Palácio de Friburgo
The Palácio de Friburgo (English: Palace of Friburgo; Dutch: Vrijburg) also known as the Palácio das Torres (Palace of the Towers), was an official residence built by Count John Maurice of Nassau-Siegen between 1640 and 1642 in what was then Mauritsstad, the capital of the Dutch colony of Nova Holanda ("New Holland") - now the city of Recife, capital of the Brazilian state of Pernambuco. It existed until the second half of the 18th century, when it was demolished due to the damage caused during the Pernambuco Insurrection.
| Palace of Friburgo | |
|---|---|
Palácio de Friburgo | |
Freiburg Palace in detail in an engraving by Frans Post (c. 1643). | |
| Alternative names | Palácio das Torres (Palace of the Towers) |
| General information | |
| Type | Official residence |
| Town or city | Recife
Dutch Brazil |
| Country | Brazil |
| Construction started | 1640 |
| Inaugurated | 1642 |
| Demolished | 1774-1787 |
| Design and construction | |
| Architect(s) | Pieter Post |
When it was built, the palace was the most monumental structure in Brazil, having the first observatory of the Southern Hemisphere. It also housed the first lighthouse and the first botanical garden in the Americas.
Between 2013 and 2015, a virtual model of the palace and its surroundings was developed at the request of Itaú Cultural.