Historical and university city with architectural heritage of the 19th century and impressive culture. The houses around Praça Barão do Campo Belo with its Monumental Fountain, cultural centers, palaces, and the beautiful Igreja Matriz Nossa Senhora da Conceição are reknowned Vassouras Postcards.

Integrating in the 19th century almost all cities in the Core region of Vale do Café, Vassouras is famous for its relationship with thought, astronomy, music and arts. A visit takes you to relaxed and charming restaurants, picturesque taverns, weekly fairs, museums and cultural centers that speak of diversity and acceptance of differences: since the origins of the wealthiest woman in Brazil in the 19th century, early 20th, Eufrásia Teixeira Leite (a brilliant woman who died in 1930 leaving a fortune of more than 2 tons of gold for Vassouras, invested in 17 countries, worked with 9 currencies, and had Guggenheim as his broker on the Paris Stock Exchange), Cazuza, composer, musician, a beloved poet of national rock,  to tributes at the Jewish Memorial (Benjamin Benatar), and African (Manoel Congo).

From Vassouras came great Brazilian figures: Sebastião de Lacerda, Edgard Costa, Ary de Azevedo Franco, Luiz Roberto Barroso: four Ministers of the Supreme Court. Raul Fernandes and Ítalo Zappa, both Ministers of Foreign Affairs. Carlos Lacerda, writer, journalist and mayor of Rio de Janeiro who implemented Aterro do Flamengo, was born here. As did Lucinha and João Araújo, Cazuza’s parents.City of the University of Vassouras, it has a renowned University Hospital. Since the seventies, generations of great Brazilian doctors trained here, have made this city a great destination for health tourism.

It has an active Academy of Letters, the 1st Magnetic Observatory of Brazil, and Festivals that attract visitors in search of music and culture. It is also a training center for musicians, with PIM, (Integration Project for Music) born from a Symphonic Band with more than 100 years of tradition. Caninha Verde, Folias, Maculelê, Jongo, Capoeira, and Rezadeiras (blessing ladies) are living cultural traditions in Vassouras.