Cinelandia Square in Rio is one of the most important squares the city has. It doesn’t have the same fame anymore as it had a hundred years ago when it was called the Broadway of Rio, but historically it has had a great impact on the development of the city. With three important buildings telling these stories, the City Hall, where local politics reside, the City Theater, the cultural highlight of the city with lots of concerts, ballet and opera and the National Library, one of the biggest libraries in the world and the biggest one in Latin America.

In the centre of the square, a monument to Floriano Peixoto, the second president of the Republic, was built in 1910. That is where the square got it is official name from, Praça Floriano. But because of the amount of cinemas that used to be located at the square in the 1920s to 1940s, the square got nicknamed by the locals as Cinelândia. In 1979 a Rio de Janeiro Metro station was opened in the square. Cinelandia Station was one of the first five stations in the then-new network. Now the metro of Rio de Janeiro has 41 stations and is 58 kilometers long.

The square is one of the stops we will have during the 4 hour Panoramic Tour on the bike in Rio. Here you will get a great overview of the history of Rio de Janeiro, how it all began, and what the influence of this square was in development of Rio de Janeiro. It is the first of three stops in the city center we do during the tour. After Cinelandia Square, you will visit Lapa and the colored stairs of Selarón as well.

Read everything about Cinelandia Square in Rio on our travel city guide gringo-rio.com.