Turnerschaft - Clube Ginástico de Juiz de Fora (1909-1979)

Abstract

Concerns about the body occupy a prominent place in the contemporary world. Physical exercises are in the routine of much of the population for many reasons: health, aesthetics, socialization, playfulness, and others. Gyms and swimming, sports clubs, facilities for street walking and analytical exercises, soccer fields and courts of schools are examples of spaces that are now common in the lives of Brazilian cities. We operate with the idea that the interval between the last quarter of the nineteenth century and the early decades of the twentieth century was a crucial period in the historical process of arouse the Brazilian population‟s pleasure in physical exercises. The modernization of several of our cities is a typical movement of these years and keeps a direct relationship with the identification of physical exercises as habits to be learned and practiced. This research examines the history of the Clube Ginástico de Juiz de Fora, one of the first fitness centers in Minas Gerais, founded in 1909. Initially, the institution received the name of Turnerschaft-Club Gymnastico, which was under the influence of German immigrants living in Juiz de Fora. The study of the history of the Clube Ginástico de Juiz de Fora is of great importance, because the institution was vital in the development of gymnastics and other physical practices in the Minas Gerais town. The research was developed from the review of historical studies about Juiz de Fora city, the history of Physical Education and the German immigration to Brazil. The research involved Clube Ginástico documents, photographs, interviews and newspaper reports. We realize that the Club was important for the development of physical practices in Juiz de Fora, especially the gymnastics, basketball, athletics and volleyball. Its performance took place beyond the Juiz de Fora‟s limits, and the institution participated in events, demonstrations and competitions in cities as Belo Horizonte and Rio de Janeiro. Its activities ended in 1979, motivated by financial difficulties, the reduction in the number of members and the loss of its outdoor space.