A história de Curitiba revela, desde seus primórdios, o papel representado pela participaçao da comunidade nos episódios que exigiram grandes decisoes e resultaram em mudanças significativas.

Em 1668, graças à pressao dos chamados "homens bons", foi autorizada a elevaçao do pelourinho. Contudo, por nao haverem sido realizadas as eleiçoes, a justiça nao foi instalada e a passagem do povoado _ condiçao de Vila foi adiada.

Em 29 de março de 1693, novamente graças _ iniciativa de sua populaçao, que somava "90 fogos" ou famílias, a cidade de Curitiba consegue que seu "Capitao-povoador", Mateus Leme promova eleiçoes efetivando o processo da "criaçao da justiça" e dando à cidade a condiçao de Vila.

Por esta razao, o historiador, e entao vereador Romário Martins, propôs o dia 29 de março como data de fundaçao de Curitiba. Assim, desde 1906, graças a Lei assinada por Luis Xavier, essa data, tomada pelos curitibanos como referência para a comemoraçao do nascimento legal de sua cidade.

Desde as primeiras iniciativas voltadas para as comemo- raçoes dos 300 Anos de Curitiba, a administraçao munici- pal procurou instaurar um processo cultural configurado no lema "comemorar, conhecer".

A preocupaçao com a retomada dos caminhos da me- mória passou ser o fio condutor dos trabalhos, reprodu- zindo o princípio que orientou as transformaçoes urbanas que fazem de Curitiba uma cidade-modelo, graças a cria- tividade e a eficácia das soluçoes que vem encontrando para seus problemas sociais e econômicos.

Cassiana Lacerda Carollo
Executive Secretary Committee for Curitiba's 300 Years

300 YEARS OF CURITIBA

Curitiba's history reveals, since its beginning, the role represented by the community participation in events that have required serious decisions and have resulted in significant changes.

In 1668, thanks to pressures put by the so-called "good men", the hamlet was authorized to become "pelourinho" (literally, the word means whipping-post; here it means a community that has its own incorporated government, e.g., justice-executive-legislative body). As elections have not been realized however, local own government has not been established, and the upgrading of the hamlet to village status was postponed.

On March 29,1693, again thanks to initiatives of its own population which amounted to 90 "hearths" or families, Curitiba through its Captain-settler Mateus Leme finally have had elections that accomplished the process of the "establishment of justice", giving the hamlet village status.

That is why the historian and then counselor Romario Martins proposed the date of May 29 as Curitiba's founding day. So, since 1906, thanks to law signed by Luis Xavier, that date is commemorated by the people of Curitiba as the city's legal birthday.

From the very first actions concerning the commemorations of Curitiba's 300 years, the municipal administration has sought to develop a cultural process under the motto "commemorating is knowing".

The preoccupation in retaking the paths of memory became the guiding line for carrying out the commemoration efforts and reproduces the principle that has oriented the urban changes which made Curitiba a model city, thanks to the creativity and efficacy of solutions that the city has been finding for its social and economic problems.

Cassiana Lacerda Carollo
Executive Secretary Committee for Curitiba's 300 Years

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