Blumenau

From Freepedia

For other uses, see Blumenau (disambiguation).

Blumenau is a city in Santa Catarina state in southern Brazil. It was founded on September 2, 1850 by Dr. Otto Hermann Blumenau along with 17 German immigrants. A few years later Fritz Müller migrated to Blumenau as well.

As of 2005, Blumenau had a estimated population of approximately 280,000 people, with an area of 510 km². The main ethnic groups of the city are German and Italian people. The city itself retains many historical and cultural reminders of its past, such as houses and constructions built in a German style, statues and memorials. Image:Blumenauhouse.jpg

The city is located in a valley, surrounded by hills with forests and cut by a river named Itajaí-Açu. There are towers and tall buildings at the central area.

Blumenau has a high standard of living, with an HDI of 0.856 as of 2004. The crime rate is very low and the illiteracy rate is under 2.85%.

Its economy is based on tourism, commerce and industry, particularly textiles, being a major textile center of Brazil. The headquarters of Hering and Karsten are located in the city. Recently, Blumenau has also become important in the area of software, with Senior Sistemas, WK and Benner as its main companies. Other recent area in Blumenau is beer production, with the micro-brewery Eisenbahn.

The most significant period for tourism is during the Oktoberfest, a folklorical beer festival.