Bila Baxo

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Bila Baxo
Neighborhood
Sfilipi.jpg
Country Cape Verde
Island Fogo Island
City São Filipe
Postal code8220

Bila Baxo ) is the historic center of the city of São Filipe, being the second oldest town in the country after Ribeira Grande (now as Cidade Velha) founded in the 16th century. It also includes nearby Bila Riba covering the east. It is located in the western part by the Atlantic Ocean. Its length is about 600 to 700 meters and the ranges from 250 meters in the south to about 500 meters in the north and is bordered by two streams, both of them named Ribeira da Trindade, the east is bordered near EN1-FG01, the island's circular route, One portion in the northeast where the basketball court is along with a square at Rua Cobom is not part of the neighborhood, the old town or the historic part are surrounded by stone walls mainly in the west part. Its elevation is 40 meters about sea level. [1] The area at the beach is being the closest part of the island to Brava which is 18.1 km apart but not their nearby islets.

São Filipe, Cape Verde Settlement in Fogo, Cape Verde

São Filipe is a city on the west coast of the island of Fogo, Cape Verde. It is the capital of the island, and the seat of the São Filipe Municipality. The island's airport, São Filipe Airport, is located on the southeastern edge of the town and the island's port is 4 km north of the center at Vale de Cavaleiros. The town's elevation is 20 meters.

Cidade Velha Settlement in Santiago, Cape Verde

Cidade Velha is a city in the southern part of the island of Santiago, Cape Verde. Founded in 1462, it is the oldest settlement in Cape Verde and its former capital. Once called Ribeira Grande, its name was changed to Cidade Velha in the late 18th century. It is the seat of the Ribeira Grande de Santiago municipality.

Brava, Cape Verde island of the Cape Verde archipelago

Brava is an island in Cape Verde, in the Sotavento group. At 62.5 km2 (24.1 sq mi), it is the smallest inhabited island of the Cape Verde archipelago, but at the same time the greenest. First settled in the early 16th century, its population grew after Mount Fogo on neighbouring Fogo erupted in 1680. For more than a century, its main industry was whaling, but the island economy is now primarily agricultural.

Contents

Church Nossa Senhora da Conceicao. Sao Filipe-Nossa Senhora da Conceicao (1).jpg
Church Nossa Senhora da Conceição.
Fortim Carlota Sao Filipe-Fortim Carlota (1).jpg
Fortim Carlota

Bordering neighborboods is Santa Filomena to the East and, Lem de Maio and Lem de Baixo in the southeast and Achada de São Filipe to the south.

Colonial architecture in the historic center SFilipe1.jpg
Colonial architecture in the historic center
Municipal Museum Sao Filipe-Musee municipal (4).jpg
Municipal Museum
Praca Serpa Pinto Sao Filipe 09.jpg
Praça Serpa Pinto

Its main streets are Cobom, Biblioteca (after its library) and Las Vegas.

History

In 1655 São Filipe was destroyed by Flemish pirates. [2] After what happened, Fortim Carlota was built in 1667 in the south part. The 1680 eruption did not affected the town. Houses with colonial architecture were built in the end of the 19th century. A merchant's house was built in 1820. The church of Nossa Senhora da Conceição (Our Lady of Conception) which was built in a comparatively simple style at the end of the 19th century. [3] Some of the houses in the center are dominated by sobrado style residential houses, the largest in Cape Verde. A town charter was not granted before 1922. [4] After it became a town, the city hall was built in 1928. [5] It was the city hall of Fogo until the breakup into two municipalities in 1991, it became the town hall of São Filipe.

Sobrado (architecture) type of house style building from the Portuguese colonial era

A sobrado is a type of house style building from the Portuguese colonial era, typical in Brazil and other former Portuguese colonies. It is a form equivalent to the Anglo-American townhouse, particularly the creole townhouse in Louisiana. Featuring typically two floors with a balcony, the sobrados were the residences of the urban notable people, notably in the former capital of Brazil, Salvador. They are also found in Cape Verde, particularly in São Filipe on the Fogo island, and in Angola, in Luanda.

Since 2000, many houses have been renovated. Many houses have a colourful or richly decorated façade, wooden balconies or bay windows. In addition to picturesque streets with smaller colonial houses there are about 50 representative mansions to be seen. Some of the buildings have become museums including Casa da Memória and São Filipe Municipal Museum [6] opened on December 13, 2008.

Chapel at Praca Alberto da Silva SFilipe6.jpg
Chapel at Praça Alberto da Silva

After independence, some of the street names were changed, the square became 12 de Setembro.

World Heritage Site elevation plans

A plan to make the historic center as a World Heritage Site began as a nomination in 2004, one of eight in the tentative list. No plans have been made. [7]

About Bila Baxo

Its streets are mainly on the old fashioned system. Notable streets includes Rua Pensão Las Vegas, Rua Biblioteca Municipal where Fogo's chief library is located, Rua Mercado where the city market is Rua Tribunal and Rua Caixa Elétrica, where the public utility's office is located.

Praia da Bila Fogo, Strand bei Sao Filipe.jpg
Praia da Bila

The most important catholic church of the town is Nossa Senhora da Conceição which was built in a comparatively simple style at the end of the 19th century. [3] The church with its two impressive clock towers was renovated several times. The last renovation was completed in 2007. Opposite the church there are several well-preserved colonial houses dating from the 18th century. [1]

The Museum Casa da Memória is at Praça 12 de Setembro [1] in a merchant's house which was built in 1820. The neighbouring house is the municipal museum (Museu Municipal). In its inner court several endemic plants of Fogo, some of which are endangered species, were planted, e.g. Crabo bravo ( Erysimum caboverdiana ) and Língua de vaca ( Echium vulcanorum ). A small house (Funco) was rebuilt in the traditional style using volcanic stones. A part of the pavement of the inner court consists of basalt stones. Southeast of the circle is São Filipe's post office.

<i>Echium vulcanorum</i> species of plant

Echium vulcanorum is a species of flowering plants of the Boraginaceae family. The species is endemic to Cape Verde. It is listed as an endangered plant by the IUCN. The species was first described in 1935 by Auguste Chevalier. Its local name is língua-de-vaca, a name that may also refer to the related species Echium hypertropicum and Echium stenosiphon. The oil of its seeds contains γ-linolenic acid, and is used for medicinal and dietary purposes.

Basalt A magnesium- and iron-rich extrusive igneous rock

Basalt is a mafic extrusive igneous rock formed from the rapid cooling of magnesium-rich and iron-rich lava exposed at or very near the surface of a terrestrial planet or a moon. More than 90% of all volcanic rock on Earth is basalt. Basalt lava has a low viscosity, due to its low silica content, resulting in rapid lava flows that can spread over great areas before cooling and solidification. Flood basalt describes the formation in a series of lava basalt flows.

Praia da Bila located in the west, a black beach, is 40 m below the city center. It is not very clean, and on many days the sea is very rough. [5]

The historic place Praça Serpa Pinto is in the northwest of the center about 40 m above the beach Praia da Bila consisting of black volcanic sand. There are several colonial houses, monuments and a small park. The view point Miradouro da Bila Baxo in the northern part of the place offers a beautiful view of the beach and the neighbouring island of Brava and the surrounding islets.

In the south is Praça Alberto da Silva, a rectangular place with a small park and a chapel in a typical residential area seldom visited by tourists, is worth a visit. There are several shops, a bakery and a small internet café. The place offers a beautiful view of a part of the city and its surroundings. That portions has most of the buildings built during the 20th century.

Several hotels are in Bila Baxo including Las Vegas, Bela Vista and Savana (the dominant feature of the lower part of the island)

Landmarks and points of interest

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Funco (architecture)

Funco is a traditional Capeverdean house that originated from Africa. Its houses are mainly founded on the islands of Fogo, Santiago and Maio, it is represented in Guinea-Bissau. Its circular form are made of different kinds of rock. The conical roof is made up thatch of palm leaves and has only a piece.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 Richard Trillo, São Filipe The Rough Guide to West Africa
  2. ↑ Ingrid und Peter Kirschey: Kapverden, p. 156. Köln 2009
  3. 1 2 Susanne Lipps: Kapverdische Inseln, p. 253-254. Ostfildern 2009.
  4. ↑ Pitt Reitmeier: Cabo Verde - Kapverdische Inseln, p. 386. Bielefeld 2009.
  5. 1 2 Rolf Osang. Kapverdische Inseln, p. 134-135. Cologne 2001.
  6. ↑ "Ilha do Fogo - Históroa dos sobrados" [Fogo Island - History of Sobrados] (in Portuguese).
  7. ↑ "Town of São FIlipe". UNESCO's Tentative List of Turning to World Heritage Sites.

Coordinates: 14°53′42″N24°29′53″W / 14.895°N 24.498°W / 14.895; -24.498

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