Nova Friburgo (; ; ), commonly referred to as just Friburgo, is a Brazilian municipality in the state of Rio de Janeiro located from the state capital. It covers an area of 935.429 km², and its population was estimated at 203 417 in 2025, making it the 16th most populous in the state.
The city has an average annual temperature of 18.1 °C, and the Atlantic Forest is the predominant vegetation type in the municipality. In 2022 there were 133,702 vehicles in the city. Its Human Development Index (HDI) is 0,745, considering it to be very high compared to the state.
The main economic activities are based on: lingerie, horticulture, goat farming, and industry (textiles, apparel, and the metalworking sector), as well as tourism. It is also the coldest city in the state.
In 1 July 2024, the then-president of Brazil Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva, signed into law No. 14,910, which designates the city as the "Brazilian Switzerland".According to Law No. 14,910: "Art. 1º Fica declarado o Município de Nova Friburgo, no Estado do Rio de Janeiro, como a “Suíça Brasileira”."
History
Early Settlement (1818–1822)
Up to the 19th century, the region of the present Nova Friburgo was inhabited by Coroado Purí Indians.Os índios de Sumidouro. Available in http://sumidouro.chez.com/indios.htm. Access on 9 September 2012.Nova Friburgo entra para a história. Available in http://www.swissinfo.ch/por/specials/Suicos_do_estrangeiro/Nova_Friburgo_entra_para_a_historia.html?cid=875208. Access on 9 September 2012. In 1818, seeking to improve relations with Germany to obtain its support against the French empire, King John VI proposed the creation of a planned settlement in Brazil. A royal decree of May 1818, authorized the Canton of Fribourg of Switzerland, to establish a colony of 100 Swiss families in the Morro Queimado Farm, in Cantagalo District, a place with climate and natural characteristics similar to those in their country.
Expansion and Growth (1822–1890) Between 1819 and 1820, the region was settled by 265 Swiss families, in total 1,458 immigrants. It was named Nova Friburgo (New Fribourg) by the Swiss after the homeland of most of the families.
Following the Independence of Brazil in 1822, the Imperial Government continued the policy of populating the nation by attracting European colonization. Eighty German families previously assigned to settlements in the Province of Bahia, for unknown reasons ended up in Nova Friburgo, where they arrived on the 3 and 4 May 1824. Similar arrivals of Italians, Portuguese and a minority of Syrians led to such population increases that the once village was elevated to city status on 8 January 1890.
Industrialization and Development (1872–present) In 1872, the Baron of Nova Friburgo brought to the region the Leopoldina Railroad, to allow for the flow of the coffee from Cantagalo. Agriculture was the basis of economic activity until 1910, when the arrival of industrialists pioneered the development of an industrial sector still thriving to the present day. The textile industry was led by three industrialists known as the “Teutonic Trinity”: Peter Julius Ferdinand Arp, Maximilianus Falck, and Otto Siems, founders, respectively, of the Arp Lace Factory, Ypu Textiles, Leather, and Metal Products, S.A., and the Filó Factory. Both the capital and the machinery needed for this industry were imported from Germany. The demand for skilled labor led to the immigration of other German technicians and, during World War I, even of German sailors who had initially been detained at the Nova Friburgo Naval Sanatorium as prisoners. In addition to creating jobs, the industry contributed to the city’s development by promoting access to electricity. Entire neighborhoods were even built around the workers’ villages, such as the Ypu neighborhood, which takes its name from the Ypu Factory.
Tourism and Commerce Of similar importance was the relative proximity to Niterói and Rio de Janeiro and the improvement of transport and communication links such as paved roads and telegraph. This encouraged a small tourist industry to grow, which, together with local commerce, became the main source of income for the city.
Geography
According to the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE) in 2022, the municipality covers an area of 935.429 km², of which 43.43 km² is urban. It is located at 22° 16' 55" S south latitude and 42° 31' 51" W west longitude. Its neighboring municipalities are: Cachoeiras de Macacu, Silva Jardim, Casimiro de Abreu, Macaé, Trajano de Morais, Bom Jardim, Duas Barras, Sumidouro, and Teresópolis.
According to the regional division in effect since 2017, established by the IBGE, the municipality belongs to the Petrópolis Intermediate Geographic Region and the Nova Friburgo Immediate Geographic Region. Until then, under the system of micro-regions and meso-regions, it was part of the Nova Friburgo micro-region, which in turn was part of the Centro Fluminense meso-region.
Topography, hydrography, and the environment
The terrain of Nova Friburgo is predominantly mountainous, featuring hills and peaks, and the elevation is over 200 meters above sea level. The highest point is Pico Maior de Friburgo, which rises to 2,366 meters, while the minimum altitude is 846 meters.
The main watercourse that flows through Nova Friburgo is the Bengalas River. The municipality is part of the Grande River basin.
Sometimes, during the rainy season, the rivers that flow through the municipality, especially the Bengalas River, experience rising water levels, causing flooding along their banks, which necessitates an effective flood warning system. The city was one of the areas most affected by the 2011 floods.
Climate
According to the Köppen-Geiger climate classification, the climate is characterized as mild mesothermal (Cfb). According to data from the National Institute of Meteorology (INMET) covering the period from 1961 to 2003, the lowest temperature recorded in Nova Friburgo was 1 °C on four occasions: twice in June 1968, on the 1st and 28th, and the other two on June 7, 1969, and July 22, 1981. However, outside of that period, more recently, the absolute minimum temperature in the municipality was −1.1 °C on September 4, 2011, and August 8, 2014, at the institute’s automatic weather station.
Also according to INMET, during the periods from 1961 to 1983 and from 2002 to 2003, the highest 24-hour rainfall total was 165.4 mm on December 16, 1966. Other high totals included 125.8 mm on October 20, 1962, 113 mm on January 24, 1964, 108.6 mm on January 13, 1978, 105.6 mm on November 28, 1978, and 103.8 mm on December 24, 1966. January 1964, with 503.7 mm, was the month with the highest precipitation.
Districts The municipality is divided into eight districts: Sede, Riograndina, Campo do Coelho, Amparo, Lumiar, Conselheiro Paulino, São Pedro da Serra, and Mury. According to city hall, in 2022 the city consisted of 40 neighborhoods, the most populous of which were Olaria (15,103 residents), Centro (14,233 residents), and Conselheiro Paulino (12,943 residents).
Demographics
In 2022, the population was estimated at 189 939 inhabitants according to the census conducted that year by the Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE). Of the total, 87 254 were men and 94 828 were women. According to the 2010 census, 159 372 inhabitants lived in the urban area and 22 710 in the rural area (16.1%). It is the 16th most populous city in the state, and has a population density of 203,05 inhabitants per square kilometer.
The main language spoken in Nova Friburgo is Brazilian Portuguese, which is the only official language of Brazil, according to the 1988 Constitution.According to the Brazil Constitution, article 13: "A língua portuguesa é o idioma oficial da República Federativa do Brasil."
In the year 2022, 6,8% of the city's population has some form of disability, while 1.2% of the population has been diagnosed with an autism spectrum disorder.
Nova Friburgo's Human Development Index (HDI-M) is considered high by the United Nations Development Programme (PNUD), with a value of 0,745, ranking 648º in Brazil and 13º in Rio de Janeiro. Most of the city's indicators are close to the national average, according to the PNUD. The education index is 0,645, longevity is 0,846, and income is 0,758.
From 2000 to 2010, 3,51% of the population lived above the poverty line, 9.3% were at the poverty line, and 1,28% were below it. The Gini coefficient, which measures social inequality, was 0,42, where 1.00 is the worst and 0.00 is the best. The share of the city's total income held by the wealthiest 20% of the population was 56,57%, or 12,29 times higher than that of the poorest 20%, which was 4,8%.
Religion According to the 2010 IBGE census, the municipal population included 86 882 Catholics, 51 384 evangelicals, 41 Jews, 6,404 Spiritists, 26,598 people with no religious affiliation, and 393 who do not know. The municipality is home to the episcopal see of the Diocese of Nova Friburgo, which is the St. John the Baptist Cathedral, comprising 19 municipalities.
Cathedral of St. John the Baptist
The St. John the Baptist Cathedral was established on 3 January 1820 by a decree of Dom João VI, ratified on 11 January 1820 by the Bishop of Rio de Janeiro, Dom José Caetano da Silva Coutinho.
The church was built in 1861 and opened in 1869. In the 1980s, the Cathedral of St. John the Baptist was designated a heritage site by the city of Nova Friburgo and the state of Rio de Janeiro, receiving its listing from INEPAC.
In December 2019, the community celebrated the 150th anniversary of the church popularly known among Friburgo residents as the Mother Church.
Protestant Church Among the historic Protestant, Pentecostal, and Neo-Pentecostal churches in the city are:
Foursquare Church Christian Congregation in Brazil Assemblies of God
Economy
In the Gross Domestic Product (GDP) of Nova Friburgo, the industrial and service sectors stand out, though agribusiness also plays a significant role, particularly coffee production.
In 2021, wages and other compensation totaled 1,274,274 thousand reais, and the average monthly wage for the entire municipality was 1.8 times the minimum wage. There were 7,893 local establishments and 7,506 active companies.
Primary sector
In 2021, livestock and agriculture contributed 130.267,26 thousand reais to Nova Friburgo's economy, while in 2022, 17.73% of the municipality's economically active population was employed in this sector. According to the IBGE, in 2022, the municipality had a livestock population of 5,644 cattle, 1,210 horses, 5,200 pigs, 330 goats, 350 sheep, and 13,000 poultry, including hens, roosters, broiler chickens, and chicks, as well as 1,250 quails. That same year, the seasonal crop yielded 12,600 tons of tomatoes and 576 tons of cassava. and in permanent crops, 434 tons of guavas, 2,141 tons of bananas, and 1,345 tons of persimmons.
Secondary and Tertiary Sectors