Nueva Helvecia
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Situated around 60km southeast of Colonia del Sacramento, this little town looks a bit like Switzerland transplanted to South America, complete with Central European crests adorning the houses.
The town was founded on April 25, 1862, by European settlers, mainly Swiss, who started to grow crops. It soon became one of the most important agricultural areas in Uruguay. It was here where in 1868 the first mechanical threshing machine of Uruguay was installed, followed in 1876 by the first steam-powered mill.
The town's official name, Nueva Helvecia, means "New Helvetia", from an old word for Switzerland. The alternative name Colonia Suiza means "Swiss Colony".
Get in
See
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Plaza de los Fundadores
address: 18 de Julio and 25 de AgostoDesigned by architect Luis Mazzini, with its monument and the flower clock. -
Santuario de Nuestra Senora de Schoenstatt
address: Frau Vogel and Guillermo TellBuilt in 1943, in the Parque del Colegio de Hermanas. Escuela de Lecheria
Molino QuemadoBuilt in 1876
Tanque de OSE
Capilla Católica
Cooperativa de Viticultores Ozark
Tiro Suizo
Parque Municipal Jose Pedro VarelaWith a campsite and public swimming pool.
Primera Capilla Evangélica and Templo EvangélicoTwo old churches next to each other. The First Evangelical Chapel (Primera Capilla Evangélica) was built in 1863 by the collaboration of the town's evangelical and Catholic religious communities. The much larger Evangelical Temple (Templo Evangélico) was built two decades later and had its inaugural sermon in 1887.
Do
- The traditional market on Wednesday mornings.
Eat
A distinctive Swiss-influenced Uruguayan cheese, Queso Colonia, originated in Colonia Suiza. It's also worth trying papas a la suiza, a local specialty consisting of shredded potatoes cooked in a sort of loose pancake.
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address: Federico Fischer 355An elegant restaurant in a large room evocative of Switzerland—a connection strengthened by all the Swiss pastoral decorations: crests, cowbells, photos, tools, etc. Typical Uruguayan cuisine as well as more distinctive Nueva Helvecia specialties.
Sleep
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phone: +598 4554 4002address: Federico Fischer 355