São Lourenço, Minas Gerais

Origins and the Viana Waters

The settlement of the region dates back to the early 19th century on lands owned by João Francisco Viana. According to local tradition, the therapeutic properties of the waters were discovered in 1826 by his son, Antonio Francisco Viana, who found a naturally carbonated spring on the "Bomba" farm.

The news of the medicinal virtues of the waters, popularly known as "Águas do Viana", attracted visitors seeking cures, leading to the early settlement along the banks of the Rio Verde. This flow was further increased in 1884 with the inauguration of the Minas and Rio Railway, which facilitated access for tourists and patients from the Imperial Court and other provinces.

Industrialization and the Veiga Family

In 1890, Comendador Bernardo Saturnino da Veiga acquired the spring properties. Together with his brothers, he founded the Companhia de Águas Minerais São Lourenço, which became the first company to bottle mineral water on an industrial scale in Latin America.

The settlement was renamed from "Viana" to "São Lourenço" in honor of the Comendador's father, Lieutenant Colonel Lourenço Xavier da Veiga. Under the company's management, the town underwent early sanitation works and the layout of the urban areas around what would become the Parque das Águas.

Administrative Evolution

The town was created as a district in 1891, originally linked to Silvestre Ferraz (now Carmo de Minas). In 1923, it was transferred to the jurisdiction of Pouso Alto. São Lourenço officially achieved emancipation and was elevated to the category of municipality on September 20, 1927.

The Art Deco Balneário

In the 1930s, the town underwent a modernization period. Between 1932 and 1935, the current Balneário (spa house) was constructed, designed by French architects Henri Sajous and Charles Hébrard. The building, built in the Art Deco style, established São Lourenço as a luxury destination for thermalism in Brazil, frequently visited by figures such as presidents Getúlio Vargas and Juscelino Kubitschek.

Climate

São Lourenço has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen: Cwa) with rainy summers and warm, dry winters. The yearly mean temperature is 18 °C.

According to the National Institute of Meteorology (INMET), the lowest temperature recorded since 1931 was -3.3 °C on July 14, 1945, and the highest was 37.6 °C on September 25, 2023. The heaviest 24-hour rainfall recorded was 171 mm on January 3, 2000.