at a glance

the famous boardwalk of copacabana, commonly called called 'calçadão', commissioned by mayor pereira passos in 1906, is no exception. 

the design was insired by the rossio square (praça de dom pedro iv) in lisbon - and, to reinforce this, the very stones forming the boardwalk, white calcite and black basalt, were imported from portugal. along with the stones came a group of portuguese pavers who used their considerable experience in the construction.

there was more to it than simple architectonic interest and design, though - at the time, the city like the rest of the world was suffering from outbreaks of typhus, yellow fever, and even plague.

the boardwalk allowed water to infiltrate the soil, which along with the efforts and policies of the renowned oswald cruz actually helped to stop the spread of diseases - the 2.6 mile-long boardwalk, running along the beaches of copacabana and leme, was refurbished in the 1970s to extend the sand area.