Blumenau (Brazilian Portuguese: [blumeˈnaw]) is a city in Vale do Itajaí, Santa Catarina state, in the South Region of Brazil, 130 km (81 mi) from the state capital Florianópolis.

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Blumenau
Municipality
Municipality of Blumenau
Flag Seal
Nickname(s):  Cidade Jardim ("Garden City") and Alemanha Tropical ("Tropical Germany")
Motto:  Pro Sancta Catharina et Brasilia (Latin)
Location in Santa Catarina
Blumenau Location in Brazil
Coordinates: 26°55′08″S 49°03′57″W
Country	Brazil
Region	South
State	Santa Catarina
Founded	September 2, 1850
Named for	Hermann Blumenau
Government
• Mayor	Mário Hildebrandt (2021 - 2024) (PODE)
Area
• Total	519.837 km2 (200.710 sq mi)
Elevation	21 m (69 ft)
Population  (2020)[1]
• Total	361,855
• Density	700/km2 (1,800/sq mi)
Time zone	GMT-3
Postal code	89000-000
Area code	+55 47
HDI (2010)	0.806 – very high[2]
Website	blumenau.sc.gov.br

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The city was founded by the German chemist and pharmacist Hermann Blumenau (1819–1899), who arrived on a boat via the Itajaí-Açu River accompanied by seventeen other Germans, and still celebrates its German heritage, including the second largest Oktoberfest in the world.

The city was founded September 2, 1850, by Hermann Bruno Otto Blumenau and seventeen other German immigrants. Later arrivals include biologist and early proponent of Darwinian Evolution, Fritz Müller.

The history of Blumenau is the result of the arrival of German immigrants who settled these fertile areas of the Atlantic Forest. Having an interest in the problems faced by European immigrants, in 1845 Hermann Blumenau reached an agreement with the Society for the Protection of German Emigrants to represent it and traveled to Brazil, aiming to create new German settlements and to check the situation of those that already existed. He traveled to Rio Grande do Sul, and then to Santa Catarina, where he visited the German colony of São Pedro de Alcântara. Aware of comments about the Itajaí Valley, he explored it in detail, in association with his compatriot Ferdinand Hackradt, since the aforementioned society was dissolved.^[3]

After taking certain precautions, Hermann Blumenau headed for Germany, to seek immigrants. On September 2, 1850, Hermann Blumenau returned to the chosen area with the seventeen initial immigrants. Despite the floods, clashes with wild animals and even with the indigenous peoples, due to the work of German immigrants willing to migrate continuously in greater numbers, the settlement prospered.^[3]

On February 4, 1880, the municipality of Blumenau was created, composed of about 13,000 residents.^[3]

On April 5, 2023, a daycare in Blumenau became the scene of a deadly hatchet attack in which a 25-year-old man killed four children and wounded five others before being arrested.

As of 2020^[update], Blumenau had an estimated population of 361,855 people, with an area of 519 km² (200 sq mi). The main ethnic origin of the city inhabitants are German and Italian.^[4] The city displays many historical and cultural reminders of their heritage, such as houses and other buildings built in traditional German styles, statues, and memorials.

Blumenau, compared to other Brazilian cities, has a very high Human Development Index, 0.806 as of 2010.^[5]

The city is located in a valley bisected by the Itajaí-Açu River, surrounded by hills with forests. The lower areas, including towers and tall buildings in the city center, constantly suffer from the threat of floods. Blumenau's first recorded flood took place in the dawn on September 23, 1880. The worst took place in 1983 and 1984, when the city was completely isolated for weeks.^{[citation needed]} Today, Blumenau is well-prepared against such threats, but many citizens prefer to live in higher areas spread into the nearby hills and plains to avoid flooding. However, this planning could not avoid even worse flooding in late November 2008, that killed over 100 and forced thousands to evacuate.^{[citation needed]}

Blumenau's main economic activity is still the textile industry, represented by large manufacturers such as Cia. Hering, Karsten and Teka.^{[citation needed]}

Another area that draws attention is that of information technology; the city is the headquarters of the so-called Brazilian Silicon Valley, and many software leaders in its segment, some of whom were born in Blusoft and Instituto Gene startup incubators. Blumenau is also known as a location for the manufacturing of metallurgic, mechanical, and electrical equipment.

It has a strong economy, boosted by strong trade, service, and tourism events, with exhibitions of international importance, which are generally held in Vila Germânica (German Villa Park). Additionally, a new but rapidly expanding market is the production of craft beer, such as Eisenbahn.

Blumenau has 35 neighbourhoods:

• Hermann Blumenau (1819–1899) German pharmacist who founded the city of Blumenau
• Emílio Henrique Baumgart (1889 in Blumenau - 1943) architect and engineer
• Fritz Müller (1821 – 1897 in Blumenau) biologist, an early advocate of Darwinism
• Vera Fischer (born 1951 in Blumenau) actress
• Rita Schadrack (1931 in Blumenau – 1988) film, stage, and voice actress
• Martin Drewes (1918 – 2013 in Blumenau) Luftwaffe military aviator, night fighter ace in WWII
• Mariana Weickert (born 1972 in Blumenau) model
• João Geraldo Kuhlmann (1882 in Blumenau - 1958) a botanist, specialist on the taxonomy of Angiosperms
• Luiz Henrique da Silveira (1940 in Blumenau – 2015) politician and lawyer
• Edward af Sillén (born 1982 in Blumenau) Swedish screenwriter & director for film and TV
• Armin Zimmermann (1917 in Blumenau – 1976) German admiral and Inspector General of the Bundeswehr

Blumenau is twinned with:^[11]

• Bariloche, Argentina
• Campinas, Brazil
• Osorno, Chile
• Petrópolis, Brazil
• Weingarten, Germany
• Posadas, Argentina
• Badajoz, Spain
• Oxapampa, Peru

• Colonia Tovar
• Timbó
• Villa General Belgrano