Domingos Martins

German-speaking immigrants settled these hills from 1847, and a substantial part of them were Pomeranians from a region on the Baltic that was divided and largely emptied after 1945 - which means East Pomeranian, effectively extinct in Europe, survives here as a living everyday language in the villages around Domingos Martins and neighbouring Santa Maria de Jetiba. It is taught in some local schools. The town itself is small, cool at around five hundred metres, with a Lutheran church, a museum of immigration, half-timbered building in the surrounding districts, and a farm economy of coffee, vegetables and flowers. Pedra Azul is up the same road. Festivals through the year keep the German choral and band tradition going.

History

The town was founded in 1893 as Campinho, part of the colony of Santa Isabel; it began as a secondary district but soon outgrew the colony's capital and took over the title. It got its present name on 20 December 1921, in honour of Domingos José Martins, who took part in the Pernambucan revolt of 1817 and was executed in Salvador on 12 June that year. The Lutheran church on the town square, founded on 20 May 1866, is considered the first Protestant church in Brazil with a bell tower, at a time when only Catholic churches were allowed to build them (Wikipedia, Domingos Martins).

What to look for

• A living Pomeranian dialect - East Pomeranian spoken daily, effectively gone in Europe.
• Lutheran and half-timbered building - the immigrant fabric in the districts.
• An immigration museum - the record of the settlement from 1847.
• Cool highland farms - coffee, vegetables and flowers on the slopes.

When to go

April to September. Two days.

Before you go

The town centre is modest and the interest is in the surrounding districts, which need a car. The dialect is spoken among locals and is not performed for visitors. Cloud and drizzle are frequent. Weekends bring traffic from Vitoria.

Nearby

Pedra Azul is up the road; Santa Maria de Jetiba is north.

Key facts