Ipanema Park

Ipanema Park (Portuguese: Parque Ipanema) is an urban park located in the Brazilian city of Ipatinga, in the state of Minas Gerais. It is located between the neighborhoods Iguaçu, Jardim Panorama, Veneza, Centro and Novo Cruzeiro and its area is estimated to be 1.1 km², within which about 12 thousand trees were planted, being considered one of the largest green areas in the country located within an urban perimeter.

It was designed with the initial goal of preserving the margin of the Ipanema stream, being one of the last projects of landscape designer Roberto Burle Marx, who was hired in 1985. The inauguration, however, occurred gradually during the 1990's, as the areas used for its expansion were properly expropriated. Its administration is the responsibility of the Ipatinga City Hall, and it was declared a municipal cultural heritage site in 2000.

The interior of the park houses a playground for children, the Science Park, multi-sports courts, soccer fields, walking trails, bike paths and an amphitheater. Its complex, however, includes remaining equipment such as the Caminho das Águas Railroad, with its 2.6 km extension; the Municipal Plant Nursery; the Emerson Fittipaldi International Karting Track (Kart Club Ipatinga); and the João Lamego Netto Municipal Stadium (Ipatingão).