Rua 5 de Julho

Rua 5 de Julho is a street in the Plateau of Praia, in the very center of Praia, Santiago island, Cape Verde. It runs south to north, only the northern portion are used by vehicles today. It is 522 meters long and its elevation above sea level ranges from 33 meters in the south and north, 35 meters in the middle and 38 meters i the northernmost part. Address numbers are ordered northward.

Museu Etnográfico da Praia

Ethnographic Museum and the street before pedestrianization in 2008

About the street

The street is named after the date that Cape Verde became independent.

The street was constructed as early as the 18th century, later the street became cobblestoned out of local basalt.

The street begins at Praça Alexandre Albuquerque (or 12 de Setembro) and Rua Patrice Lumumba, there is north of one of two statues located nearby to the kiosk. It intersects two streets that have become walkways. The first two street is home to the major Praia Market which is now the second most after Sucupira. Nearby is the second LG building and Hotel Praia Maria and Boutique Praia, the first hotel is located at number 29. Two restaurants are on the east of the street, one of them Avis where it has good food in the plateau but has a slow service, and a bakery named Pasterlaria Vilu. The remaining intersections include Rua Dr. António Loreno (then Luis de Camões), a street, Rua Abílio Macedo and Rua Dr. Manuel Arreaga and the rest of the length remains to be used for vehicles and finished at Avenida Amílcar Cabral.

Museu Etnográfico da Praia is on the east of the street at the address number 45, it was first opened in 1997 and was reopened two years after the renovations in 2007.^[1] Nearby is the small Flor de Lis (or Liz) restaurant with traditional cuisine, wide menu and large services, its address number is 43. The PAICV headquarters are located in the northernmost part of the street where it is not pedestrianized. Next to the party's headquarters is the street's only bus stop.

Headquarters of PAICV at the northern end of the street with the direction guide signs

Pedestrianization of the streets including much of Rua 5 de Julho was completed in about 2009, trees were planted by the streets. Over a hundred new small modernized lamp posts were installed with the lighting facing southward.

Most of the buildings features colonial and neoclassical architecture, once dominant on all of the earlier street, there are also modern architecture located on the street and one building has been recently constructed in around 2014.

References

Coordinates: 14°55′08″N 23°30′30″W / 14.919°N 23.5083°W / 14.919; -23.5083