The City
Located in the southwestern region of São Paulo State, on the margins of the Paranapanema River-only unpolluted River in the State, the city of Piraju is characterised by the large expanse of green areas and lush natural landscapes. The tropical climate, pleasant throughout the year, as numerous waterfalls and Cascades, rapids and backwaters, dam sites for fishing and nautical sports, have made it possible for this municipality be considered Tourist Municipality, registered EMBRATUR. Piraju has 143 years of political emancipation. Celebrate your birthday in January 20, day of Saint Sebastian, patron of the city, with a traditional festival and fluvial procession.
The State capital is a part of the municipality access can be done by the Castelo Branco Highway (327 km) and rodovia Raposo Tavares (317 km). Secondary highways, connecting the city to the neighboring municipalities are paved and allow easy and fast regional displacement.
The city of Piraju has received the status of tourist resort, thus being called from five July 2002 of the tourist resort of Piraju, due to its natural beauties and the river totally unpolluted.
The Paranapanema basin, especially the magazines directly resulting from the action of the River, also holds an extremely valuable cultural heritage: the prehistoric archaeological sites that register a human settlement of antiquity around seven millennia. The research conducted by the University of São Paulo, through the Regional Centre of Environmental Architecture (belonging to the Museum of archaeology and Ethnology of the USP), provided the registration and the study of more than one hundred archaeological sites located in the territory of the municipality of Piraju. the Paranapanema River is the pride of the local community, fully consolidated idea in a long time. The arrangement of the town, Acropolis on the River, forms the backdrop of perfect harmony. For the pirajuenses, the Paranapanema River is synonym of environment, ecology. It's a common usage of local society, which serves from its waters in multiple sense.Without doubt, the foundations of tourism are based on environmental heritage and landscape, in indigenous archaeology and buildings arising from the coffee cycle, as for example: the architectural complex of the former railway station, project signed by engineer Ramos de Azevedo, the greatest expression of Brazilian architecture from early 20TH century; the Escola Estadual Ataliba Leonel; the House that once belonged to General Ataliba Leonel; the Piraju Hotel; among others.