ILHA FISCAL
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A small island in Guanabara Bay with a small palace in the Portuguese Manueline style, inspired by a fairy tale
You can't miss this rather kitschy building that sits on a small island in Guanabara Bay. The architect Adolfo del Vecchio was commissioned in 1889 to draw the plans for the new neo-gothic palace. Seen from afar, the Fiscal Island appears turquoise in colour, but it is in fact pistachio green, a very fashionable colour at the time of the empire. It arouses the curiosity of the walker by its location and its architecture, as if inspired by a fairy tale. One would almost find resemblances with the castle of Ludwig II of Bavaria or those that can be seen in Walt Disney's cartoons.
When Emperor Don João VI moved to Rio, he decided to build a small palace there, which, when the ships entered the bay, would make a good impression on all foreigners coming to Rio for the first time. The palace was built in the Manueline style of Portugal, which was very fashionable at the time.
The Tax Island owes its name to the fact that it was to be the place where the taxation of ships entering the bay was carried out. The existence of the harbour master's office was short-lived, because once its construction was completed, the emperor decided to celebrate the famous "Emperor's Ball" in honour of Chilean personalities. Six days later, on November 15, 1889, the emperor was overthrown and the empire was replaced by the republic.
Inside the palace, the walls bear the coats of arms of the two imperial families, the fleur-de-lys of the Count of Eu's family and the arms of the Bragança family.
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