Monumento Nacional aos Mortos da Segunda Guerra Mundial

This powerful tribute to Brazil's WWII soldiers — nicknamed Monumento aos Pracinhas — sits inside Flamengo Park along Rio's waterfront. It honors the Brazilian Expeditionary Force members who fought in Italy, with a museum and crypt holding the remains of fallen soldiers. The striking modernist architecture alone is worth the stop, but the historical collection inside gives real weight to a chapter of Brazilian history most people overlook.