Blumenau is one of the most important cities in the State of Santa Catarina. The city, 139 km from the capital Florianopolis, was built close to where the river Itajai meets the affluents Testo, Itoupava, Velha and Garcia.
Blumenau was founded in 1850 by German immigrant Hermann Otto Blumenau and 16 other Germans; they were impressed with the fertility of the soil in the Itajai Valley and the agricultural potential of Brazil.
The colony founded had 15,000 inhabitants in 1880, practically all of them Germans; in 1894, the colony was elevated to the status of city.
Even though the initial settlers had the intention to develop an agricultural colony, many of the immigrants which arrived later had other skills, which changed the business orientation of the city. In the 20th century, Blumenau became an industrial city. In 2000, the city had 261,505 inhabitants. Many people in the rural area of Blumenau still speak German and live by German traditions. Blumenau and the surrounding cities make up of the most important textile clusters in the world; the metallic and machinery sectors are also relevant in the economy of the region.
Blumenau's downtown has a German architectural flavor of half-timber construction with clean streets affording dining, lodging, and shopping that may make you forget you're in South America.
In the 1980s, Blumenau was hit by a severe flood and the waters of Itajai damaged a big part of the city. The local government decided to organize an event to raise funds to rebuild it.
"The Oktoberfest" was organized, like the event with the same name which happens in Munich. The Oktboberfest became a tradition, happening every year from 10 to 27 October. It's one of the most popular parties in Brazil, with over 1,000,000 visitants. The celebration spills from the festival area into downtown, with celebrants consuming almost 100,000 gallons of beer in three weeks.
Today, Blumenau is an important tourist center, a typically combination of European homes, lovely parks and public squares, good hotels, and excellent restaurants and grills rooms. Blumenau is also known for its booming industry, with over 500 factories whose products can be found in more than 2,000 stores around the city. In the rural area one will find remarkable scenery, with more than 30 hunting clubs. Every year these clubs hold celebrations, crowning their king and queen, with a lot of folklore, country dancing and gallons and more gallons of beer.
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