Blumenau

Blumenau is a city in Santa Catarina state in southern Brazil. It was founded on September 2, 1850 by Dr. Otto Hermann Blumenau along with 17 German immigrants. A few years later Fritz Müller migrated to Blumenau as well.

1 Etmology
2 Demographics
- 2.1 Ethnicity
- 2.2 Religion
3 Geography and environment
4 Economy
5 Divisions
6 Trivia
7 History
8 Famous inhabitants
9 See also
10 References
11 External links

Etmology

The name of the city is of German origin, with Blumen meaning "flowers", and "Au" being a suffix used to refer to floodplains. Blumenau hence means "Floodplain of Flowers".

Demographics

As of 2006, Blumenau had an estimated population of 300,000 people, with an area of 510 km². The main ethnic groups of the city are Germans and Italians. The city displays many historical and cultural reminders of their heritage, such as houses and other buildings built in a traditional German style, statues, and memorials.

Blumenau has a high standard of living, with an Human Development Index of 0.856 as of 2004.^{[citation needed]} The crime rate is very low and the illiteracy rate is under 2.85%.^{[citation needed]}

Ethnicity

Race/Skin color	Percentage	Number
Whites	94.55%	247,527
Pardos (brown)	3.50%	9,171
Blacks	1.16%	3,042
Amerindians	0.13%	340
Yellow (Asian)	0.10%	252

Source: IBGE 2000.^[1]

Religion

Religion	Percentage	Number
Catholics	73.90%	193,474
Protestants	22.13%	57,935
No religion	1.22%	3,200
Kardecists	0.72%	1,894

Source: IBGE 2000.^[2]

Geography and environment

The city is located in a valley bisected by the Itajaí-Açu River, surrounded by hills with forests. The lower areas, including towers and tall buildings in the city center, constantly suffer from the threat of floods. Blumenau's first recorded flood took place in the dawn of September 23rd, 1880. The worst took place in 1983 and 1984, when the city was completely isolated for weeks. Today, Blumenau is well-prepared against such threats, but many citizens prefer to live in higher areas spread into the nearby hills and plains to avoid flooding.

Image:Blumenau2.JPG

Blumenau's downtown.

Economy

The municipality's economy is based on industry, commerce, and tourism. The city is a major textile center of Brazil. The headquarters of Hering and Karsten are located there. Recently, Blumenau has also become important in software development, with Senior Sistemas, WK Sistemas, and Benner as its main software employers. Another recent economic development is beer production, with the micro-brewery Eisenbahn.

The principal commercial streets are found in the central area, with XV de Novembro being the most important thoroughfare. Blumenau also has many shopping centers, with Neumarkt being the biggest, its tower easily visible against the city's skyline.

The most significant period for tourism is during Oktoberfest, a traditional Bavarian beer festival. Oktoberfest was created in 1984 after the second major flood to celebrate the resilience of its people. In 2005 there were 365,288 tickets sold, and 266,811 liters of beer were bought at its pavilions. The record for public attendance was set in 1992, when over 1 million tickets were sold.

Divisions

Blumenau has 1 district, 1 administrative region and 33 neighbourhoods:

Trivia

The city was owned by its founder for 32 years, until it was emancipated in March 18th, 1882.
Blumenau was Brazil's first city to have public electrical lights in the streets. They started working in February 19th, 1909.
The city was divided in 1934, creating four new towns: Gaspar, Indaial, Timbó, and Dalbérgia (later renamed Ibirama).
Cinema began in Blumenau in 1900. Radio arrived in 1935, and television in 1969.
Teatro Carlos Gomes, the city's main theatre, was opened to the public in 1939.
In 1956 the city's first major church opened. It was later rebuilt in 1963, with the addition of a bell tower.
The city's most famous landmark is Moellman's Castle, a replica of the city hall of the German city Michelstadt. It was inaugurated in 1978.
The city's new city hall was inaugurated in 1982.
Blumenau's first shopping center opened in 1994.