Villa General Belgrano
Encyclopedia
Villa General Belgrano, a small mountain village of 6,260 inhabitants is named after the creator of the Argentine flag Manuel Belgrano
and located in a lush green valley of Calamuchita
in the hills in the Province of Córdoba
in central Argentina.
attracted immigrants from Germany, Switzerland
, Italy and Austria.
In 1940, after the Battle of the River Plate
, German seaman scuttled and sunk their battleship, the Admiral Graf Spee off the coast of the Montevideo
harbour, and 130 of its surviving sailors settled in the village along with the original settlers and landscaped the mountain ranges of Córdoba with red-roofed, wood-frame homes, microbreweries
and pastry and chocolate shops which gave it that unique style that distinguishes it today.
The village, characterized by its typically Bavarian style architecture, survives on a steady flow of tourists with an appetite for German delicacies like apple strudel
, leberwurst and spätzle
and beer even if German cuisine recipes aren't strictly respected by local restaurants. Oktoberfest
here is hailed as the third-most important Oktoberfest site after Munich
and Blumenau
in Brazil. The village offers an above-average (considering surrounding villages) quality of accommodations to the visitors in hotels and cabins, including a local Howard Johnson's
.
Newsstands sell the German language
weekly, Argentinisches Tageblatt
among other German newspapers, and the church offers Sunday services in German and Spanish. Like many isolated immigrant communities, Villa General Belgrano has respected traditions that fell out of favor in Germany long ago, however even though the mother tongue can still be heard, it's being lost in time.
in this area has many arboreal autochthonous species as the chañar, espinillio, molle, moradillo, shade of bull and piquillín amongst other. As for the species implemented by the man in the zone important plantations of coniferous, eucalyptuses, paradise, acacias, are found.
As for the fauna
, gray foxes, partridges, vizcachas
, cuises
, shy iguanas, weasel
s, etc. are abundant.
The commune is in the region named Bosque Serrano, located between 500 and 1400 metres above sea level.
, together with Villa General Belgrano are the principal tourist localities of the Valley
. Nearby there also are the small settlements of Los Reartes, Villa Ciudad Parque Los Reartes, Solar de los Molinos, Villa Berna, Villa Alpina, Capilla Vieja, Atos Pampa, and La Cumbrecita
which are singular tourist attractions.
Manuel Belgrano
Manuel José Joaquín del Corazón de Jesús Belgrano , usually referred to as Manuel Belgrano, was an Argentine economist, lawyer, politician, and military leader. He took part in the Argentine Wars of Independence and created the Flag of Argentina...
and located in a lush green valley of Calamuchita
Calamuchita Department
The Calamuchita Department is a subdivision of the .The department is located in the center-west of the province and includes important tourist destinations, especially along the Calamuchita Valley. The center of this region is the small city of Santa Rosa de Calamuchita...
in the hills in the Province of Córdoba
Córdoba Province (Argentina)
Córdoba is a province of Argentina, located in the center of the country. Neighboring provinces are : Santiago del Estero, Santa Fe, Buenos Aires, La Pampa, San Luis, La Rioja and Catamarca...
in central Argentina.
History
Villa General Belgrano was founded in 1930, by two German speculators attracted by its agricultural potential. The Alpine quality of the villageVillage
A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet with the population ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand , Though often located in rural areas, the term urban village is also applied to certain urban neighbourhoods, such as the West Village in Manhattan, New...
attracted immigrants from Germany, Switzerland
German settlement in Argentina
German Argentines are Argentines of German descent. The term "German" usually refers to Ethnic Germans who immigrated to Argentina from Germany, Austria, France, Hungary, Poland, Romania, Russia, Switzerland, former Yugoslavia and elsewhere in Europe...
, Italy and Austria.
In 1940, after the Battle of the River Plate
Battle of the River Plate
The Battle of the River Plate was the first naval battle in the Second World War. The German pocket battleship had been commerce raiding since the start of the war in September 1939...
, German seaman scuttled and sunk their battleship, the Admiral Graf Spee off the coast of the Montevideo
Montevideo
Montevideo is the largest city, the capital, and the chief port of Uruguay. The settlement was established in 1726 by Bruno Mauricio de Zabala, as a strategic move amidst a Spanish-Portuguese dispute over the platine region, and as a counter to the Portuguese colony at Colonia del Sacramento...
harbour, and 130 of its surviving sailors settled in the village along with the original settlers and landscaped the mountain ranges of Córdoba with red-roofed, wood-frame homes, microbreweries
Microbrewery
A microbrewery or craft brewer is a brewery which produces a limited amount of beer, and is associated by consumers with innovation and uniqueness....
and pastry and chocolate shops which gave it that unique style that distinguishes it today.
The village, characterized by its typically Bavarian style architecture, survives on a steady flow of tourists with an appetite for German delicacies like apple strudel
Apfelstrudel
Apple strudel is a traditional Viennese strudel, a popular pastry in Austria and in many countries in Europe that once belonged to the Austro-Hungarian empire .-History:...
, leberwurst and spätzle
Spätzle
Spätzle are a type of egg noodle of soft texture found in the cuisine of Germany and of Austria, Switzerland, Hungary, Alsace and South Tyrol.-History:The geographic origin of spätzle is not precisely...
and beer even if German cuisine recipes aren't strictly respected by local restaurants. Oktoberfest
Oktoberfest celebrations
The Oktoberfest is a two-week festival held each year in Munich, Germany during late September and early October. It is attended by six million people each year and has inspired numerous similar events using the name Oktoberfest in Germany and around the world, many of which were founded by German...
here is hailed as the third-most important Oktoberfest site after Munich
Oktoberfest
Oktoberfest, or Wiesn, is a 16–18 day beer festival held annually in Munich, Bavaria, Germany, running from late September to the first weekend in October. It is one of the most famous events in Germany and is the world's largest fair, with more than 5 million people attending every year. The...
and Blumenau
Blumenau
Blumenau is a city in Vale do Itajaí, state of Santa Catarina, in southern Brazil. It was founded on September 2, 1850 by Dr. Hermann Bruno Otto Blumenau along with 17 German immigrants. A few years later Fritz Müller migrated to Blumenau as well....
in Brazil. The village offers an above-average (considering surrounding villages) quality of accommodations to the visitors in hotels and cabins, including a local Howard Johnson's
Howard Johnson's
Howard Johnson's is a chain of hotels and restaurants, located primarily throughout the United States and Canada. Throughout the 1960s and 1970s, Howard Johnson's was the largest restaurant chain in the United States, with over 1,000 restaurants...
.
Newsstands sell the German language
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
weekly, Argentinisches Tageblatt
Argentinisches Tageblatt
Argentinisches Tageblatt is a German-language weekly newspaper published every Saturday in Buenos Aires, Argentina....
among other German newspapers, and the church offers Sunday services in German and Spanish. Like many isolated immigrant communities, Villa General Belgrano has respected traditions that fell out of favor in Germany long ago, however even though the mother tongue can still be heard, it's being lost in time.
Flora and fauna
The floraFlora
Flora is the plant life occurring in a particular region or time, generally the naturally occurring or indigenous—native plant life. The corresponding term for animals is fauna.-Etymology:...
in this area has many arboreal autochthonous species as the chañar, espinillio, molle, moradillo, shade of bull and piquillín amongst other. As for the species implemented by the man in the zone important plantations of coniferous, eucalyptuses, paradise, acacias, are found.
As for the fauna
Fauna
Fauna or faunæ is all of the animal life of any particular region or time. The corresponding term for plants is flora.Zoologists and paleontologists use fauna to refer to a typical collection of animals found in a specific time or place, e.g. the "Sonoran Desert fauna" or the "Burgess shale fauna"...
, gray foxes, partridges, vizcachas
Viscacha
Viscachas or vizcachas are rodents of two genera in the family Chinchillidae. They are closely related to chinchillas, and look similar to rabbits...
, cuises
Common Yellow-toothed Cavy
The common yellow-toothed cavy is a species of rodent in the family Caviidae. It is found in Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, and Peru. It's karyotype has 2n = 68 and FN = 136....
, shy iguanas, weasel
Weasel
Weasels are mammals forming the genus Mustela of the Mustelidae family. They are small, active predators, long and slender with short legs....
s, etc. are abundant.
The commune is in the region named Bosque Serrano, located between 500 and 1400 metres above sea level.
Nearby Towns
The nearby town of Santa Rosa de CalamuchitaSanta Rosa de Calamuchita
Santa Rosa de Calamuchita is a small village in the . It has about 10,000 inhabitants as of the . The village is located in the center of the Calamuchita Valley, in the middle of a landscape that includes hills as well as rivers and lakes; the area is a major tourist attraction...
, together with Villa General Belgrano are the principal tourist localities of the Valley
Valley
In geology, a valley or dale is a depression with predominant extent in one direction. A very deep river valley may be called a canyon or gorge.The terms U-shaped and V-shaped are descriptive terms of geography to characterize the form of valleys...
. Nearby there also are the small settlements of Los Reartes, Villa Ciudad Parque Los Reartes, Solar de los Molinos, Villa Berna, Villa Alpina, Capilla Vieja, Atos Pampa, and La Cumbrecita
La Cumbrecita
La Cumbrecita is a small picturesque secluded alpine-like hamlet amongst spruce and pine at 1450 meters above sea level where is not unusual to see a blanket of snow in winter time in the Province of Córdoba, Argentina. It is situated in the Calamuchita Valley in the Grand Sierras of Córdoba...
which are singular tourist attractions.