Marechal Hermes, a typical neighborhood in the north side of Rio de Janeiro, has a vast history since its founding as a working-class neighborhood planned by President Marechal Hermes da Fonseca, inspired by his travels to Germany and France.
Marechal also became well known for having an amusement park. Called IV Centenário, it provided entertainment for many neighborhood residents until it was shut down in 2012. Today, a Family Clinic stands where the park used to be.
The IV Centenário amusement park. Source: Melhora Marechal page (Facebook)
Image description: This is a black-and-white photograph of an amusement park. On the left side, we see a large Ferris wheel and some trees. In the center, there is a vintage bus in motion. On the right, people are walking along the sidewalk. In the background, we see more trees and a structure that appears to be part of the park.The park was frequented by many cariocas and had several attractions, such as bumper cars, a Ferris wheel, a carousel, a mini plane ride, among other rides. Besides that, it was full of food stalls selling hot dogs, popcorn, etc.
Photo: personal collection
Image description: This is a photograph of two people on a carousel. The image is in black and white. On the left side, we see an adult holding a child. Both are seated on a horse decorated with black dots. In the background, other carousel animals are visible, including a horse and an elephant. The amusement park lights are on, illuminating the surroundings.He left a mark on many people, like Cristilene - mother of student Stephany - who used to visit the park when she was a student at a nearby school. She passed this habit on to her daughter, who used to go on several rides accompanied by her father, including her favorite, the bumper cars. The ticket to go on each ride cost only 1 real, an affordable price that made it possible to visit every weekend.
Photo: personal collection
Image description: This is a photograph of two people on a carousel ride. The image is in vivid colors, with the red of the horse and the blue of the carousel roof standing out. On the left side, we see the carousel's red horse. On the right side, we see an adult and a child sitting together. The adult is wearing a blue t-shirt and gray pants, while the child is wearing a pink top and shorts. Both are holding a golden chain that connects the horse to the carousel. The background shows the carousel's roof, with decorative details in blue.One of the iconic facts about the park is that a music video was once filmed there. In the 90s, singer Baby Consuelo - very famous at the time - recorded "Barrados na Disneylândia," a song that told of the day when she and her family were barred from entering Disney. She used IV Centenário Park to simulate Disney in the filming.
"Barrados na Disneylândia" clip - YouTube
Marechal Hermes, besides having an important historical and architectural heritage, has a great cultural heritage thanks to places like the IV Centenário park, which, even after its closing, remains in the population's memory.
