Why Inter-SM’s Baixada Melancólica carries a mournful nickname | OneFootball

A stadium built for celebration carries a mournful tag. In Santa Maria, Estádio Presidente Vargas, home of Inter-SM, is widely known as Baixada Melancólica.

According to Globo.com, the nickname was already common before the 1947 opening, reflecting the ground’s proximity to the Cemitério Ecumênico Municipal, little more than a block away.

In August 1947, a local preview of Inter against Riograndense billed the derby as the new venue’s first landmark and used the moniker, rather than its formal name honouring Getúlio Vargas.

Historian Leonardo Botega, of UFSM and an Inter-SM fan, says there is no official record explaining the origin. He also suggests a political reading, given A Razão’s ownership by Diários Associados, opponents of varguismo.

For supporter Odinei Kieling, who first went in 1997, the label feels negative but does not affect the pitch. He recalls promotion-clinching goals at the cemetery end in 1998, 2007 and 2025.

Inter-SM returned to the Gauchão elite in 2026 after 14 years in the Divisão de Acesso, finishing runners-up to Novo Hamburgo. The 0-0 final drew a full house, about six thousand at Presidente Vargas.

This season, joy has been scarce. Inter-SM sit bottom of Group B with five points, one win and one goal in six rounds, and now face the "quadrangular da morte".

Inter-SM have played in the national top tier. In 1982 they beat Vasco 3-0 in the Taça de Ouro second phase, having qualified via third in the 1981 Gauchão octagonal.

Source: Globo.com