Palácio Rio Branco - Salvador, Brazil - Wikipedia Entries on Waymarking.com

It's hard not to notice this large white building in an eclectic style. The Rio Branco Palace is a building which dates from 1549 and was erected on the orders of Tomé de Souza, first governor general of Brazil and founder of the city of Salvador , capital of Brazil from 1549 to 1763, to house the palace of the governor, center of Portuguese administration.

Of modest construction, it was gradually enlarged and had several functions throughout its history, including that of a prison, but also as a place of residence for Dom Pedro II when the emperor came to visit Salvador in 1859.

Circa at the end of the 19th century, the colonial facade, in a then outdated style, was completely renovated in a much more noble and imposing style, inspired by French neoclassical buildings. On January 10, 1912, the palace was one of the targets of the bombing of Salvador decided by the then president, Hermes da Fonseca. The building was then almost entirely destroyed and in particular the loss of a vast collection of rare books was deplored. It was immediately rebuilt, inaugurated by governor Antônio Muniz Sodré de Aragão in 1919, and named Rio Branco in honor of José Maria da Silva Paranhos Júnior, baron of Rio Branco.

Subject to the ravages of time, the palace was the subject of a renovation campaign in 1984, and today houses the Fundação Cultural do Estado da Bahia and the “Memorial dos Governadores”, open to visitors.

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