Ponta Grossa

Infobox City
official_name = City of Ponta Grossa
nickname = Princesa dos Campos
motto = 'Princesa dos Campos'(Princess of the fields)


imagesize = 250px
image_caption = City Landscape


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mapsize = 250px
map_caption = Location of Ponta Grossa
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subdivision_type = Country
subdivision_type1 = Region
subdivision_type2 = State
subdivision_name =flagicon|BRA Brazil
subdivision_name1 = South
subdivision_name2 = Paraná
leader_title = Mayor
leader_name = Pedro Wosgrau (PSDB)
leader_title1 =
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established_title = Founded
established_date = December 6 1855
established_title2 =
established_date2 =
established_title3 = Incorporated
established_date3 = 1842
area_magnitude =
area_total_km2 = 2,067.6
area_total_sq_mi = 798.65
area_land_km2 =
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area_urban_km2 =
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area_metro_km2 =
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population_as_of = 2007
population_note =
population_total = 309,909
population_density_km2 = 150.55
population_density_sq_mi = 388
population_metro =
population_footnotes =cite web |title=Região Metropolitana |publisher=Prefeitura Municipal de Curitiba |language=Portuguese |accessdate=2007-01-08 |url=http://www.curitiba.pr.gov.br/Cidade/cidade_regmetro.htm]
population_density_metro_km2 =
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population_urban =
timezone = UTC-3
utc_offset = -3
timezone_DST = UTC-2
utc_offset_DST = -2
latd=25 |latm=25 |lats= |latNS=S
longd=49 |longm=15 |longs= |longEW=W
elevation_m = 975
elevation_ft =
postal_code_type =
postal_code =
area_code = 42
blank_name = HDI (2000)
blank_info = 0.804 – high
website = [http://www.pontagrossa.pr.gov.br Ponta Grossa, Paraná]
website = [http://www.pontagrossa.pr.gov.br Ponta Grossa, Paraná]

Ponta Grossa is a city in the state of Paraná, Brazil. With a population of over 300,000 inhabitants, it is the 5^th most populated city of Paraná.

It is the second industrial pole of the State, exceeded only by Curitiba—the State's capital and largest city. Ponta Grossa, also known as the "Princesa dos Campos"—Princess of the Fields- is the home of the Ponta Grossa State University (UEPG).

Ponta Grossa is also home town of the "Parque Estadual da Vila Velha" (State Park of Old Town), a park made up of rocky formations formed over millions of years. Each rock formation has its own name, depending on which object/animal they look like.

Other attraction of the city is the Münchenfest - A National Stout Festival with national and international concerts that lasts a whole week and occurs at late November and the beginning of December.

History

Ponta Grossa was founded in 1822, being created in 1823 the “Star Town”, its first denomination. On April of 1855, the town became a city, being separated from Castro and named Ponta Grossa.

The city in its beginning, in the seventeenth century, was oriented by the geographic location and being a route and stop for the sleeping of “troops”, transport of resources and trade between the cities of “Viamão” (on southern Brazil) and Sorocaba (on center-east). Nowadays, Ponta Grossa has the biggest road and rail complex of the south region of the country.

The city already was the second biggest city in the Paraná State (by early 1900) and was the state capital for five days during Guerra dos Farrapos (Farrapos War).

Geography

Limits

To north the cities of Castro and Carambeí, to south the cities of Palmeira and Teixeira Soares, to east the city of Campo Largo and Tibagi and Ipiranga on West

The area is served by many rivers. Among the most important are: Tibagi, Verde, Pitangui, “Chapada” Creek, as well the basin of Botuquara, “Rio da Morte”, “Terra Vermelha Creek” and “Quebra Perna River”.

Tourism

Visitors have many tourist attractions, many of them not accessible by public transport.

Attractions

* Old Town State Park (In portuguese: Parque Estadual de Ponta Grossa)

* Priest's Whole (pt: Buraco do Padre) and Mariquinha Fall (pt:Cachoeira da Marinquinha) - both private properties. For nautical sports, the tourists and ponta-grossenses have the Alagados, 7,5 miles from the downtown. All these places are considered very pretty and calm for family tour. The access to them are by paved and unpaved roads.

For one day trips, attractions from the region of Campos Gerais are also available. Most notably are Guartela Canyon, on the city of Tibagi, and the Dutch village and its historical mill in Castroland District and the Tropeiro Museum, both in Castro.

The most common adventure sports on the region are climbing/rappelling, on country area of Ponta Grossa - like the stone walls on Mariquinha Fall and Priest's Whole - and slalom/canoeing on the Tibagi River, in the city of Castro

* Historical Buildings

From the architectural point of view, the city has an interesting patrimony. Constructions like Vila Hilda Mansion (pt: Mansão Vila Hilda) (actual seat of Culture secretariat), the formers train station Casa da Memória Paraná, Art Station and Longing Station, the Campos Gerais Museum, the Epoch Museum, the Opera Theather, Planalto Palace Hotel, and more, that take us to 19th century and beginning of 20th century, when the city was the third biggest in South Region of Brazil.

Some of the religious attractions are the Resurrection Monastery, Rosario Church, Santa Barbara chapel and São José Graveyard. The city also has other old buildings and houses around XV and Vicente Machado Streets. On the 70's, the city has suffered a boom of modernization on the central area.

New modern and in the forefront constructions are the Santana Cathedral and many private houses.

* Business Tourism and Hospitality

The business tourism increased a lot between 1990's and 2000's with the construction of new hotels, nowadays there are more than 2000 rooms available in Ponta Grossa. For events, the city has lrge areas such as the City of Ponta Grossa Events Center, Slaviero Hotel Convention Center and Palladium Shopping Mall. Other hotels, like Planalto Palace Hotel and Bristol Vila Velha, offer areas for small and medium size events.

* Cultural Attractions and Events

Theater and Musical Concerts area regularly available in places such Opera Theater and Marista Theater. There are four movies theaters in the the city.

There are also annual events, the main is the National Stout Festival, called Münchenfest, with German typical dances and Concerts with national and international artists. Other events are Grape Festival, Rodeo of Rodeos, Campos Gerais Farming and Cattle Raising Fair, called Efapi, and many others.

Education

The city has two public colleges:

* Ponta Grossa State University (UEPG) (Pt: Universidade Estadual de Ponta Grossa)
* Parana Federal Technological University (UTFPR) (Pt:Universidade Tecnológica Federal do Paraná)

Both institutions attract undergraduate and graduate students from many regions, mostly from the south of Brazil. The city also has private colleges as Faculdades Uniao, Faculdades Santa Amelia (Secal) e Sant'Ana, Centro de Ensino Superior dos Campos Gerais (Cescage) and a campus of Centro Universitário Campos de Andrade (Uniandrade).

Culture

In the cultural area, Ponta Grossa is the most detached in the State of Parana. The city has three theaters in perfect conditions of usage, totaling almost 3000 seats, movie theaters, arts gallery and places for visual arts and music expositions and events. On the production of arts are offered college majors in Visual Arts and Music, both at Ponta Grossa State University (UEPG), besides the Ponta Grossa Symphony Orchestra and Paulimo Martins Music School.

Museum

* Campos Gerais Museum
* Epoch Museum
* Egiptian Museum
* Casa da Memória Paraná

Teatros

* Opera Theater
* Marista Theater
* Pax Theater

Cinema

* Multiplex Palladium

Arts Galleries Galerias de arte

* Culture Center City of Ponta Grossa
* pinacotheca Cidade de Ponta Grossa