In general, sugar is a very old product for us. The first mention of it dates back to the XI century. For the preparation of kutya, it is written in the "Questioning" of Kirik (hieromonk and domestic of the Novgorod Antoniev monastery) to Bishop Nifont of Novgorod (1129-1156), “take three parts of boiled wheat, and the fourth part - peas, beans and companion, also boiled, season with honey and sugar ". Initially, sugar was delivered, most likely from Constantinople, later (in the 15th century) across the Black Sea region from the Genoese. In the XVI-XVII centuries - from Germany through Poland and Lithuania. And already from the 18th century - through St. Petersburg from all over Europe.
Sugar was brought in as spices and sold at a high price. And not everyone could afford it. In Russia, for example, drinking tea with sugar with a bite has become a common habit only since the 18th century. That old sugar was naturally made from imported cane. Peter I tried to curb foreign merchants and ordered to make sugar in Russia. A decree of March 14, 1718 ordered the Moscow merchant Pavel Vestov to open a sugar factory in Moscow on favorable terms. Vestov was obliged to produce a product from imported raw materials, "in quality and taste no worse than imported and at a price lower than overseas." In the event that the plant "multiplies", the emperor promised to completely ban the import of finished sugar into the country. On April 28, 1721, Peter I kept his promise by issuing a decree "On the prohibition of the import of sugar into Russia", which did not apply only to granulated sugar.
In 1718, he even established a sugar chamber. For the sake of fairness, it should be noted that the name "sugar chamber" existed in Russia before. So, the historian Ivan Zabelin mentions the existence of "a sugar or vegetable chamber that produced and released sugars, spicy potions, dried and sugared fruits" in the Bread Palace in the royal chambers of the 17th century. True, unlike the times of Peter the Great, then it was only one of the departments of the palace kitchen.
However, then sugar was made here from imported sugar cane. Beets began to be used as a raw material much later. The basis for this was the discovery of the German chemist Andreas Marggraf, who in 1747 proved that sugar is found in significant quantities in beets. At the same time, it turned out that it is not inferior in taste to the cane one. According to the scientist's research, fodder beets contained about 1.3% sugar. A student of Marggraf, Franz-Karl Ashar (Achard), continued his research and even achieved state support in the person of King Frederick William III, who gave him 50 thousand thalers for further experiments. With this money, in 1802, Ashar opened a sugar beet processing plant on his own estate in Lower Silesia.
The inexhaustible theme of the primogeniture of Russian science and discoveries received a natural continuation in this matter. The fact is that the first experiments in the field of sugar beet processing appear in this period in our country. A native of Livonia, Major General Georg (Yegor) Blankenagel became interested in this problem, and most importantly, managed to interest the Russian authorities in it. The journal "Otechestvennye zapiski" (T.VIII, St. Petersburg, 1840. p. 94) even calls its note about Blankenagel's experiments in an unambiguous way - "Proofs that the honor of the original production of sugar from beetroot belongs to Russia."
Unfortunately, the wars that broke out soon in Europe and Russia interrupted the experiments of both Ashar and Blankenagel. And the production of sugar from beets resumed only in the 1820s. And in 1840 in Russia there were 164 factories that belonged to the successors of Blankenagel Gerard and Maltsev, the landowners Bakhmetyev, Davydov, Neitgardt
Guanabara Bay Is an amazing place where islands, hills and the sea alternate. But most exotic of all Sugar loaf this bay of Rio de Janeiro, followed by countless beaches.
The Sugar Loaf is only 396 meters high. But its slopes are completely vertical, no vegetation grows on them. That is why the conquest Sugar Loaf Is not an easy task. In 1565, the Portuguese settled at the foot of the mountain. But for the first time, an Englishwoman managed to conquer the Sugar Loaf, it happened in 1817. Then the British flag was planted at the peak of the mountain. Today Sugar Mountain is the favorite place of tourists. Now travelers do not have to climb up the steep cliffs, they climb the Sugar Loaf in cozy funiculars. 
Visit Sugar Loaf- mandatory part excursion program Rio de Janeiro... And this is truly an unforgettable train experience and an amazing experience!
Sugarloaf offers tourists its observation decks, an incredibly fabulous view of Rio de Janeiro, a wonderful landscape of the blue sea and golden beaches, the panorama of the city at night and the glowing statue of Christ, located on the Corcovado mountain, and, of course, the very top of the cliff. Many visitors are curious about the origin of the mountain's sweet name. Sugar loaf... There are several versions of the origin of this name, but it is still not clear which one is correct. But the first thing that comes to mind is the shape of the Sugarloaf. To some it resembles a lump of sugar, to others - an Easter cake. Locals they say that the mountain was originally called "sugar bread". It is possible that the name of the mountain comes from the sugar cane, which once grew in abundance here. Or an Indian phrase Pão de Açúcar was simply misheard and misinterpreted by the Portuguese ... 
On the top Sugar Loaf even on a hot day it is cool and fresh. That is why there is nothing here but wonderful views of Rio de Janeiro. Next to the Sugarloaf is another mountain-rock Urka... The height of this hill is only 220 meters. It fits a large Entertainment Center with a variety of restaurants, concert venues, etc. On Mount Urca you will be offered a helicopter ride over Rio de Janeiro - this is one of the most popular entertainment in Rio.
Sugar Loaf - a series of hills located on the Urca Peninsula, consists of the Sugar Loaf rock (which gave the name to the complex) and Mount Babylon. Sugarloaf Mountain, along with the statue of Christ the Savior, is the "face" of the city of Rio de Janeiro and one of the most famous places Brazil. The unique natural features surrounding its waters of the Guanabara Bay make this place an attractive tourist destination.
As an added bonus, a cable car ride to the summit is offered, linking Praia Vermelha and Moro da Urca with Sugar Head. The route and structure of the lift was developed in 1908 and opened in 1912, becoming the first lift installed in the country and the third in the world. For more than ninety years of its existence, it has transported about thirty million people. The last cable car station offers panoramic views of the city of Rio de Janeiro.
Pan de Asucar - the highest rock of the complex - consists of a solid granite-gneiss block more than six hundred million years old, which arose during the division of the South American continent and Africa. Its height is 395 meters above sea level. She is rich different kinds plants, several endemic species of bromeliads and orchids grow here. The southern slope is covered with an almost continuous vegetation carpet, making a striking contrast to the poor flora of the northern side. The foot is surrounded by the remains of the Atlantic forest, at the top is the last station of the cable car.
The name of the mountain is associated with the production of sugar from cane, when for transportation the product was made into pieces of a similar shape. Another version says that the name in the native languages sounded Pau-nh-acuqua and was translated as "high hill".
In addition to the mechanical lift, you can get to the top along one of 270 climbing routes organized by specialized companies. The first ascent was made along the eastern, most gentle slope, in 1817. Albert Einstein, John F. Kennedy and Elton John visited the Sugarloaf. American tightrope walker Stephen McPeak walked along the cable of a lift with a counterweight pole. The summit of Pan de Asucar has been the backdrop for several movie scenes.
It differs from other mountains and hills in Rio in that a Portuguese settlement was founded near it in 1565, which later became the city of Rio de Janeiro. But we are primarily interested in the practical and tourist side of the issue. There is a cable car on Sugar Loaf and offers great views of Rio. We will go there.
How to get to Sugar Loaf
Sugarloaf Mountain itself is located in the Urca area. The beginning of the ascent is located at the end of Pasteur Avenue (Avenida Pasteur, 520). You can get here by tourist bus Turistico City Rio. They arrive at central square General Tiburcio, next to which there are ticket offices where tickets for the cable car are sold.
It will be cheaper to get there by local shuttle bus No. 107, 511, 512, 513. The nearest station is Botafogo, from which buses No. 511 or 513 go. The fare by bus is about 1 USD, by metro 1.2 USD.
Or if you go far and inconvenient, you can take a taxi. It is inexpensive, for example a taxi from Ipanema Beach to Sugar Loaf cost us 17 R $ (5 USD).
The most economical ones can walk from Botafogo metro to Sugar Loaf, on foot for about 20 minutes.
Sugar Loaf Tickets
The cost of a Sugar Loaf hectare ticket for adults is 62 R $ (20 USD), children from 6 to 12 years old 31 R $ (10 USD), children under 6 years old are admitted free.
Tickets are sold daily from 8.00 to 19.50.
You can climb the mountain from 8.10 to 21.00.
The funicular has 3 stops: Red Beach (Praia Vermelha) - landing and the beginning of the ascent, Mount Urca (height 220 meters) - this is the second stop and Mount Sugar Loaf (396 meters) - the most high point, third stop. The ascent between any two stops takes approximately 3-5 minutes.
Advice: The first mountain (Urca) can be climbed on foot, saving half the money on the funicular and having an unforgettable climb pleasure. The entrance to the path is indicated by a signpost and this passage is quite official. In order to find the entrance to the path, from Praia Vermelha, facing the beach, turn right into the park and follow the path until you see an ascent. The first 5 meters are quite steep, then go up the stairs for 10-15 minutes and at the end of 5 minutes along a gentle path to the very top.
At the stop, Mount Urka is big observation deck with all sorts of goodies, souvenirs, cafes, there is even Helipad with a helicopter that can fly you for 10 minutes for some 300 USD.
Almost the entire city is visible from Sugar Loaf, for example, the famous Copacabana beach at a glance.
The entire Guanabara Bay and Flamenco Beach are visible.
If the haze is not very dense, then the statue of Christ the Redeemer is perfectly visible from the Sugar Loaf.
On Sugar Loaf, among other things, there is a small museum where you can learn the history of this place, as well as a very pleasant park where local animals, miku monkeys and various tropical birds live.
It is better to come to Sugar Loaf in the late afternoon (at 17.00), at this time there are not so many people and most importantly, you can see Rio day and night (it gets dark at about 18.00).
reference
- Sugar Loaf ticket costs 62 R $ (20 USD)
- Funicular to the Sugarloaf is open daily from 8.00 to 21.00
- The height of Sugar Loaf Mountain is 396 meters
- You can climb Mount Urka on your own without a funicular.
Sugarloaf Mountain (Pão de Açúcar) is the second most important place to visit in Rio after. This is written in all guidebooks, but for me it is the first. I'm ready to go up here every day! For the photographer, the most beautiful views in Rio de Janeiro.
How to get there
There are buses 107 and 513 with a stop at Urca. The nearest metro is Bogafogo. There is a parking lot nearby. The cost is 0.50 euros (2 reais) for two hours. You can also take a taxi or use the Uber app.
Then you need to walk two hundred meters in the direction of travel, and on the right you will see the ticket office, where you can buy a ticket for the cable car for 21 euros (76 reais) there and back. In my opinion, a little expensive. But there is a way out of this situation. You can hike up to the top of Mount Urca and then for 11 euros (40 reais) or 5.5 euros (20 reais) if you have benefits: you are under 20 or over 60, to the Sugarloaf (Pão de Açúcar) ...
So, we leave the ticket offices and go towards the Sugarloaf (Pão de Açúcar). On the left we pass the white building and go out to the gate with security. This is the entrance to the trail. Here you can see people jogging. The first ten minutes are very easy to walk, you can hear the sound of the surf on the Red Beach (Praia Vermelha), where you can swim after the descent, so do not forget to bring your swimsuit. Then, admiring the monkeys that cannot be fed, our road through the forest goes up to the left. Walk about 25 minutes. It will be difficult for people who do not like sports to climb, although for the second time my friend, who is over 60 years old, climbed with me. You can stop at observation platforms... The path is divided into 5 stops.
As a photographer, I specially planned a hike to catch the sunset. We started our journey at 15 o'clock and found the most romantic views of Rio.
Then we climbed for 11 euros to the top of the Sugarloaf (Pão de Açúcar). This journey lasts 2 minutes and 40 seconds. You will be brought back only to the Urca mountain, if it is already late and the trekking back is closed, then to get to the foot, you will need to pay 5.5 euros (20 reais). For those who are afraid of heights, advice: do not eat anything before the trip.
Climbing up the equipped trail, I could not imagine how the first photographer Mark Ferrer, who photographed the panorama of Rio from the Sugarloaf in 1890, made the same path. As he climbed, he carried about 100 kg of equipment, chemicals and a tent for a darkroom. At that time, the view from the Sugarloaf was the only one not captured on film.
Story
Since the 16th century, the Sugarloaf has delighted travelers with its impregnable walls surrounded by the emerald waters of Guanabara Bay. But the privilege of admiring the view from above was not available until the brave English lady Henrietta Carstairs conquered the 396-meter almost vertical wall.
The residents of Rio de Janeiro gained public access to the Sugarloaf only in 1913, when it was built cable car which connected Praia Vermelha (Red Beach), Mount Urca (first level) and Sugar Loaf. This happened thanks to an idea that came to the Brazilian engineer Augusto Ferreira Ramos during the 1908 exhibition, which was held in Urca. In addition to making the Sugar Loaf the greatest attraction around the world, this idea opened up a stunning panorama of Rio de Janeiro to hundreds of thousands of visitors.
Augusto Ferreira Ramos was a famous engineer with vast experience and a dream to build a cable car to Sugarloaf Mountain. On June 14, 1911, he registered a company and began looking for investors to create this amazing project aimed at developing the social influence of Rio de Janeiro, which at that time was the capital of Brazil. One dream led to the construction of the first cable car in Latin America and the third in the world after Switzerland and Spain.
The first part of the aerial tramway stretched 528 meters between Praia Vermelha (in the past, you could see reddish sand in the depths of the ocean) and Mount Urca, which was discovered in 1912. The second part, Mount Urka - Sugarloaf, opened a year later, on January 18, 1913. This cable car soon received the nickname "bondinho" (bondinho - tram) due to its similarity with street trams of that time, which were called "bondes". In 2013, the Sugar Loaf cable car celebrated its centenary.
The story of Rio and Sugarloaf is closely related. The name "Sugarloaf" dates back to the 16th century, when Brazil was at the peak of the sugarcane trade with Europe. Sugar blocks were collected in canonical forms made of clay for transportation to the ship. In shape, these blocks were similar to the top of a mountain, hence the name.
The second version says that the name comes from the phrase "paunh-acuqua", which in the language of the Tupi tribe is translated as "high hill" or "guardian of the bay".
Rock climbing
Sugarloaf, Urca and the Stone of Babel make up the largest and most popular climbing area in Brazil. There are about 300 climbing routes of varying difficulty levels surrounded by breathtaking views of Guanabara Bay.
The second time I climbed the mountain, I met climbers who told me that the Sugarloaf was first conquered three hundred years after it was discovered by the Portuguese by a brave English lady named Henrietta Carstairs in 1817. After a difficult climb for several hours, the thirty-nine-year-old rock climber planted the English flag on the top of the mountain. Brazilians took this news differently. One of the patriots, a soldier named José Maria Gonçalves, saw the feat as a personal insult and took a six-hour hike the next day to replace the British flag with the Brazilian one.
A friend of mine told me that there are several paths for both beginners and professionals.
Costão is the easiest route. Even with no experience, you should be able to hire a coach and go up and down in just four hours. To find a specialist, you do not need to turn left at the sign to Mount Urka, but go straight along the asphalt road.
Cost and schedule
Working hours: from 8:00 to 21:00. Ticket offices are open until 19:50. The gates to the Urka mountain trekking are closed at 18:00.
Price: 21 euros. Half price discount for students (upon presentation of a document) and people over 60 years old. Children under 6 years old - free, from 6 to 12 - half price.
Remember the start and end times of the cable car:
- first poisoning Vermelha Beach / Mount Urca - 08:10;
- first departure Mount Urka / Sugarloaf - 08:20;
- last departure Beach Vermelha / Mount Urca - 20:00;
- last departure Urka Mountain / Sugarloaf - 20:20;
- last departure Sugarloaf / Urca Mountain - 20:40;
- the last departure for Mount Urca / Vermelha beach is 21:00.
Departures every 20 minutes or when 65 people fill up.
There is a helipad on Mount Urka, where you can book flights of various costs and duration.
- 6-7 minutes costs 88 euros,
- 12-13 minutes - 190 euros,
- 15-16 minutes - 220 euros,
- 21-22 minutes - 275 euros,
- half an hour - 305 euros.
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Interesting fact: James Bond fought evil in an episode of the movie "Moon Rider". Albert Einstein and President John F. Kennedy admired the view of the bay through the glass of the cable car.
