CHRIST STATUE, BRAZIL´S WONDER OF THE WORLD

Christ Redeemer, symbol of the City of Rio de Janeiro, is one of the 7 New Wonders of the Modern World, through the voting carried out on the Internet and through cell phone messages, organized by the New 7 Wonders Foundation, of Switzerland, amongst 21 participating monuments around the globe. The carioca [original from the city of Rio de Janeiro] postal card standing 38 meters high, had its corner stone established in 1922 and its opening on October 12th, 1931, being the only Brazilian wonder, besides important other wonders also elected such as the Great Wall of China (between 200 BC and 1500 AD); the Hellenist temple of Petra, in Jordan (9 BC to 40 AD); Machu Pichu in Peru (15th Century); Rome’s Coliseum in Italy (70 AD to 82 AD); Taj Mahal in India (1630 to 1652) and the temple of the Maya civilization Chichén Itzá in Mexico (435 AD to 455 AD). The Pyramids of Giza in Egypt received the title of hors-concours, for being the only wonder (2500 BC) remaining from the ancient world.

The choice was well deserved. From its 38 meter of height – and 710 meters of the Corcovado Hill - , the Christ is the image of the carioca people faith and sympathy and celebrates, in 2007, 76 years of existence. Since May 2000, when it received new lighting, the monument and its accesses have been enduring a revitalization process. The high point was the opening of the mechanized access in 2002, with panoramic elevators and escalators. Thus, there is no longer the need to climb 220 steps of stairs that lead to the statue’s feet.

The Christ Redeemer counts now on three panoramic elevators, each one capable of taking 14 people. The access is through an area that assists both the visitors that arrive by car and the visitors that come from the Railroad platform of the Corcovado station. Metallic footbridges were also built, sustained by another structure with approximately four meters wide and four escalators, with traffic capacity of 9 thousand people per hour. The trip starts there, for the tower, with 31 meters in height, will uncover the first view of the city. To complete the access to the statue, four escalators were installed.

And even before reaching the Christ, the visitors may already get to know a bit of the post card’s history. The Cosme Velho Station, entirely revitalized, was turned into a modern and comfortable leisure and entertainment venue. A new boarding area was built, besides tourism support stores, VIP room and an auditorium. The main highlight is the Cultural Room, where the entire history of the Railroad and the Christ Monument is told.