The “Romantic Route Project” began at the end of 1994 and beginning of 1995, when there were the first meetings between representatives of some municipalities that would be part of the project in the future. Inspired and conceived from a homonymous script located in Germany, the Romantic Route in Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil, had as its initial idea in the Gaucho version, the formation of a tourist route with predominantly German colonized cities. The cities of São Leopoldo, Novo Hamburgo, Estância Velha, Ivoti, Dois Irmãos, Morro Reuter, Santa Maria do Herval, Presidente Lucena, Picada Café, Nova Petrópolis, Gramado, Canela and São Francisco de Paula were chosen to integrate the project. The former for having their population strongly linked to German immigration and the latter for being cities with a tourist tradition.
During the first half of 1995, several meetings were held between representatives of municipalities, tourism agencies and public and private entities to consolidate and improve the project's idea.
On June 26, 1995, the tourist itinerary project was launched with tourism agencies, communities in general and public and private entities, when a protocol of intentions was signed with the support of the State Department of Tourism, Chamber of Tourism of RS and EMBRATUR, between eleven municipalities and the Pontifical Catholic University of RS, through FAMECOS – Superior Course of Tourism, which was responsible for mapping and tourist diagnosis of the municipalities.
At the beginning of 1996, from March 16th to 29th, a study and observation trip was promoted to the Romantic Route or “Romantische Strasse” in Germany and a delegation left with the objective of getting to know the means, factors, sectors and agents producing tourism in that region. region and gather subsidies for the implementation of the Rio Grande do Sul route.
On April 22, 1996, the Association of Municipalities of the Romantic Route – AMRR was officially founded, with the holding of the first General Assembly of the municipalities that were part of the then “Romantic Route Project, and later the registration of the first statute and the inscription were obtained from the notary's office. as a legal entity of the Association in Organs competent bodies”. From then onwards, the Association of Municipalities of the Romantic Route began to exist in fact and in law.
The year of 2008 was also remarkable, as at the Extraordinary General Meeting held on October 30 of that year, the new wording of the bylaws was approved, a necessary change and elaborated specifically to adapt to the provisions of Law 9790, of March 23, 1999, which institutes and disciplines civil society organizations of public interest (OSCIP). After this approval, the name “Romantic Rota Association – ARR” began to be used.
In May 2012, there was the official integration of another municipality, Linha Nova, totaling 14 cities; São Leopoldo, Novo Hamburgo, Estância Velha, Ivoti, Dois Irmãos, Morro Reuter, Santa Maria do Herval, Presidente Lucena, Linha Nova, Picada Café, Nova Petrópolis, Gramado, Canela and São Francisco de Paula are the municipalities that currently make up the Route Romantic.
We work institutionally in the 14 cities, with the objective of collectively promoting and developing regional tourism.
An exciting path, with strong cultural values and several attractions to offer. Identified along the route, the preservation of Germanic culture inherited from immigrants is seen in traditional festivals, splendid gardens, colonial fairs, typical bands, folklore groups... In addition to the cultural trip, the region provides contact with exuberant nature. The Romantic Route, through the diversity offered by the 14 member municipalities, offers structure to receive demanding visitors, looking for everything from the finest cuisine to exquisite hotels, but also pleases those looking for family inns and tasty colonial food. There are so many options that, for sure, your tour will be unforgettable.
Currently, the Rota Romântica headquarters are located in the Medieval Tower - next to the Tourist Information Center, located at Avenida 15 de Novembro, 100, downtown Nova Petrópolis / Rio Grande do Sul – Brazil.
