Praça Cairu, Salvador

Praça Visconde de Cairu, or simply Praça Cairu, is a square located in Comércio, in Cidade Baixa in Salvador, in the state of Bahia. It contains the Mercado Modelo, the Monument to the City of Salvador and the lower station of the Lacerda Elevator, as well as the Bahia Boat Terminal, overlooking the Bay of All Saints and the Fort of São Marcelo in the background.

The square was built between the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century. It was named after José da Silva Lisboa, the Viscount of Cairu, a Bahian politician. There is a bronze statue of the Viscount and the former residence used by him, which was to be renovated for the construction of a luxury hotel, a Hilton chain unit. The project was aborted and the house, along with six other properties in the region, was chosen to be the site of the future Museum of Brazilian Music and the Municipal Historical Archive of Salvador. A municipal decree in September 2015 established the public utility of the properties for subsequent expropriation.

At the end of 2013, an agreement was signed for 6.2 million reais from the Ministry of Tourism, through Caixa Econômica Federal, to the Salvador City Hall for the requalification of the square. With another 15 million Reais from the Municipality of Salvador, the square will have 15 thousand square meters by closing Rua da Bélgica and part of Avenida Lafaiete Coutinho and Avenida da França, aiming the integration with the new Passenger Ferry Terminal of the Port of Salvador and exclusive use for pedestrians and cyclists. The work also includes changes in nearby streets, in the square's paving, and in the Mercado Modelo. The architectural project was donated to the municipal government by Fernando Frank, one of the architects of Casa do Comércio.

Starting in 2014, the city's New Year's Eve party organized by the city government took place in the square with free musical performances.