the imperial palace, or paço imperial, is an architecturally stunning building, built in the late 18th century to house the monarchy of brazil. in 1984 the national artistic heritage institute (iphan) decided to make paço imperial a national treasure, giving and indication of its special status among the many historical structures in the city of rio. the space has hosted many art exhibitions as well as cinema and musical events.

the centro cultural banco do brasil (ccbb) which used to be the bank of brazil, houses many auditoriums, video cabins, and exhibitions halls, so there is a great many things to see and admire. in addition, there is a great collection of brazilian jazz music and over 100 thousand books in its libraries, as well as some great restaurants and cafés.