Ilha Fiscal, Rio de Janeiro, Rio de Janeiro State, Brazil
This Brazilian palace island was once the site of the last grand ball before revolution.
Located in Guanabara Bay, Ilha Fiscal is an island that was used by the local government to build a palace that would serve as the offices of the Brazilian customs authority.
The building was devised by Pedro II of Brazil who commissioned his engineer, Adolfo José del Vecchio to develop the project.
The works resulted in a small palace inspired by the works of French architect Viollet-le-Duc with a Gothic-Provence style, it was inaugurated on April 27th, 1889 in a ceremony attended by the Emperor and several foreign guests.
The palace itself served as the scene for the last ball offered by the imperial government some months later, on November 9th. The event was planned to celebrate the silver anniversary of Princess Isabel and the Count of Eu. Some (fairly questionable) sources state that between 3,000 to 5,000 people were invited to the party and that the extravagant celebration was fueled by national resources originally intended to sustain the victims of a severe drought in the northeastern state of Ceará.
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