Paço Imperial

This colonial palace on Praça XV was built in the eighteenth century as the residence of colonial governors and later served the Portuguese royal family and Brazilian emperors. From its balcony the decree freeing enslaved people and other historic acts were announced to crowds in the square. Restored in the 1980s, the low whitewashed building with arched windows now functions as a cultural centre with exhibition halls, a cinema and bookshops. Its central location beside the old waterfront anchors historic downtown Rio.