Hanging Garden of Valongo

Hanging Garden of Valongo

The Hanging Garden of Valongo (Jardim Suspenso do Valongo) is a fascinating and historically significant green space in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It was built as a romantic garden and a scenic viewpoint, but its location connects it to a much deeper and more somber history. The garden was established in 1906 during the urban reforms led by Mayor Pereira Passos, who aimed to modernize Rio de Janeiro and give it a more “European” feel. The Hanging Garden was designed by the landscape architect Luis Rei and was built on the western slope of Morro da Conceição as a retaining wall for the hillside. The design was inspired by 19th-century European gardens, with terraces, winding paths, and even a small artificial waterfall. It was intended as a tranquil retreat where the city’s elite could enjoy a leisurely stroll.

The garden originally featured four marble statues of Roman deities—Minerva, Mercury, Ceres, and Mars—which were relocated from another pier. While the originals were later moved to the City Palace for preservation after being damaged by vandals, replicas were returned to the garden in 2012 as part of the Porto Maravilha revitalization project. The name “Hanging Garden” alludes to its elevated position, which is 7 meters (about 23 feet) above street level. What makes the Hanging Garden of Valongo so historically poignant is its location in the Saúde neighborhood, an area known as “Little Africa.”

It sits directly above the site of the Valongo Wharf, which was the most important landing point for enslaved Africans in the Americas. This UNESCO World Heritage site is a powerful and somber reminder of the transatlantic slave trade. The garden’s construction, which covered and obscured the remnants of the wharf, is viewed by some as an attempt to erase the painful history of the region in favor of a more sanitized, European-inspired aesthetic. Today, the Hanging Garden of Valongo serves as both a beautiful urban oasis and a key part of the larger Circuit of African Heritage in Rio. It offers a unique and complex experience, where visitors can appreciate its beauty while also reflecting on the profound history of the ground beneath their feet.