Cultural entities
Among the numerous cultural institutions existing in the state, the Academia de Letras da Bahia, the Portuguese Reading Office, the Geographical and Historical Institute of Bahia, the Bahia Association of Medicine, the Bahia Association of the Press, the Bahia sections of the Brazilian Association stand out. of Writers and the Bar Association.
Among the existing libraries in the capital are those of the Federal University of Bahia, the Public Library of the State, the Monastery of São Bento, the Children’s Library Monteiro Lobato, the Teixeira de Freitas Library, of the State Department of Statistics, and the libraries Petrobras and the cultural institutions mentioned above. Many municipalities in the interior maintain small public libraries.
Museums
City of many museums, the following stand out in Salvador, due to the value and interest of their collections: the Afro-Brazilian Museum and the Museum of Archeology and Ethnology, both in the old Faculty of Medicine; the Bahia Museum of Art; the Museu de Arte Sacra, in the former convent of Carmelitas Descalças; the Museum of Sacred Art Monsenhor Aquino Barbosa, in the basilica of NS da Conceição da Praia; the Abelardo Rodrigues Museum (Solar do Ferrão), with displays of sacred and popular art; the Carlos Costa Pinto Museum, made of silver and furniture; and the Museu do Carmo, the church and convent of the Ordem Primeira do Carmo. Another museum of great interest in the state is Vanderlei de Pinho, in Recôncavo.
Architectural collection
The main attraction of Salvador resides in its architectural collection, formed by churches, forts, palaces and old manor houses. Among the churches, which altogether number 165, there is the basilica cathedral (1656); the NS da Conceição da Praia church (1739-1765); the church (1708-1750) and the convent of São Francisco (1587), with its rich gilt and Portuguese tiles; the church of the Third Order of São Francisco (1703); and the church of Senhor do Bonfim (1745-1754).
Of the countless forts, the most important in Salvador are the fort and lighthouse of Santo Antônio da Barra (1598), the fort of São Marcelo (17th century), the fort of Barbalho or NS do Monte do Carmo (from 1638) ), and the 16th century Monte Serrat fort. Among the palaces, it is worth mentioning the archbishop’s palace of the Cathedral, the palace of Saldanha and the manor of the Count of Arcos.
Among other monuments, the following are worth mentioning: the home of Gregório de Matos, the house where Castro Alves (Colégio Ipiranga) died, the Solar do Unhão, the municipal palace, the Solar Marbak, the Solar Berquó, the birthplace of Ana Néri (Cachoeira ), Casa da Torre de Garcia d’Ávila (Mata de São João), Santa Casa, Teixeira de Freitas’s home (Cachoeira).
Tourism
According to Themakeupexplorer, the city of Salvador and the bay of Todos os Santos are one of the most important tourist attraction areas in the country. Located on a peninsula between the open sea and the bay, Salvador has numerous beaches of fame. On the Atlantic side, starting with Porto da Barra beach, follow the beaches of Farol, Ondina, Rio Vermelho, Amaralina, Pituba, Piatã, Chega-Nego, Boca do Rio, Jardim de Alá, Armação and Itapoã. Next to this is the Abaeté lagoon with its beautiful dunes, systematically depredated, despite being declared of public utility by the city hall.
Among the points of interest there are also the slope and square of Pelourinho (declared cultural heritage of humanity by UNESCO), the Mercado Modelo (former Customs), the port of Saveiros, the center of the old city, and capoeira schools. Among the numerous candomblés, we highlight the Terreiro da Casa Branca, the oldest in the country, listed by the Historical Patrimony in 1984. The island of Itaparica, at the entrance to the bay, also offers several points of tourist interest.
Bahian cuisine, with strong African accents, has become internationally known and its main typical dishes are, among others: abará, acarajé, caruru, efó, milk beans, fish moqueca, sarapatel, vatapá, catadinhos-de-siri, soft crab, scooter (mollusc).
Events & Events
Carnival is the capital’s biggest popular festival, attracting a large number of tourists from all over the country and abroad every year. Among the most popular festivals, the highlights are Santa Bárbara (December 4), Conceição da Praia (December 8), Santa Luzia (December 13), Santos Reis (January 5/6), Iemanjá (February 2), from Divino Espírito Santo (second Sunday after the Assumption), all in Salvador. And also the festivities of Nossa Senhora de Santana (January 18 to February 3), in Feira de Santana, and Nossa Senhora da Vitória (August 15), in Ilhéus.
The main processions are of Nosso Senhor do Bom Jesus dos Navegantes (January 1), Senhor dos Passos (second Friday of Lent) and Nossa Senhora do Monte Serrat (September 2). Other outstanding festivities are the washing of Bonfim (Thursday before the second Sunday after Epiphany), Saturday and Sunday of Bonfim, Monday of Ribeira (after Sunday of Bonfim), the band of Rio Vermelho (two Sundays before Carnival) and Dois de Julho (Independence Day). Folkloric manifestations in the state are rich and varied, with candomblé, capoeira and popular rhythms standing out.
In the interior of the state there are also some tourist attraction centers, such as the historic city of Cachoeira, the national park of Paulo Afonso with the waterfall and hydroelectric plant of the same name, the hydromineral resort of Cipó and, on the coast, the national park from Monte Pascoal. Still on the coast, the beaches of Porto Seguro, Santa Cruz Cabrália, Canavieiras and Ilhéus are worth mentioning.
