Pomerode
Municipality
Municipality of Pomerode
Flag of Pomerode
Flag
Official seal of Pomerode
Seal
Nickname(s): 
A cidade mais alemã do Brasil
(The most German city in Brazil)
Motto(s): 
"Unser Kleines Deutschland"(German)
"Nossa Pequena Alemanha"(Portuguese)
(Our Little Germany)
Location of Pomerode
Location of Pomerode
Pomerode is located in Brazil
Pomerode
Pomerode
Coordinates: 26°44′27″S 49°10′37″W / 26.74083°S 49.17694°W / -26.74083; -49.17694
Country Brazil
RegionSouth
State Santa Catarina
FoundedJanuary 21, 1959
Government
 • MayorErcio Kriek
Area
 • Total215.904 km2 (83.361 sq mi)
Population
 (2020 [1])
 • Total34,010
 • Density114/km2 (300/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC-3 (UTC-3)
 • Summer (DST)UTC-2 (UTC-2)
HDI (2010)0.780 – high[2]
Websitewww.pomerode.sc.gov.br

Pomerode (Portuguese: [pomeˈɾode]) is a Brazilian municipality in the state of Santa Catarina, in Southern Brazil. It is located in the valley of the Itajaí-Açu river, not very far from the city of Blumenau, one of the largest cities in the state.

Pomerode is known as the most German city in Brazil, because the vast majority of its inhabitants are of German descent and are bilingual in German and Portuguese. The East Pomeranian dialect of Low German is also used by the community.[3]

History and the local language

Pomerode was founded by Pomeranians in 1861 and is considered the "most typically German of all German towns of southern Brazil".

One very remarkable characteristic about Pomerode is the fact that 90% of its residents speak German.[4] There is also a group of persons in the community who speak the East Pomeranian dialect of Low German.[5]

Ethnic composition

Race/Skin color Percentage Number
White 92.01% 25,542
Pardo (Multiracial) 7.19% 1,996
Black 0.61% 169
Asian 0.14% 38
Amerindian 0.05% 13

Source: IBGE 2010.[6]

Religion

Religion Percentage Number
Catholics 31.17% 6,896
Protestants 66.39% 14,690
No religion 0.98% 217
Kardecists 0.13% 29

Source: IBGE 2010.[7]

Lutherans are 63.76% of the population, as German Pomerania was traditionally overwhelmingly Lutheran. Over time, some of the Pomeranians converted to Catholicism, and Catholics from the rest of Brazil moved into the town.

Tourism and economy

South gate in Pomerode

Pomerode has a long history developing its manufacturing industry like other cities in the region. It is also located in a very rich agricultural valley. Additionally, in the last few decades the creation and development of the tourist industry has become a priority. To accomplish that, great efforts are being made to reinforce and celebrate the pioneering roots of the local inhabitants.

The tourist industry of nearby Blumenau (about 30 km (19 mi) away) is very well developed attracting hundreds of thousands of visitors annually to its festivals such as Oktoberfest of Blumenau, the largest one in the world after the original festival in Munich. Naturally, this has generated a very positive impact on the tourist industry of much smaller Pomerode.

In addition to tourism the economy is dependent on industry, which includes knitted clothing, plastic articles, state of the art metal and mechanical industries, garments and cloth, and furniture.

Notable people

References

  1. ↑ IBGE 2020
  2. ↑ "Archived copy" (PDF). United Nations Development Programme (UNDP). Archived from the original (PDF) on July 8, 2014. Retrieved August 1, 2013.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  3. ↑ Lei Nº 2.907, de 23 de maio de 2017 - Dispõe sobre a co-oficialização da língua pomerana à língua portuguesa no município de Pomerode.
  4. ↑ Perry, Francesca (2 October 2015). "What are the most 'emotionally stable' cities in the US?". theguardian.com. Retrieved 27 June 2016.
  5. ↑ Lei Nº 2.907, de 23 de maio de 2017 - Dispõe sobre a co-oficialização da língua pomerana à língua portuguesa no município de Pomerode.
  6. ↑ "Sistema IBGE de Recuperação Automática - SIDRA". ibge.gov.br. Retrieved 27 June 2016.
  7. ↑ "Sistema IBGE de Recuperação Automática - SIDRA". ibge.gov.br. Retrieved 27 June 2016.
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