the belgian immigrant population, has long standing historical roots in the city - with the earliest belgian immigrants to brazil and to rio, tracing to the mid-nineteenth century.

it was during this time that europe was ravaged by an economic crisis, as a result of the industrial revolution, which caused a need for jobs and food, motivating many to migrate - brazil, with an abundance of fertile land and minerals, needed to import labor to work the land, after the trafficking of slaves had been abolished, so they looked to europe for workers.

belgians began to travel across the atlantic with the promise of work in brazil - most of the belgian immigrants settled in the southern part of the nation, in the santa catarina area, also due to climatic conditions similar to what they were used to in the native land - some however, settled in rio.

one of the first belgian colonies in rio de janeiro was established in 1841, when charles van lede was asked to establish a project in the city.