Brazil has just gained another World Heritage site. The legacy of one of the 20th century's greatest landscape architects, the Roberto Burle Marx Site (SRBM) was recognized on Monday, July 26, during the 44th Session of the World Heritage Committee of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).
The Site was recognized under the Cultural Landscape category, which includes properties that represent the interaction between the natural environment and human activities, resulting in a modified natural landscape. Brazil now has 23 properties inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List, a registry of sites considered to possess outstanding universal value for human culture.
Located in Barra de Guaratiba, in the West Zone of Rio de Janeiro, the property spans 405,000 square meters and houses a botanical collection of more than 3,500 species of tropical and subtropical plants, cultivated in nurseries and gardens. It is also a special unit of the National Institute of Historic and Artistic Heritage (Iphan), a federal agency under the Special Secretariat for Culture and the Ministry of Tourism.
Gardens, plant nurseries, seven buildings, and six lakes make up this unique space. The property also houses a museum collection of over three thousand items, including a large repertoire of Burle Marx's own artistic production, his collections of modern, Cuzco, Pre-Columbian, sacred, and Brazilian folk art, as well as crystals and shells, in addition to furniture and everyday household objects.
The Nomination Process
The nomination process began in 2015 when the site was added to Brazil's World Heritage tentative list. Developed by Iphan with contributions from numerous partners, the final dossier for the Burle Marx Site was submitted to UNESCO in January 2019. The document highlights the property's value as a botanical and landscaping laboratory.
In the second half of 2019, the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) conducted an "evaluation mission" at the Site, a key step in the nomination process. The visit resulted in a final report that supported the World Heritage Committee's evaluation.
The UNESCO designation establishes an international commitment to preserve the site. One of the next steps will be to formalize a management plan for the Site and its surrounding buffer zone from a world heritage perspective. This plan will involve various government institutions and civil society stakeholders, defining a framework of responsibilities for all partners. The plan will map out risks and outline actions to mitigate potential threats to the SRBM's outstanding universal value.
The History of the Site
In 1949, Roberto Burle Marx and his brother Guilherme Siegfried purchased the property to house a botanical collection, experiment with new plant combinations, and cultivate seedlings. Over the years, the house was successively renovated and expanded; the Loggia, the Party Hall (known as the Stone Kitchen), the Stone House, the Administration Building, and the Studio were built, and the 17th-century Chapel of Santo Antônio da Bica was restored and kept in use by the local community.
In 1985, Burle Marx donated the Site to the federal government to ensure its preservation, the continuity of research, the dissemination of knowledge, and the sharing of this unique space with the public. Following the artist's death in 1994, the site has been managed by Iphan and has become a cultural center.
Via Iphan.
This article was written by Romullo Baratto. The translation is powered by AI.
