San Carlos de Bariloche
Encyclopedia
San Carlos de Bariloche, usually known as Bariloche, is a city in the , situated in the foothills of the Andes
on the southern shores of Nahuel Huapi Lake
and is located inside Nahuel Huapi National Park
. After an extensive public works and architectural buildup the city emerged in the 1930s and 1940s as a major tourism centre with ski
, trekking and mountaineering
facilities apart from numerous restaurants, cafés and chocolate shops. The city has a permanent population of 108,205 according to the 2010 census.
word Vuriloche meaning "people from behind the mountain" (vuri = behind, che = people). The Vuriloche pass was used by the Poyas to cross the Andes and was kept secret from the Europe
an priests for a long time.
. In the summer of 1552-1553 Governor of Chile Pedro de Valdivia
sent Francisco de Villagra
to explore the area east of the Andes at the latitudes of the city of Valdivia
. Francisco de Villagra crossed the Andes trough Mamuil Malal Pass
and headed then south until reaching Limay River
.
Another early Spaniard to visit the zone of Nahuel Huapi Lake
was the Jesuit priest Diego de Rosales
. Diego de Rosales was ordered to the area by the Governor of Chile Francisco Antonio de Acuña Cabrera y Bayona
who was concerned about the unrest of the native Puelche
s and Poyas after the slave hunting expeditions carried out by Luis Ponce de León
in 1649. Diego de Rosales, who beginning at the ruins of Villarica
in Chile
, crossed the Andes
probably through Mamuil Malal Pass
, and then traveled further south along the eastern Andean valleys reached Nahuel Huapi Lake in 1650.
In 1670 Jesuits established in Chiloé Archipelago
, led by father Nicolás Mascardi
, entered the area trough Reloncaví Estuary
and the mountain pass of Vuriloche to found a mission in the Nahuel Huapi Lake
that lasted until 1674. A new mission in at the shores of Nahuel Huapi Lake was established in 1703 but was destroyed and burned down by natives in 1717. In 1766 the head of the Mission of Ralún
tried to reestablish the mission at Nahuel Huapi; but was ultimately prevented by the suppression of the Society of Jesus in the lands of Spanish Crown in 1767.
and the campaigns of the Conquest of the Desert
bought the area into the claims of the Argentine government which saw it as the natural expansion of the Viedma colony and the Andes as the natural frontier to Chile. In the 1881 border treaty between Chile and Argentina the Nahuel Huapi area was recognised as Argentine.
The modern settlement of Bariloche developed from a shop established by Carlos Wiederhold, a German immigrant that had settled in the area of Llanquihue in Chile
. Carlos Weiderhold then crossed the Andes and established a little shop called "La Alemana" (The German) near the present city center after crossing the Andes
from Chile
.
A small settlement developed around the shop, and by 1895 the settlement was primarily settled by Austrians
, Germans, Slovenes, Chile
ans and Italians from the city of Belluno
. It has been claimed that Bariloche got its name after the German-Chilean
pioneer Carlos Wiederhold. In letters addressed to him, he was erroneously addressed as San Carlos instead of Don Carlos, which is why the city was called San Carlos de Bariloche. Most of the commerce in Bariloche went by the seaport of Puerto Montt
in Chile. In 1896 Perito Moreno
wrote that it took three days to reach Puerto Montt from Bariloche while traveling to Viedma in the Atlantic coast took "one month or more".
In the 1930s the centre of the city was built to have the appearance of an alpine town ("Little Switzerland") with many buildings made of wood and stone. In 1909 there were 1,250 inhabitants, telegraph, post office, and a road connecting the city with Neuquén
. Commerce, however, continued to depend on Chile
until the arrival of the railroad in 1934.
Bariloche grew from being a centre of cattle trade that relied on commerce with Chile to becoming a tourism center for the Argentine elite with a cosmopolitan architectural and urban profile. Growth in the city's tourist trade began in the 1930s, when local hotel occupancy grew from 1550 tourists in 1934 to 4000 in 1940. In 1934 Ezequiel Bustillo, then director of the National Parks Direction, contracted his brother Alejandro Bustillo
to build several buildings in Iguazú
and Nahuel Huapi National Park
(Bariloche was the main settlement inside the park). In contrast to subtropical Iguazú National Park, however, temperate Nahuel Huapi National Park was believed to be able to compete with the tourism of Europe and was therefore, along with Bariloche, prioritized by national tourism development planners.
The result of work by Alejandro Bustillo
can be seen in the Edificio Movilidad, Plaza Perito Moreno, the neogothic
San Carlos de Bariloche Cathedral, and the Llao Llao Hotel
. Architect Ernesto de Estrada designed the Civic Centre of Barloche which opened in 1940. The Civic Center's tuff
stone, slate
and fitzroya
structures include the Domingo Sarmiento Library, the Francisco Moreno Museum of Patagonia
, a Museum, the City Hall, the Post Office, the Police Station and the Customs.
U.S. President Dwight Eisenhower visited Bariloche as a guest of President Arturo Frondizi
in 1960. Classical violinist Alberto Lysy
established Camerata Bariloche
here in 1967.
in charge of the project, who many accused of being simply crazy.
The facilities can still nowadays be visited, and are visible from certain locations on the coast.
' Erich Priebke
who had been living there for years. Priebke had been the director of the German School of Bariloche.
Argentine author Abel Basti claims in his book Bariloche nazi-guía turística (published in January of 2004) that Adolf Hitler
and Eva Braun
lived in the sorroundings of Bariloche for many years after WWII. The estate of Inalco has been pointed out by Abel Basti as the place that Argentine nazis choosed as refuge for Hitler.
A book published by British authors in 2011 propose that Hitler and Eva Braun hid at Hacienda San Ramon, six miles east of Bariloche until the early 1960s. This account is disputed by other historians.
and Aerolíneas Argentinas
.
The main ski station is the one at Cerro Catedral
. During the summer, beautiful beaches such as Playa Bonita and Villa Tacul welcome sun-bathers and some brave lake swimmers (the waters, from melting snow, are always very cold. Lake Nahuel Huapi averages 14 °C in the summertime). The fishing season is another great attraction. Bariloche is the biggest city of a huge Lakes District, and serves as a base for many excursions in the region. Trekking in the mountains, almost completely wild and uninhabited with the exception of a few high-mountain huts operated by Club Andino Bariloche
, is also a popular activity. The city is also famous for its chocolates and Swiss-style architecture.
, where basic and applied research in many areas of the physical sciences is carried out. One of its departments is the Instituto Balseiro
, a higher education institution with a small and carefully selected number of students, that awards degrees in Physics, and in Nuclear and Mechanical Engineering, and Masters and Doctorate degrees in Physics and in Engineering. The city also hosts INVAP
, a high technology company that designs and builds nuclear reactors, state-of-the-art radars and space satellites, among other projects.
The private non profit organization Bariloche Foundation, continues the tradition of scientific research in the city. Started in 1963, it promotes postgraduate teaching and research. There are also several departments and laboratories at the National University of Comahue
.
Bariloche has a cool Mediterranean climate
(Köppen
Csb) with dry, windy summers and rainy winters, which grades to an alpine subpolar oceanic climate at higher altitudes. Generally speaking, the summer season (mid-December to early March) is characterized by long stretches of windy, sunny weather, with pleasant afternoons of 18 to 26 °C (64.4 to 78.8 F) and cold nights of 2 to 9 °C (35.6 to 48.2 F). Autumn brings colder temperatures in March, then stormier weather in April and May. By mid-May the first snows fall, and winter lasts until early September, bringing stormy weather with mixed precipitation (snow, rain, sleet), occasional snowstorms and highs between 0 and 12 °C (32 and 53.6 F), lows between −12 C. Spring is very windy and variable; temperatures may reach 25 °C (77 °F) in October and then plummet to −6 C following a late-season snowfall. On average, there are a handful of snowy days between 5 and 15 cm (2 and 5.9 in) every year, and many more days with mixed precipitation. However, there have been extreme snow events in the past that have brought well over a foot of snow (30 cm) to the entire city, and well over a meter in some higher areas.
Within the city limits, several geographic features have an impact on the weather, creating several micro-climates. Generally, the city follows, for over 15 km from east to west, the shores of Nahuel Huapi lake, which is over 10 km wide in front of the city centre and extends over more than 70 km to the northwest, toward Villa La Angostura
. West of the city, the fjord known as Brazo Blest extends for another 50 km, and these two features allow strong westerly and northwesterly winds to reach the city. Most central areas and almost all tourist areas are located along the shoreline; they are thus "sandiwched" between higher elevations on the south and the extensive lake at 765 meters above sea level on the north. This position, on a north-facing slope next to open water, creates a moderate micro-climate: during the summer, daytime temperatures very rarely reach over 30°C, staying most often in the 18°C to 25°C range, with nights usually between 2 and 9 °C (35.6 and 48.2 F). During the winter, most days reach between 3 and 9 °C (37.4 and 48.2 F), whilst nights are often between −5 C, depending mostly on cloud cover. Snowfall is usually light, and although snow depth can often reach 0.1 metres (4 in) after a snowstorm, it will usually not last more than two or three days. Extreme low temperatures rarely fall below −10 C, although −15 C may be reached on occasion. The main feature of this area is the strong, westerly winds that sometimes reach over 100 km/h, especially between September and December. Precipitation ranges from over 1800 millimetres (70.9 in) at the western end of the city (Llao Llao) to only 600 millimetres (24 in) at the eastern end (Airport).
Right behind the city centre, the area known as "El Alto" forms a plateau at about 900 m of altitude. Being far away from the lake and at a higher altitude, the weather tends to be more extreme, especially in the winter: it is not uncommon to see sleet storms hit the downtown area while El Alto is covered in snow. It is also not unusual to have more extended periods of snow cover (up to one or two weeks at a time), with depths sometimes exceeding 0.2 metres (8 in), and temperatures of −10 C are frequent. On occasion, temperatures below −18 C will also be recorded.
The slopes of Cerro Otto (1405 meters above sea level), right west of the city centre, often have deep snow cover: cross-country skiing and dog sledding can be practiced for a few months every year. The neighbourhood of Villa Catedral, at about 990 meters above sea level, sees colder temperatures and increased snowfall: on the coldest winters, this hub, which serves as the base of a ski resort, can be snow covered through the winter, sometimes with over 50 cm snow (in 2007, accumulations reached 100 cm!). However, on most winters, this condition is only met above 1200 meters, where most of the slopes of the resort are located.
Higher elevations see much colder conditions: the top of Cerro Catedral
, 30 km from the city centre, sees snow cover from late April till at least December, with a maximum in early September that usually reaches well over 150 cm (in 2007, over 400 cm were recorded). The tree line is located between 1,600 m (southerly slope) and 1,800 m (northerly slope), and snowstorms happen in the summer as well.
Water temperatures at the Nahuel Huapi lake vary from a high of 14°C in late summer and a low of 7°C in early spring. Alpine streams and ponds often have much lower temperatures, and can be frozen for months.
The city is served by San Carlos de Bariloche International Airport (IATA BRC/ICAO SAZS) equipped to receive any kind of aircraft. Several of Argentina's most important airlines maintain regular flights to Bariloche, as well as some international lines from neighboring countries, especially during the ski season. The city is linked by train with the city of Viedma through the Tren Patagonico that crosses Argentina from the Andes
to the Atlantic Ocean
.
San Carlos de Bariloche lies close to the Chile
an border and is connected to Chile by the Cardenal Antonio Samoré Pass
crossing the Andes
Mountains.
Andes
The Andes is the world's longest continental mountain range. It is a continual range of highlands along the western coast of South America. This range is about long, about to wide , and of an average height of about .Along its length, the Andes is split into several ranges, which are separated...
on the southern shores of Nahuel Huapi Lake
Nahuel Huapi Lake
Nahuel Huapi Lake is a lake in the lake region of northern Patagonia between the provinces of Río Negro and Neuquén, in Argentina. The lake depression consists of several glacial valleys carved out along faults and Miocene valleys that were later dammed by moraines.Nahuel Huapi lake, located...
and is located inside Nahuel Huapi National Park
Nahuel Huapi National Park
Established in 1934, the Nahuel Huapi National Park is the oldest national park in Argentina. It surrounds Nahuel Huapi Lake in the foothills of the Patagonian Andes. The largest of the national parks in the region, it has an area of , or nearly 2 million acres...
. After an extensive public works and architectural buildup the city emerged in the 1930s and 1940s as a major tourism centre with ski
Ski
A ski is a long, flat device worn on the foot, usually attached through a boot, designed to help the wearer slide smoothly over snow. Originally intended as an aid to travel in snowy regions, they are now mainly used for recreational and sporting purposes...
, trekking and mountaineering
Mountaineering
Mountaineering or mountain climbing is the sport, hobby or profession of hiking, skiing, and climbing mountains. While mountaineering began as attempts to reach the highest point of unclimbed mountains it has branched into specialisations that address different aspects of the mountain and consists...
facilities apart from numerous restaurants, cafés and chocolate shops. The city has a permanent population of 108,205 according to the 2010 census.
History
The name Bariloche comes from the MapudungunMapudungun
The Mapuche language, Mapudungun is a language isolate spoken in south-central Chile and west central Argentina by the Mapuche people. It is also spelled Mapuzugun and sometimes called Mapudungu or Araucanian...
word Vuriloche meaning "people from behind the mountain" (vuri = behind, che = people). The Vuriloche pass was used by the Poyas to cross the Andes and was kept secret from the Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
an priests for a long time.
Spanish discovery and missions
The lake of Nahuel Huapi was known to Spaniards ever since the times of the Conquest of ChileConquest of Chile
The Conquest of Chile is a period in Chilean historiography that starts with the arrival of Pedro de Valdivia to Chile in 1541 and ends with the death of Martín García Óñez de Loyola, in the Battle of Curalaba in 1598 or alternatively with the Destruction of the Seven Cities. This was the period...
. In the summer of 1552-1553 Governor of Chile Pedro de Valdivia
Pedro de Valdivia
Pedro Gutiérrez de Valdivia or Valdiva was a Spanish conquistador and the first royal governor of Chile. After serving with the Spanish army in Italy and Flanders, he was sent to South America in 1534, where he served as lieutenant under Francisco Pizarro in Peru, acting as his second in command...
sent Francisco de Villagra
Francisco de Villagra
Francisco de Villagra Velázquez was a Spanish conquistador, and three times governor of Chile.-Early life:Born at [Santervás de Campos], he was the son of Alvaro de Sarría and Ana Velázquez de Villagra, who were not married. For this reason he took the name of his mother...
to explore the area east of the Andes at the latitudes of the city of Valdivia
Valdivia
-Geography:*Chile** Valdivia, Chile, a city and municipality in the Province of Valdivia** Valdivia River, a river which begins in the city of Valdivia** Valdivia Province, the Province of Valdivia...
. Francisco de Villagra crossed the Andes trough Mamuil Malal Pass
Mamuil Malal Pass
Mamuil Malal Pass is an international mountain pass in the Andes between Chile and Argentina. The pass connects Pucón and Curarrehue in Chile with Junín de los Andes in Argentina. The road is paved on the Argentinian side and passes just north of Lanín Volcano . During winter the pass may close...
and headed then south until reaching Limay River
Limay River
The Limay River is an important river in the northwestern Argentine Patagonia . It is born at the eastern end of the Nahuel Huapi Lake and flows in a meandering path for about 380 km, collecting the waters of several tributaries, such as the Traful, the Pichileufú and the Collón Curá. It then meets...
.
Another early Spaniard to visit the zone of Nahuel Huapi Lake
Nahuel Huapi Lake
Nahuel Huapi Lake is a lake in the lake region of northern Patagonia between the provinces of Río Negro and Neuquén, in Argentina. The lake depression consists of several glacial valleys carved out along faults and Miocene valleys that were later dammed by moraines.Nahuel Huapi lake, located...
was the Jesuit priest Diego de Rosales
Diego de Rosales
Diego de Rosales was a Spanish chronicler and author of Historia General del Reino de Chile.He studied in his hometown, where he also joined the Society of Jesus. He came to Chile in the year 1629, without having taken his last vows still being sent to the residence that the Jesuits had in Arauco...
. Diego de Rosales was ordered to the area by the Governor of Chile Francisco Antonio de Acuña Cabrera y Bayona
Francisco Antonio de Acuña Cabrera y Bayona
Francisco Antonio de Acuña Cabrera y Bayona Spanish, soldier and governor of the Kingdom of Chile between 1650-1656. He was son of Antonio de Cabrera y Acuña y de Agueda de Bayona, was a knight of the Order of Santiago and a professional military man...
who was concerned about the unrest of the native Puelche
Puelche
Puelche is the name that the Mapuche used to give the ethnic groups who inhabited the lands to the east of the Andes Mountains including the northern Tehuelches and Hets, these last ones were also known as the Pampas or Querandíes...
s and Poyas after the slave hunting expeditions carried out by Luis Ponce de León
Luis Ponce de León
Fray Luis Ponce de León was a Spanish lyric poet, Augustinian friar and theologian and academic, active during the Spanish Golden Age.-Early life:...
in 1649. Diego de Rosales, who beginning at the ruins of Villarica
Villarrica, Chile
Villarrica is a city and commune in southern Chile located on the western shore of Villarrica Lake in the Province of Cautín, Araucanía Region south of Santiago and close to the Villarrica Volcano ski center to the south east. Residents of Villarrica are known as Villarriquences.Tourism, grain and...
in Chile
Chile
Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...
, crossed the Andes
Andes
The Andes is the world's longest continental mountain range. It is a continual range of highlands along the western coast of South America. This range is about long, about to wide , and of an average height of about .Along its length, the Andes is split into several ranges, which are separated...
probably through Mamuil Malal Pass
Mamuil Malal Pass
Mamuil Malal Pass is an international mountain pass in the Andes between Chile and Argentina. The pass connects Pucón and Curarrehue in Chile with Junín de los Andes in Argentina. The road is paved on the Argentinian side and passes just north of Lanín Volcano . During winter the pass may close...
, and then traveled further south along the eastern Andean valleys reached Nahuel Huapi Lake in 1650.
In 1670 Jesuits established in Chiloé Archipelago
Chiloé Archipelago
Chiloé Archipelago consists of several islands lying off the coast of Chile. It is separated from mainland Chile by Chacao Channel in the north, the Sea of Chiloé in the east and Gulf of Corcovado to the southeast. All of the archipelago except Desertores Islands, which are part of Palena...
, led by father Nicolás Mascardi
Nicolás Mascardi
Nicolás Mascardi was an Italian jesuit priest and missioner in South America in the 17th century. He arrived to Chile in 1651. In 1669 he crossed the Andes from Chiloé Archipelago and did notably established a mission in the shores of Nahuel Huapi Lake which lasted until his death...
, entered the area trough Reloncaví Estuary
Reloncaví Estuary
Reloncaví Estuary is a fjord off Reloncaví Sound, located in Los Lagos Region of Chile. Several National Parks and Wilderness Areas are situated in the vicinity of this fjord. Among them are: Alerce Andino National Park, Hornopirén National Park, Vicente Pérez Rosales National Park, Llanquihue...
and the mountain pass of Vuriloche to found a mission in the Nahuel Huapi Lake
Nahuel Huapi Lake
Nahuel Huapi Lake is a lake in the lake region of northern Patagonia between the provinces of Río Negro and Neuquén, in Argentina. The lake depression consists of several glacial valleys carved out along faults and Miocene valleys that were later dammed by moraines.Nahuel Huapi lake, located...
that lasted until 1674. A new mission in at the shores of Nahuel Huapi Lake was established in 1703 but was destroyed and burned down by natives in 1717. In 1766 the head of the Mission of Ralún
Los Lagos, Chile
Los Lagos is a Chilean city and commune in Valdivia Province, Los Ríos Region.-Demographics:According to the 2002 census of the National Statistics Institute, Los Lagos spans an area of and has 20,168 inhabitants . Of these, 9,479 lived in urban areas and 10,689 in rural areas...
tried to reestablish the mission at Nahuel Huapi; but was ultimately prevented by the suppression of the Society of Jesus in the lands of Spanish Crown in 1767.
Modern settlement
Despite having stronger connections to Chile than the distant city of Buenos Aires during most of the 19th century the explorations of Francisco MorenoFrancisco Moreno
Francisco Pascacio Moreno was a prominent explorer and academic in Argentina, where he is usually referred to as Perito Moreno...
and the campaigns of the Conquest of the Desert
Conquest of the Desert
The Conquest of the Desert was a military campaign directed mainly by General Julio Argentino Roca in the 1870s, which established Argentine dominance over Patagonia, which was inhabited by indigenous peoples...
bought the area into the claims of the Argentine government which saw it as the natural expansion of the Viedma colony and the Andes as the natural frontier to Chile. In the 1881 border treaty between Chile and Argentina the Nahuel Huapi area was recognised as Argentine.
The modern settlement of Bariloche developed from a shop established by Carlos Wiederhold, a German immigrant that had settled in the area of Llanquihue in Chile
Chile
Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...
. Carlos Weiderhold then crossed the Andes and established a little shop called "La Alemana" (The German) near the present city center after crossing the Andes
Andes
The Andes is the world's longest continental mountain range. It is a continual range of highlands along the western coast of South America. This range is about long, about to wide , and of an average height of about .Along its length, the Andes is split into several ranges, which are separated...
from Chile
Chile
Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...
.
A small settlement developed around the shop, and by 1895 the settlement was primarily settled by Austrians
Austrians
Austrians are a nation and ethnic group, consisting of the population of the Republic of Austria and its historical predecessor states who share a common Austrian culture and Austrian descent....
, Germans, Slovenes, Chile
Chile
Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...
ans and Italians from the city of Belluno
Belluno
Belluno , is a town and province in the Veneto region of northern Italy. Located about 100 kilometres north of Venice, Belluno is the capital of the province of Belluno and the most important city in the Eastern Dolomiti's region. With its roughly 37,000 inhabitants, it the largest populated area...
. It has been claimed that Bariloche got its name after the German-Chilean
German-Chilean
German Chileans are an important ethnic group in Chile; they are Chileans of German descent deriving their German ethnicity from one or both parents – they also include a minority of German citizens holding permanent residency in Chile...
pioneer Carlos Wiederhold. In letters addressed to him, he was erroneously addressed as San Carlos instead of Don Carlos, which is why the city was called San Carlos de Bariloche. Most of the commerce in Bariloche went by the seaport of Puerto Montt
Puerto Montt
Puerto Montt is a port city and commune in southern Chile, located at the northern end of the Reloncaví Sound in the Llanquihue Province, Los Lagos Region. The commune spans an area of and had a population of 175,938 in 2002. It is located 1,055 km to the south of the capital, Santiago...
in Chile. In 1896 Perito Moreno
Francisco Moreno
Francisco Pascacio Moreno was a prominent explorer and academic in Argentina, where he is usually referred to as Perito Moreno...
wrote that it took three days to reach Puerto Montt from Bariloche while traveling to Viedma in the Atlantic coast took "one month or more".
In the 1930s the centre of the city was built to have the appearance of an alpine town ("Little Switzerland") with many buildings made of wood and stone. In 1909 there were 1,250 inhabitants, telegraph, post office, and a road connecting the city with Neuquén
Neuquén
Neuquén is the name of the following things:* Neuquén, Argentina* Neuquén Province* Neuquén River* Neuquén Group...
. Commerce, however, continued to depend on Chile
Chile
Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...
until the arrival of the railroad in 1934.
Architectural development and tourism
Between 1935 and 1940, the Directorate of National Parks carried out a number of urban public works, giving the city a distinctive architectural pattern; among them, perhaps the best-known is the Civic Center.Bariloche grew from being a centre of cattle trade that relied on commerce with Chile to becoming a tourism center for the Argentine elite with a cosmopolitan architectural and urban profile. Growth in the city's tourist trade began in the 1930s, when local hotel occupancy grew from 1550 tourists in 1934 to 4000 in 1940. In 1934 Ezequiel Bustillo, then director of the National Parks Direction, contracted his brother Alejandro Bustillo
Alejandro Bustillo
Alejandro Bustillo was an Argentine painter and architect who left his mark in various tourist destinations in Argentina, especially in the Andean region of the Patagonia....
to build several buildings in Iguazú
Iguazú National Park
The Iguazú National Park is a national park of Argentina, located in the Iguazú Department, in the north of the province of Misiones, Argentine Mesopotamia. It has an area of . -History:...
and Nahuel Huapi National Park
Nahuel Huapi National Park
Established in 1934, the Nahuel Huapi National Park is the oldest national park in Argentina. It surrounds Nahuel Huapi Lake in the foothills of the Patagonian Andes. The largest of the national parks in the region, it has an area of , or nearly 2 million acres...
(Bariloche was the main settlement inside the park). In contrast to subtropical Iguazú National Park, however, temperate Nahuel Huapi National Park was believed to be able to compete with the tourism of Europe and was therefore, along with Bariloche, prioritized by national tourism development planners.
The result of work by Alejandro Bustillo
Alejandro Bustillo
Alejandro Bustillo was an Argentine painter and architect who left his mark in various tourist destinations in Argentina, especially in the Andean region of the Patagonia....
can be seen in the Edificio Movilidad, Plaza Perito Moreno, the neogothic
Gothic Revival architecture
The Gothic Revival is an architectural movement that began in the 1740s in England...
San Carlos de Bariloche Cathedral, and the Llao Llao Hotel
Llao Llao Hotel
The Llao Llao Hotel is located in the tourist resort of San Carlos de Bariloche within the .This famous hotel is situated in the foothills of the Andes on a hill between the Moreno Lake and Nahuel Huapi lakes....
. Architect Ernesto de Estrada designed the Civic Centre of Barloche which opened in 1940. The Civic Center's tuff
Tuff
Tuff is a type of rock consisting of consolidated volcanic ash ejected from vents during a volcanic eruption. Tuff is sometimes called tufa, particularly when used as construction material, although tufa also refers to a quite different rock. Rock that contains greater than 50% tuff is considered...
stone, slate
Slate
Slate is a fine-grained, foliated, homogeneous metamorphic rock derived from an original shale-type sedimentary rock composed of clay or volcanic ash through low-grade regional metamorphism. The result is a foliated rock in which the foliation may not correspond to the original sedimentary layering...
and fitzroya
Fitzroya
Fitzroya is a monotypic genus in the cypress family.-Species:The single living species, Fitzroya cupressoides, is a tall, long-lived conifer native to the Andes mountains of southern Chile and Argentina, where it is an important member of the Valdivian temperate rain forests...
structures include the Domingo Sarmiento Library, the Francisco Moreno Museum of Patagonia
Francisco Moreno Museum of Patagonia
The Francisco P. Moreno Museum of Patagonia is a natural history and cultural anthropology museum located in the Civic Center of Bariloche, Argentina.-Overview:...
, a Museum, the City Hall, the Post Office, the Police Station and the Customs.
U.S. President Dwight Eisenhower visited Bariloche as a guest of President Arturo Frondizi
Arturo Frondizi
Arturo Frondizi Ercoli was the President of Argentina between May 1, 1958, and March 29, 1962, for the Intransigent Radical Civic Union.-Early life:Frondizi was born in Paso de los Libres, Corrientes Province...
in 1960. Classical violinist Alberto Lysy
Alberto Lysy
Alberto Lysy was a prestigious Argentine violinist and conductor.-Life and work:Alberto Lysy was born in Buenos Aires to Ukrainian immigrants in 1935. At age five, his father introduced him to the violin. Lysy left school at age 13 to devote more time to the instrument, and was subsequently...
established Camerata Bariloche
Camerata Bariloche
The Camerata Bariloche is a chamber music ensemble from Argentina, founded in 1967. The ensemble has achieved international recognition for excellence.-Origins:...
here in 1967.
Huemul Project
During the 1950s, on the small island of Huemul, not far into lake Nahuel Huapi, former president Juan Domingo Perón attempted to secretly build the world's first fusion reactor. Even though the project cost the equivalent of about $300 million modern US dollars, it was never finished, due to the lack of the highly advanced technology that was needed. There were also serious problems with the Austrian Ronald RichterRonald Richter
Ronald Richter was an Austrian, later Argentine, scientist who became famous in connection with the Huemul Project and the National Atomic Energy Commission. This was intended to generate energy from nuclear fusion in the 1950s in Argentina, during the presidency of Juan Perón...
in charge of the project, who many accused of being simply crazy.
The facilities can still nowadays be visited, and are visible from certain locations on the coast.
Nazis in Bariloche
Bariloche made headlines in the international press in 1995 when it became known as a haven for Nazi war criminals like the former high ranking official of the SS 'HauptsturmführerHauptsturmführer
Hauptsturmführer was a Nazi rank of the SS which was used between the years of 1934 and 1945. The rank of Hauptsturmführer was a mid-grade company level officer and was the equivalent of a Captain in the German Army and also the equivalent of captain in foreign armies...
' Erich Priebke
Erich Priebke
Erich Priebke is a former Hauptsturmführer in the Waffen SS. In 1996 he was convicted of war crimes in Italy, for participating in the massacre at the Ardeatine caves in Rome, on March 24, 1944...
who had been living there for years. Priebke had been the director of the German School of Bariloche.
Argentine author Abel Basti claims in his book Bariloche nazi-guía turística (published in January of 2004) that Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler
Adolf Hitler was an Austrian-born German politician and the leader of the National Socialist German Workers Party , commonly referred to as the Nazi Party). He was Chancellor of Germany from 1933 to 1945, and head of state from 1934 to 1945...
and Eva Braun
Eva Braun
Eva Anna Paula Hitler was the longtime companion of Adolf Hitler and, for less than 40 hours, his wife. Braun met Hitler in Munich, when she was 17 years old, while working as an assistant and model for his personal photographer and began seeing him often about two years later...
lived in the sorroundings of Bariloche for many years after WWII. The estate of Inalco has been pointed out by Abel Basti as the place that Argentine nazis choosed as refuge for Hitler.
A book published by British authors in 2011 propose that Hitler and Eva Braun hid at Hacienda San Ramon, six miles east of Bariloche until the early 1960s. This account is disputed by other historians.
Tourism
Tourism, both domestic and international, is the main economic activity of Bariloche, all year around. While popular among Europeans, its also a very popular attraction for Brazilians. One of the most popular activities is skiing. The most popular season to visit Bariloche is the winter, summer for North Americans and Europeans, and there are regular flights from Buenos Aires with LAN airlinesLAN Airlines
LAN Airlines S.A. is an airline based in Santiago, Chile. LAN is currently positioned amongst the largest airlines in Latin America, serving Latin America, United States, the Caribbean, Oceania, and Europe. It is a member of the Oneworld airline alliance...
and Aerolíneas Argentinas
Aerolíneas Argentinas
Aerolíneas Argentinas , formally Aerolíneas Argentinas S.A., is Argentina's largest airline and serves as the country's flag carrier. Owned in its majority by the Argentine Government, the airline is headquartered in the Torre Bouchard, located in San Nicolás, Buenos Aires...
.
The main ski station is the one at Cerro Catedral
Cerro Catedral
Cerro Catedral is a mountain located from San Carlos de Bariloche, and inside the Nahuel Huapí National Park, Patagonia, Argentina.The mountain holds one of the biggest ski centers in South America, with a skiable area of , over of ski runs, and a lift capacity of 22,200 skiers per hour . It is...
. During the summer, beautiful beaches such as Playa Bonita and Villa Tacul welcome sun-bathers and some brave lake swimmers (the waters, from melting snow, are always very cold. Lake Nahuel Huapi averages 14 °C in the summertime). The fishing season is another great attraction. Bariloche is the biggest city of a huge Lakes District, and serves as a base for many excursions in the region. Trekking in the mountains, almost completely wild and uninhabited with the exception of a few high-mountain huts operated by Club Andino Bariloche
Club Andino Bariloche
Club Andino Bariloche is a mountaineering organisation based in San Carlos de Bariloche, in the Argentinian Andes. It was founded on the 13th of August 1931 by Otto Meiling, Emilio Frey, Juan Javier Neumeyer and Reinaldo Knapp, a group of friends who were exploring the region and making first ascents...
, is also a popular activity. The city is also famous for its chocolates and Swiss-style architecture.
Science
Besides tourism and the many activities and services associated with it, Bariloche is home of advanced scientific and technological activities. The Centro Atómico Bariloche is a research center of the National Atomic Energy CommissionNational Atomic Energy Commission
The National Atomic Energy Commission is the Argentine government agency in charge of nuclear energy research and development.The agency was created on May 31, 1950 with the mission of developing and controlling nuclear energy for peaceful purposes in the country.CNEA's facilities include the...
, where basic and applied research in many areas of the physical sciences is carried out. One of its departments is the Instituto Balseiro
Instituto Balseiro
Balseiro Institute is an academic institution chartered by the National University of Cuyo and the National Atomic Energy Commission...
, a higher education institution with a small and carefully selected number of students, that awards degrees in Physics, and in Nuclear and Mechanical Engineering, and Masters and Doctorate degrees in Physics and in Engineering. The city also hosts INVAP
INVAP
INVAP S.E. is an Argentine high-technology company dedicated to the design, integration, construction and delivery of high complexity equipment, plants and devices.-Background:...
, a high technology company that designs and builds nuclear reactors, state-of-the-art radars and space satellites, among other projects.
The private non profit organization Bariloche Foundation, continues the tradition of scientific research in the city. Started in 1963, it promotes postgraduate teaching and research. There are also several departments and laboratories at the National University of Comahue
National University of Comahue
The National University of Comahue is an Argentine national university with branches in the provinces of Neuquén, Río Negro and Chubut, with a center in the city of Neuquén and units in Viedma, Bariloche, San Martín de los Andes, Cipolletti, Zapala, Allen, Río Negro, General Roca, Río Negro,...
.
Climate and geography
Mediterranean climate
A Mediterranean climate is the climate typical of most of the lands in the Mediterranean Basin, and is a particular variety of subtropical climate...
(Köppen
Köppen climate classification
The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by Crimea German climatologist Wladimir Köppen in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen himself, notably in 1918 and 1936...
Csb) with dry, windy summers and rainy winters, which grades to an alpine subpolar oceanic climate at higher altitudes. Generally speaking, the summer season (mid-December to early March) is characterized by long stretches of windy, sunny weather, with pleasant afternoons of 18 to 26 °C (64.4 to 78.8 F) and cold nights of 2 to 9 °C (35.6 to 48.2 F). Autumn brings colder temperatures in March, then stormier weather in April and May. By mid-May the first snows fall, and winter lasts until early September, bringing stormy weather with mixed precipitation (snow, rain, sleet), occasional snowstorms and highs between 0 and 12 °C (32 and 53.6 F), lows between −12 C. Spring is very windy and variable; temperatures may reach 25 °C (77 °F) in October and then plummet to −6 C following a late-season snowfall. On average, there are a handful of snowy days between 5 and 15 cm (2 and 5.9 in) every year, and many more days with mixed precipitation. However, there have been extreme snow events in the past that have brought well over a foot of snow (30 cm) to the entire city, and well over a meter in some higher areas.
Within the city limits, several geographic features have an impact on the weather, creating several micro-climates. Generally, the city follows, for over 15 km from east to west, the shores of Nahuel Huapi lake, which is over 10 km wide in front of the city centre and extends over more than 70 km to the northwest, toward Villa La Angostura
Villa La Angostura
Villa La Angostura is a village in the south of the Argentine province of Neuquén, on the northwest shore of the Nahuel Huapi Lake.-Geography and climate:...
. West of the city, the fjord known as Brazo Blest extends for another 50 km, and these two features allow strong westerly and northwesterly winds to reach the city. Most central areas and almost all tourist areas are located along the shoreline; they are thus "sandiwched" between higher elevations on the south and the extensive lake at 765 meters above sea level on the north. This position, on a north-facing slope next to open water, creates a moderate micro-climate: during the summer, daytime temperatures very rarely reach over 30°C, staying most often in the 18°C to 25°C range, with nights usually between 2 and 9 °C (35.6 and 48.2 F). During the winter, most days reach between 3 and 9 °C (37.4 and 48.2 F), whilst nights are often between −5 C, depending mostly on cloud cover. Snowfall is usually light, and although snow depth can often reach 0.1 metres (4 in) after a snowstorm, it will usually not last more than two or three days. Extreme low temperatures rarely fall below −10 C, although −15 C may be reached on occasion. The main feature of this area is the strong, westerly winds that sometimes reach over 100 km/h, especially between September and December. Precipitation ranges from over 1800 millimetres (70.9 in) at the western end of the city (Llao Llao) to only 600 millimetres (24 in) at the eastern end (Airport).
Right behind the city centre, the area known as "El Alto" forms a plateau at about 900 m of altitude. Being far away from the lake and at a higher altitude, the weather tends to be more extreme, especially in the winter: it is not uncommon to see sleet storms hit the downtown area while El Alto is covered in snow. It is also not unusual to have more extended periods of snow cover (up to one or two weeks at a time), with depths sometimes exceeding 0.2 metres (8 in), and temperatures of −10 C are frequent. On occasion, temperatures below −18 C will also be recorded.
The slopes of Cerro Otto (1405 meters above sea level), right west of the city centre, often have deep snow cover: cross-country skiing and dog sledding can be practiced for a few months every year. The neighbourhood of Villa Catedral, at about 990 meters above sea level, sees colder temperatures and increased snowfall: on the coldest winters, this hub, which serves as the base of a ski resort, can be snow covered through the winter, sometimes with over 50 cm snow (in 2007, accumulations reached 100 cm!). However, on most winters, this condition is only met above 1200 meters, where most of the slopes of the resort are located.
Higher elevations see much colder conditions: the top of Cerro Catedral
Cerro Catedral
Cerro Catedral is a mountain located from San Carlos de Bariloche, and inside the Nahuel Huapí National Park, Patagonia, Argentina.The mountain holds one of the biggest ski centers in South America, with a skiable area of , over of ski runs, and a lift capacity of 22,200 skiers per hour . It is...
, 30 km from the city centre, sees snow cover from late April till at least December, with a maximum in early September that usually reaches well over 150 cm (in 2007, over 400 cm were recorded). The tree line is located between 1,600 m (southerly slope) and 1,800 m (northerly slope), and snowstorms happen in the summer as well.
Water temperatures at the Nahuel Huapi lake vary from a high of 14°C in late summer and a low of 7°C in early spring. Alpine streams and ponds often have much lower temperatures, and can be frozen for months.
Transportation
Andes
The Andes is the world's longest continental mountain range. It is a continual range of highlands along the western coast of South America. This range is about long, about to wide , and of an average height of about .Along its length, the Andes is split into several ranges, which are separated...
to the Atlantic Ocean
Atlantic Ocean
The Atlantic Ocean is the second-largest of the world's oceanic divisions. With a total area of about , it covers approximately 20% of the Earth's surface and about 26% of its water surface area...
.
San Carlos de Bariloche lies close to the Chile
Chile
Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...
an border and is connected to Chile by the Cardenal Antonio Samoré Pass
Cardenal Antonio Samoré Pass
Cardenal Antonio Samoré Pass it is one of the main mountain pass through the southern Andes along the border between Argentina and Chile.Together with Paso Libertadores, it is one of the easiest of the Argentina-Chile passes, and one of the few with asphalted roads in the region...
crossing the Andes
Andes
The Andes is the world's longest continental mountain range. It is a continual range of highlands along the western coast of South America. This range is about long, about to wide , and of an average height of about .Along its length, the Andes is split into several ranges, which are separated...
Mountains.
Military
Bariloche is home of the army's "12° Regimiento de Infantería de Montaña" (12th Mountain Infantry Regiment), where military personnel are instructed on mountainous conditions, including combat, survival or even skiing. It is usual for the Regiment to receive infantry from other parts of the country and train them.See also
- Nahuel Huapi National ParkNahuel Huapi National ParkEstablished in 1934, the Nahuel Huapi National Park is the oldest national park in Argentina. It surrounds Nahuel Huapi Lake in the foothills of the Patagonian Andes. The largest of the national parks in the region, it has an area of , or nearly 2 million acres...
- Huemul ProjectHuemul ProjectThe Huemul Project was a secret project proposed by the German scientist of Austrian origin Ronald Richter to the government of Argentina during the first presidency of Juan Domingo Perón....
- Club Andino BarilocheClub Andino BarilocheClub Andino Bariloche is a mountaineering organisation based in San Carlos de Bariloche, in the Argentinian Andes. It was founded on the 13th of August 1931 by Otto Meiling, Emilio Frey, Juan Javier Neumeyer and Reinaldo Knapp, a group of friends who were exploring the region and making first ascents...
- Bariloche on Wikitravel