A Colônia Luxemburguesa

Edouard Luja (1875-1953) was a Luxembourgish agronomist who was sent to João Monlevade in 1921. Luja is also known for his activities in the Belgian Congo. His memoirs were published in 1953 and can be downloaded here: http://www.snl.lu/publications/bulletin/SNL_1953_057_034_063.pdf

Afonso Torres da Silva (Afonsinho) was born in João Monlevade and is fascinated by the history of his hometown.

The Fazenda Solar was built around 1818 as the new residence of the French engineer Jean Antoine Félix Dissandes de Monlevade. Today, the Fazenda belongs to ArcelorMittal and is occasionally used for special receptions.

Sabará is a 300-year-old historical city in the metropolitan region of Belo Horizonte. In the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries, the city attracted several gold diggers who exploited the region's gold mines with slave labour. In 1921, Sabará became the headquarters of ARBED's Brazilian subsidiary, the Companhia Siderúrgica Belgo Mineira.

The Luxembourger Albert Heinen was the director of The Companhia Açucareira Rio Doce (CARDO), a sugar cane factory founded in 1948 by the Companhia Siderúrgica Belgo Mineira in Governador Valadares.

In 1953, only a few months before his death, Edouard Luja published Voyages et séjour au Brésil, État de Minas Geraes (1921-1924). Discover the full text here :