Bangu (neighborhood)

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Bangu is a traditional neighborhood located in Rio de Janeiro, state of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. It is located in the city's Western Zone, being one of the most populated neighborhoods, with a population of 244,518 inhabitants (according to the info provided by the Instituto Brasileiro de Geografia e Estatística, IBGE, in the 2000 demographic census) distributed in an area of 4,570.69 ha (17.6475 mi²). It is located in the city's border, and it borders the municipality of Nova Iguaçu and the neighborhoods of Campo Grande, Senador Camará, Santíssimo, Realengo and Padre Miguel. Here was born José Mauro de Vasconcelos, a famous Brazilian writer.

1 Etymology
2 History
3 Bangu Penitentiary Complex
4 Sports
5 References
6 External links

[edit] Etymology

The word Bangu has two different meanings. It is a word of Tupi language origin, meaning black rampart or black wall, and it is also a word derivative from the African bangüê, which was the name given by the slaves to the mill where the sugar cane's bagasse was stored ^[1].

[edit] History

In 1673, Manuel de Barcelos Domingues built in his farm, named Fazenda Bangu, a private chapel, called Paróquia de Nossa Senhora do Desterro de Campo Grande. In this location started the first economical activity of the place, with the foundation of the Engenho da Serra, which was a sugar cane mill.

In 1889, the Companhia Progresso Industrial do Brasil, founded on February 6 of that year, bought several farms, including Fazenda Bangu, and the construction of a factory in the place started. The sugar cane farming was replaced by the cotton farming. At this time, there was only one street in the region, named Estrada Real de Santa Cruz, used by the Jesuits.

In 1890, the Bangu railway station was inaugurated, stimulating the neighborhood's growth and development. Bangu became a proletarian neighborhood, exporting fabric to Europe.

On March 8, 1893, the Fábrica de Tecidos Bangu (Bangu Fabrics Factory) is inaugurated, with the presence of the country's vice-president, Floriano Peixoto and the Federal District's mayor.

After 1900, several streets were built, and the first school, called Marco Seis was inaugurated.

In 2004, part of Bangu was separated from its original area and became a new neighborhood named Gericinó.

On October 30, 2007, a major shopping mall named Bangu Shopping started its operation in the same building previously occupied by the defunct Fábrica de Tecidos Bangu.

[edit] Bangu Penitentiary Complex

The Bangu Penitentiary Complex is a maximum security prison, composed of 17 penal unities. Nine of them are penitentiaries (only the Talavera Bruce is a women's prison), one is a penal institute, four are safehouses, one is a penal sanatorium and there are two hospitals ^[2].

Fernandinho Beira-Mar, a Brazilian druglord, was held in the Bangu Penitentiary Complex from 2001 to 2003, before being transferred to a Presidente Prudente prison ^[3].

[edit] Sports

Bangu Atlético Clube is a traditional football club based in the neighborhood and founded in 1904. The club plays its home matches at Estádio Moça Bonita, inaugurated in 1947.

Céres Futebol Clube, founded in 1933, is another neighborhood's city club. Céres plays its home matches at Estádio João Francisco da Silva.

Croatian international footballer and current Arsenal star Eduardo da Silva is originally from Bangu and lived there before moving to Croatia as a 16-year-old. ^[4]