Martins, a privileged city-observatory
by Natal for You Magazine
There aren't only beaches in the Potiguar Tourism. 370 kilometers far from Natal, Martins is ideal for a comfortable weekend. The climate is soft enough in this last trimester of the year. In the winter, however, there is a yummy and nice cold, which temperature sometimes reaches 15ºC. It is a different side of Rio Grande do Norte.
The Mountain range of Martins, 750 meters high, has in its peak a small town, which concentrates old constructions and calm streets. Although it's located in the middle of the potiguar "sertão", the city has been developing its tourist potential, as much it can be proved by the promotion of some programs such as festivals of fondue.
About the permanent attractions, the visitor can discover eco-tourist strolls, contemplate the beauty of some historical building, know simple, however interesting museums, or just observe the region, that encloses some small cities, from the observatories Mirante da Carranca and do Canto, that also works as bar.
Rock House and Peak of the Cars (Casa de Pedra and Pico dos Carros)
In the basis of the mountain range, there are interesting tracks through caatinga (typical vegetation of the agreste, a forest composed of stunted trees and thorny bushes, found in areas of small rainfall in brazil.), that can be made with guides. The House of the Rock, a cavern that is recognized by a sophisticated joint of stalactites and stalagmites, is another attraction of Martins. The place is so colorful that there are projects willing to connect it to the high of the mountain range through a ferry cable.
Catalogued by the Brazilian Society of Natural Cavities as the second biggest marble cavern in Brazil, the House of Rock exists for about four billion years, according to geologists. Situated at farm Trincheira, 27 kilometers far from the center of Martins, the cavern is 100 meters length.
It's worth also to know the Peak of the Cars, only eight kilometers far from the center of Martins. It's about a set of imposing rocks, in the best style of the mountain range sertão. The two most famous rocks are the Rajada and the Rock of the Frog (Pedra do Sapo). Martins tourist guides also organize tracks for the Peak of the Cars.
Historical building and museums
The oldest construction that it has noticed about in Martins is the Chapel of Nossa Senhora do Rosário, in the Rua da Maioridade. It was built in 1758, in the origin of the town. Another building that deserves prominence is the Great Church de Nossa Senhora da Conceição, dated of 1815 and located in the Almino Alfonso square. In contrast to the chapel, that is very humble in the inside, the Church presents gothic style and wooden images in baroque style.
The Center of Martins concentrates at least two other constructions that deserve attention: the Pax building and the house of Agá Fernandes. The Pax was built in 1871, as residence of the jurist Almino Alfonso. It worked later as an orphanage and a school, but it currently shelters the museums of Archaeology and History. The first one has units of minerals and fossilized bones found in the region. The other exposes the history of Martins through photos, objects and documents. In the house of Agá Fernandes there is also a museum of old furniture. The residence has the name of its former owner, who lived in Martins during the century XIX. The exactly or approached date of the construction is ignored. The creativity of the sidewalk of the Almino Alfonso square also deserves attention. It is formed by Portuguese rocks in the format of flags, in the greatest style of the June Parties and is contouring (or decorated) with grass.
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