Nova Friburgo (; ; ), commonly referred to as just Friburgo, is a municipality in the state of Rio de Janeiro in southeastern Brazil. It is located in the mountainous region, in the Center Mesoregion of the state, from the capital Rio de Janeiro. The town is above sea level, with a population of 189,939 (2022) and its area is 933 km<sup>2</sup>.
Up to the 19th century, the region of the present Nova Friburgo was inhabited by Coroado PurÃÂ Indians. In 1818, King John VI was interested in improving the relationship with Germany, in order to obtain support against the French empire. He then proposed a planned settlement that would promote the civilization 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.
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.
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. 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.
Nova Friburgo was affected by the 2011 Brazilian floods on 11 January with mudslides causing at least 820 deaths and more than 200 people to go missing in the biggest natural disaster in the history of Brazil. The population was left with no water, electricity, food or gas.
Nova Friburgo lies in the mountainous region of the Serra do Mar, in the state of Rio de Janeiro. The Bengalas and rio Grande rivers all flow through or near the city. 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 Brazilian Institute of Geography and Statistics (IBGE), the city has a total area of 360 square miles (933 km2), all land.
Nova Friburgo has a subtropical highland climate (Köppen climate classification Cwb), with fresh and dry winters and humid and mild summers. Annual average temperature is . The hottest temperature ever recorded was on 15 October 1948, and the coldest temperature ever recorded was on 8 August 2014.
As of the census of 2022, there were 189.939 people in the city. The population density was . The racial makeup of the city was 66.3% White, 9.9% Black, 23,6% mixed-race (Pardo), 0.16% Yellow and 0.7% Indigenous.
There are 55,632 households in the city, of which 45.2% had children, distributed as follows: 17,679 no children, but with relatives, 22,061 with children, 1,364 with children and relatives, 1,789 female-headed without spouses but with children, 1,239 male-headed without spouses but with children, 379 male-headed without a spouse, but with children and relatives, and 4,188 other types of households
The median age in the city was 40 years. About 30.56% of the population was between 0 and 14 years old, and 40.43% was 60 years or older.
As of the census of 2010, there were 182.082 people in the city.
The municipality contains part of the Central Rio de Janeiro Atlantic Forest Mosaic of conservation units, created in 2006.
Textiles, clothing, and metalworking are the predominant industries in Nova Friburgo. Craft brewing represents the fastest growing portion of Nova Friburgo's employer base.
The cityâÂÂs main commercial and economic hub is Alberto Braune Avenue, renowned as a hub for shopping, businesses, banks and bustling activity. The avenue is home to the cityâÂÂs highest concentration of shops.
One of the main shopping centres is Cadima Shopping, located in the city centre; it is one of the busiest in the region and opened in 1998. It is home to major retailers and brands such as Lojas Americanas, Casa e Video, Renner, Burger King, Cacau Show, Giraffas and Subway. Another shopping centre is Friburgo Shopping, located in the same neighbourhood and opened in 1997. It houses major retailers and brands such as McDonaldâÂÂs, BobâÂÂs and Burger King.
The main attractions of the city are:
Signals from several free-to-air television stations are available, including SBT Interior RJ, Band Rio Interior and InterTV Serramar (TV Globo). The A Voz da Serra is Nova Friburgo's local newspaper, founded in April 7, 1945.
The Rádio Friburgo is the first radio station of the city, since 1946.