ELEVADOR LACERDA

One of Salvador's postcards. People also come here to take photos, next to the cross inaugurated in 1873. This was the world's first public elevator. The Elevador Lacerda was originally powered by hydraulic pressure - earning it the name Elevador Hidráulico da Conceição, due to its proximity to the church of Nossa Senhora da Conceição da Praia - and replaced the slaves and mules of the colony's early days. It was renamed Lacerda in 1896 in honour of the engineer who designed it. From 1930 onwards, it was fitted with electric motors, a second tower and two passenger cabins (for a current total of 4). At a height of 72 m, it enables 900,000 people a month to travel between the upper and lower parts of the city in 30 seconds. Since 2006, the Elevador Lacerda has been an official part of Salvador's architectural heritage. Long lines of Soteropolitans and tourists crowd the elevator. The elevator is certainly the safest way to travel between the two parts of the city, as the street around the hillock of the upper town - called Ladeira da Montanha - can be unsafe. Finally, the lower town (comercio district) is deserted in the evenings and on Sundays, as it is sparsely populated and dedicated to commercial activities. So it's highly inadvisable to wander around when the locals who work there and the tourists who go to the ferry terminal or the mercado modelo have deserted it.