Rua Direita

The Rua Direita (which means “right or strait” in Portuguese) was the common name for the medieval main streets and is the skeleton of Taipa Village urban fabric.

The “epicenter” of Taipa Historical Center (THC) is located in the former slaughterhouse, a few meters from the Yec Long Factory main gate.

The boundaries of the THC are delimitated by the Avenida Olimpica, Regedor Street and the new Road of the Bay of Our Lady of Hope. In the THC had an important legacy of 18^th century buildings.

On the surrounding streets were located the first public market, temples, a pawn tower, several shops and restaurants, government department, Church, library, the 5 painted green houses museum, the former hangar of the sea planes squadron (still exist, now a dilapidated government building), etc. The group of these clustered buildings is what creates a pleasant historical and cultural ambience

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Praia Five Houses

In the mid 19^th century, Taipa had a constant grow in population. In 1896 the islands had 12.802 register land and sea (fisherman) inhabitants. After 1910, the number of public buildings grows fast in Taipa and Coloane Islands.

In the 1920′s the Public Works department built five houses for government officers in the Avenida da Praia in Taipa, now adapted to function as museum furnished with memories.

Some residents remember with nostalgia the ringing of bells from the Our Lady of Carmo Church, built in 1885 in Hilltop at the foot of the Avenida de Praia.

They bringing back memories from the time when was a free show to wash a squadron of Macau sea planes, taking of and landing in the calms waters of this sea bay, now transformed in a large pound looking apprehensively toward Disney inspired designed buildings projected from the entertainment industry.

Barra, is the Portuguese name given to the place were the river met with the sea, or the Inner Harbor. Before the arrival of the Portuguese, in 1557, fisherman from the Chinese province of Fukien used this area.

Most of the dwellings were made of timber, a provisional material since many of them live inside the fishing boats.