Castro: Tropeiro History and Dutch Heritage

Castro brings together memories of the Tropeiros and the history of Dutch immigrants. Museums, historic buildings and the Rio Iapó, which flows through the city, offer different ways to explore the development of the city and the Campos Gerais. If you are looking for a cultural focus for your trip, you can choose between regional history, architecture and Dutch folklore.

Tropeiros and the History of the City

The Museu do Tropeiro is housed in an 18th-century building at Praça Getúlio Vargas, No. 11, in central Castro. Its collection recalls tropeirismo, which was fundamental to the historical, economic and cultural development of Castro and Paraná. Its themes range from tropeiros to historical documents and objects, sacred art and regional handicrafts. Other evidence of social and cultural life in Castro adds to this perspective. This makes it possible to connect the history of the tropeiros with insights into different aspects of local life.

Fazenda Capão Alto is also part of Tropeiro history: it was the tropeiros’ first stop in Castro and marked the beginning of settlement in the Campos Gerais. The fazenda is listed as state heritage. The Rio Iapó flows through the city; the slow-moving river is also associated with the passage of the tropeiros. Together, these connections give a sense of how closely Castro’s history is linked to movement through the region.

Historic Houses and Architecture

Casa de Sinhara, also known as Casa Mascarenhas, is one of the oldest buildings in the historic centre and shapes the city’s historic character. Built in the first half of the 19th century, the house displays features transitional between colonial and neoclassical urban architecture. On 4 January 1982, the state of Paraná designated the building as a heritage site; significant parts of its original elements have been preserved. Casa da Sinhara offers another perspective on the past: furniture, accessories and household items from the period convey the everyday lives of the women of Castro from the 17th to the 19th centuries.

Another historic trace leads to the Estação Ferroviária de Castro. The railway station opened in December 1899 and was a testament to rail transport for passengers, freight and goods in the Campos Gerais. After Rede Ferroviária Federal S.A. decommissioned it, the building was repurposed in 1992 through work carried out by the city government. Since then, it has housed activities of the municipal cultural department and has retained a public and cultural function.

Dutch Memories in Castrolanda

The Centro Cultural Castrolanda consists of two buildings: the Memorial da Imigração Holandesa, opened in 2001, and the Museu Histórico de Castrolanda, opened in 2016. Together, they form a complex dedicated to the community’s culture and memory. In the historical museum, furniture and objects donated or lent by the pioneers’ families tell of their search for a new life in their new home. The Boerderij-style building is modelled on typical farmhouses in the north of the Netherlands, with the living area and the stable or barn connected.

A striking symbol of this immigration history is the Moinho De Immigrant, also known as the Memorial de Imigração. The 37-metre-high monument, built with a wooden structure without nails, opened in 2001 to mark the colony’s 50th anniversary and honour Dutch immigrants. Inside are a permanent historical exhibition, an event hall, a café-restaurant, a handicraft shop and a library. The Grupo Folclórico Holandês de Castrolanda also helps preserve Dutch traditions through dance and music. The group was founded in 1953 after the first Dutch families arrived in the Município de Castro. The young people were led by sports teacher Thilly Kleinsmidt and initially called the dance group “Grupo Holandês em Tamancos”.

Those interested in the region’s religious history can find another historic connection at the Capela de Santo Antônio do Capão Alto. It became a religious focal point for the local population; baptisms, weddings and burials of the region’s first inhabitants took place there. Castro’s cultural heritage thus spans the Tropeiro era, immigration and the railway, as well as the life stories of the region’s first inhabitants.

More Places to Discover

Discover more destinations in Almirante Tamandaré, Santa Terezinha De Itaipu, União Da Vitória, Sarandi, Matelândia, Cornélio Procópio, Rolândia and Foz Do Iguaçu.

For the broader travel overview: Paraná.