its lavishly decorated rooms show the wealth of the 19th-century coffee elite.
In 1897 the federal government moved the Presidency of the Republic here, and it stayed in Catete until 1960, when the capital moved to Brasília. It was also here, on August 24, 1954, that President Getúlio Vargas took his own life in his bedroom; the room has been preserved and is part of the visit.
Since 1960 the palace has been the Museum of the Republic, with historic rooms, furniture, objects linked to the presidents and exhibitions on the country’s political history. The complex also has a cinema, a bookshop and a café, and often hosts temporary shows and cultural events.
For many locals, the highlight is the garden: a romantic-style park with a lake, a grotto and century-old trees, open to the public. People come to read, stroll and let the children play — a pocket of shade and quiet in the middle of a busy neighborhood.
Tips: the garden is lovely for a late-afternoon break. Check the museum’s opening times on the official channels — they may differ from the garden’s — as well as the cinema program. Combine it with a stroll around Largo do Machado and Rua do Catete nearby.
Official website: Museu da República ↗