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[title]It's hard to imagine that just a few decades ago, this entire area was underwater. Today, Flamengo Park is an essential part of Rio's stunning landscapes and has become the largest urban park in the world. To understand its story, we need to look back at the significant urban transformations that Rio went through in the first half of the 20th century.
The idea came from landscape designer Carlota de Macedo Soares, better known as Lota, who was a close friend of Governor Carlos Lacerda. Legend has it that during a party at Lacerda's house, which overlooked Flamengo Beach, she pitched the idea of creating a mega park on reclaimed land from the sea. But she wasn't thinking of just any park—she envisioned a space that would enhance the quality of life, curb real estate speculation, and reconnect the city's residents with their surroundings.
The project brought together a team of experts from various fields, including traffic and infrastructure—after all, they had to figure out how to integrate the park into the existing traffic flow between the South Zone and Downtown. Architect Affonso Reidy, who had already designed the Museum of Modern Art in 1953, was tasked with creating the park around it. And of course, the landscaping was done by none other than Roberto Burle Marx.
The construction used material from the demolition of the Morro de Santo Antônio, and part of Flamengo's coastline had to be altered to complete the project. The park was inaugurated in October 1965 as Parque IV Centenário but was later renamed Parque Brigadeiro Eduardo Gomes, while the area near Botafogo Beach became Parque Carlos Lacerda. Today, though, the entire area is simply known as Aterro do Flamengo.
Spanning 1.2 million square meters, the park boasts over 12,000 trees from various Brazilian and tropical species. You'll find skateparks, soccer fields, multi-sport courts, areas for model airplanes, bike paths, and a huge lawn that's perfect for picnics. The park also features several restaurants, the National Monument to World War II Dead, the Carmen Miranda Museum, the Estácio de Sá Monument, and the Museum of Modern Art, where the G20 Summit will be held on November 18 and 19.