Train station area gardens: the creation and evolution of Dr. José Esteves Square, in Lavras-MG

Iracema Clara Alves Luz,Schirley Fátima Nogueira Da Silva Cavalcante Alves Alves,Patrícia Duarte De Oliveira Paiva

doi:10.14295/oh.v23i4.1117

Iracema Clara Alves Luz, Schirley Fátima Nogueira Da Silva Cavalcante Alves Alves + Show 1 more

Open Access

https://doi.org/10.14295/oh.v23i4.1117

Copy DOI

Journal: Ornamental Horticulture	Publication Date: Jan 5, 2018
Citations: 3	License type: cc-by

Affiliation: Universidade Federal de Lavras

Abstract

Studying the origins and transformations of a public square throughout time is extremely important, since it motivates its preservation and the consecration of its history. Therefore, the objective of this study was to carry out historic-cultural and landscape analyses of Dr. José Esteves Square and its whereabouts, built near a train station located in Lavras, Minas Gerais, Brazil. This research focused on the period between 1721 (settlement) and 2014. Dr. José Esteves Square was created to ornate and supports the arrival of passengers at the train station of Lavras. The way this public square was built is somewhat different from most public squares in Brazil, which are normally constructed around a church. Lack of maintenance, due to privatization, and the abandonment of train station facilities, made the gardens and areas around Dr. José Esteves Square lose their importance and the aesthetic characteristics they once had.

Highlights

As well as other factors that are highly important for society and ingrained into the memory of the population, allow certain gardens and public squares to be regarded as historical, as mentioned in the Letter of Florence (CARTA DE FLORENÇA 1981): “A historical site is a defined area that remounts to a memorable fact: the location to a major historical occurrence, to the birth of a notorious myth or to an epic battle, issue of a famous event, etc.”
Within the reality in Brazil, public squares are equivalent to historical gardens when it comes to symbolic importance, since they are places where people meet and cohabit, just like public squares, gardens and footpaths in both historical towns and large cities (CARTA DE JUIZ DE FORA, 2010)
The Arraial de Lavras do Funil became an area for agriculture and cattle breeding (NÉMETH-TORRES, 2012), allowing the implementation of a branch from the railroad Estrada de Ferro Oeste de Minas (EFOM), which would be responsible for transporting passengers and products arising from agriculture and industries

Summary

Introduction

As well as other factors that are highly important for society and ingrained into the memory of the population, allow certain gardens and public squares to be regarded as historical, as mentioned in the Letter of Florence (CARTA DE FLORENÇA 1981): “A historical site is a defined area that remounts to a memorable fact: the location to a major historical occurrence, to the birth of a notorious myth or to an epic battle, issue of a famous event, etc.”.within the reality in Brazil, public squares are equivalent to historical gardens when it comes to symbolic importance, since they are places where people meet and cohabit, just like public squares, gardens and footpaths in both historical towns and large cities (CARTA DE JUIZ DE FORA, 2010). As well as other factors that are highly important for society and ingrained into the memory of the population, allow certain gardens and public squares to be regarded as historical, as mentioned in the Letter of Florence (CARTA DE FLORENÇA 1981): “A historical site is a defined area that remounts to a memorable fact: the location to a major historical occurrence, to the birth of a notorious myth or to an epic battle, issue of a famous event, etc.”. Even if there are neither facts, nor highly important constructions, such places still have a historical value, once they may serve as a stage for daily life events, causing the population to be emotionally attached to their memories therefrom. When Brazil was a colony of Portugal, the core of a village between the 16th and the 19th century used to be a chapel, around which there would be the first public open spaces in the country (JUSTE and PAIVA, 2015): these places used to be the stage to religious manifestations, such as christenings and processions, as well as civil, commercial, military and political acts (CALDEIRA, 2010), which originated the municipal public squares

Objectives

Methods

Results

Conclusion