From top to bottom, left to right: Valdivia waterfront; town square; Hotel Naguilán (top); Sciences Building of Austral University (bottom); Los Canelos tower;Rodolfo Amando Philippi Museum; Historical and Anthropologic Museum Maurice van de Maele; St. Francisco Church; Prochelle House; Dreams Hotel & Casino; Los Lotos Lagoon onTeja Island; Mapuche's Rewe; and Botanical Garden of Valdivia
In 1960, Valdivia was severely damaged by theGreat Chilean earthquake, the most powerful earthquake ever recorded, at magnitude 9.5.[7] The earthquake caused c. 2 m of subsidence around Valdivia leaving large areas of former pastures and cultivated fields permanently flooded.[8] Today there are variousprotected wetlands[9] within the urbanised area of Valdivia as well as in its outskirts.[10]
The area around Valdivia may have been populated since 12,000 – 11,800 BC, according to archaeological discoveries inMonte Verde[11] (less than 200 km south of Valdivia), which would place it about a thousand years before theClovis culture inNorth America. This challenges the"Clovis First" model of migration to the New World. Researchers speculate that the first inhabitants of Valdivia and Chile travelled to America bywatercraft and not across a land-bridge in theBering Strait.
During at least theMiddle Archaic, southern Chile was populated by indigenous groups who shared a commonlithic culture called theChan-Chan Complex, named for the archaeological site ofChan-Chan located some 35 km north of Valdivia along the coast.[12]
By the time of the arrival of the Spanishconquistadores, Valdivia was inhabited by theHuilliche (Mapudungun forPeople of the South). The Huilliche andMapuche were both referred to by the Spaniards asAraucanos. Their main language was a variant of Mapudungun, the Mapuche language.
A large village calledAinil stood where present-day downtown Valdivia has been developed. The Huilliche called the river,Ainilebu (now known as the Valdivia River).Ainil seemed to have been an important trade center; it was a port on the sea and had access to the interior via the network of theCruces andCalle-Calle rivers, both tributaries of the Valdivia.Ainil may be described as "a kind of littleVenice," as it had large areas of wetlands and canals. Since that period, most of these waterways and wetlands have been drained or filled. The market inAinil receivedshellfish andfish from the coast,legumes fromPunucapa, and other foods fromSan José de la Mariquina, an agricultural zone northeast of Valdivia.[13] A remnant of this ancient trade is the modernFeria Fluvial (English: Riverside Market) on the banks of Valdivia River. The surroundings of Valdivia were described as extensive plains having a large population that cultivatedpotatoes,maize,quinoa andlegumes, among other crops.[14] The population has been estimated by some historians as 30 to 40 thousand inhabitants as of 1548,[15] based on descriptions made by the conquistadors.Pedro Mariño de Lobera, an early conquistador andchronicler, wrote that there were half a million Indians living within tenleagues (one league is roughly 4.2 km) from the city.[14] Other historians consider these numbers too high and argue that early Spaniards usually exaggerated in their descriptions.
Later the British naturalistCharles Darwin observed that "there is not much cleared land near Valdivia."[13] This suggests that pre-Hispanic agriculture in Valdivia was far more extensive than the agriculture practiced in the early 19th century at the time of his visit.
Pedro later travelled by land to the river described by Pastene, and founded the city of Valdivia in 1552 asSanta María la Blanca de Valdivia.[16] It was the southernmost Spanish settlement in the Americas at the time of the founding. Following the establishment of the church ofSanta María la Blanca in Valdivia, more buildings were constructed.Mariño de Lobera described it as "the second city in theKingdom of Chile".[14] Many of Chile's most influential conquistadors and future governors were granted land in Valdivia, such asJerónimo de Alderete,Rodrigo de Quiroga,Francisco andPedro de Villagra, apart from Pedro de Valdivia himself.
"Having the governor seen such goodcomarca and site for populate a city and riverside of such good river, and having such good harbour he founded a city and named itciudad de Valdivia, and he assignedAlcaldes and atown council."
After Pedro de Valdivia's death, the war with theMapuches, called theWar of Arauco, continued. The Spanish made many attempts to defeat the Mapuche and defend the cities and forts built on their territory. On March 17 of 1575, the city was damaged bya massive earthquake. It has since been likened to theGreat Chilean earthquake of 1960 in terms of damage.[16]
Until 1575, the Huilliche of Valdivia did not organize any notable resistance against the Spanish. They had fought asIndios amigos with the Spanish against the northern Mapuche in the Arauco War. But that year 4,000 Indians who had been fighting inMartín Ruiz de Gamboa's army rebelled after returning to the area of Valdivia.
Picture ofPedro de Valdivia, conquistador of Chile and founder of Valdivia
During the 16th century, the economy of Valdivia was sustained by trade in agricultural products from nearby areas and by the coining and export ofplacergold fromVillarrica,Madre de Dios andOsorno. InLima and the rest of Chile, people referred to all the gold from these sources as "gold from Valdivia." Many merchants of Lima had envoys in Valdivia, and the city developed a large ship building industry. It produced the largest ships in theKingdom of Chile.
After the demoralisingBattle of Curalaba in 1598, in which the Mapuche killed governorÓñez de Loyola, the Mapuche and Huilliche made a mass rebellion. The Indians destroyed or forced the abandonment of all the Spanish settlements and forts in their lands, in what came to be known as theDestruction of the Seven Cities. On the morning of 24 November 1599, the Huilliche attacked the city and massacred its inhabitants, some few being rescued by the ships in the harbour. The border of the Spanish Empire shifted north of theBío-Bío River. Valdivia was re-established but it was a Spanish enclave surrounded by native Huilliche territory. Together withCastro, Chile on the island ofChiloé, it was one of the southernmost colonies of the Empire.
Eleven days after the first destruction of Valdivia, a group of 270 Spanish soldiers arrived from Perú.[16] The commander of the troops, colonel Francisco del Campo was convinced that the city of Valdivia needed to be repopulated. After Francisco del Campo's expedition left, the Dutch corsair Sebastian de Cordes occupied the site of Valdivia for some months, giving the Dutch government information about this abandoned part of the Spanish Empire. The Spaniards returned on 13 March 1602, when captain Francisco Hernández Ortiz established a fort on the ruins of the city. On September 24 natives attacked the fort unsuccessfully, but laid siege. The Spaniards could not acquire food or supplies, and on 3 February 1604 abandoned the fort, with the last starving survivors rescued by ship.
Ruins of Valdivia and Dutch occupation (1604–1645)
The Dutch governor of theEast IndiesHendrik Brouwer, learned about the situation in Valdivia, decided to establish a base there for further attacks against the Viceroy of Peru. This plan was well accepted as the Netherlands was at war with Spain. The Dutch hadpreviously taken the North of Brazil from theSpanish-Portuguese crown, and the idea of creating a South American empire was attractive. In spite of his advanced age, Hendrik Brouwer left his post as governor in the East Indies to personally lead the expedition. The Dutch fleet destroyed the Fort ofCarelmapu and the city ofCastro before arriving atCorral Bay at the mouth of the Valdivia River. Hendrik Brouwer died the 7th of August inPuerto Inglés while waiting for better winds to sail north to Valdivia.John Maurice of Nassau, while in charge of theDutch part of Brazil, had equipped the expedition and had secretly appointed Elias Herckman as commander if Brouwer died. Herckman finally occupied the ruins of Valdivia in 1643, renaming itBrouwershaven. The Dutch did not find the gold mines they expected and the hostility of the natives forced them to leave on 28 October 1643.[16]
Image of Torreón El Canelo restored in the 1850s. It is one of two remaining Spanish towers in Valdivia used to defend the city and one of the few remaining colonial structures.
Pedro Álvarez de Toledo y Leiva, the Viceroy of Peru from 1639 to 1648, knew of the strategic importance of Valdivia and decided to repopulate and fortify it once and for all. He financed partly the expedition to repopulate Valdivia with his own capital.[16] The contingent in charge of the mission was organized in Peru and consisted of seventeen ships filled with building materials and supplies that astounded contemporaries by its magnitude.[6] The local government of Chile could not secure Valdivia as it was engaged in continuous war with the Mapuches and was deeply dependent on theReal Situado, an annual payment of silver fromPotosí to finance the army of Chile. The Valdivia enclave was placed directly under the control of theViceroyalty of Peru that administered Valdivia from its repopulation in 1645 until 1740.[16]Corral, located on the river entrance to Valdivia, became one of the most fortified bay at the time,[6] with 17 forts. During this time it was several times proposed to move the city of Valdivia toMancera Island. Valdivia's original site, downtown of modern Valdivia was repopulated in 1684.
Beginning in the mid-18th century, Valdivia left behind its past as an enclave and a period of agricultural expansion begun. The expansion, that mainly directed to the south, was done mostly by pacific means, but hostilities with indigenous Huilliches did occur. After the Valdivian colonization had reachedBueno River, Spanish authorities pushed for connecting the city of Valdivia with the settlements atChacao Channel by a road.[20]
Self-governing juntas appeared inSpanish America and Spain afterNapoleon occupied Spain and held the Spanish kingFernando VII captive. Many juntas, as was the case of Chile, declared plans to rule their territory in the absence of the legitimate king. At the time of the first governing junta ofChile in 1810, the Valdivian governor, anIrishman, Albert Alexander Eagar, led the celebration of what was seen as an affirmation of the legitimacy of the Spanish king. However, Valdivian independentists, such asCamilo Henríquez, saw an opportunity to gain absolute independence from Spain, organized a coup on 1 November 1811, and joined other Chilean cities that were already revolting against the old order.[16] Four months after the coup, on 16 March 1812 a counterrevolutionary coup took control of the city and created a War Council. The War Council broke trade relations with the rest of Chile and confirmed Valdivia's loyalty to the Spanish government.[16]
Even after several defeats of the Spanish troops during theChilean Independence War, Valdivia andChiloé remained loyal to the Spanish King. By 1820 the newly createdChilean Navy, commanded byLord Thomas Cochrane,captured Valdivia, but failed to liberate Chiloé. Cochrane's land-based attack took the Spanish by surprise, avoiding a direct confrontation with the highly defended forts at the entrance to the Valdivia River. When loyal troops in Valdivia heard the news about the fall of Corral they sacked the city and fled south to reinforce Chiloé, passing byOsorno.[16]
Chilean Supreme Director, andLibertador,Bernardo O'Higgins, founded the city ofLa Unión in south of Valdivia in 1821, to secure the way to Osorno, a city that had been repopulated in 1796 by his fatherAmbrosio O'Higgins. Valdivia had been a province of theGeneral Captaincy of Chile and was in 1826 incorporated as one of the eight provinces of Chile.[16]
On February 20, 1835, Valdivia was affected by the worst earthquake in the area in several decades, an event witnessed byCharles Darwin.[13] He also stated that"there is not much cleared land near Valdivia"[13] which contrasted with the description made by early Spaniards of large fields and extensive croplands.
The expansion and economic development of the city were limited in the early 19th century. To jump-start economic development, the Chilean government initiated a highly focussed immigration program underBernhard Eunom Philippi and laterVicente Pérez Rosales as government agents. Through this program, thousands ofGermans settled in the area, incorporating then-modern technology and know-how to develop agriculture and industry. While immigrants that arrived to theLlanquihue area were often poor farmers, Valdivia received more educated immigrants, including political exiles and merchants. Some of the immigrants that arrived in Valdivia established workshops and built new industries. One of the most famous immigrants wasCarlos Anwandter, an exile fromLuckenwalde who arrived in Valdivia in 1850 and in 1858 foundedChile's first German school. Other Germans left the city and became settlers, drawn by the promise of free land. They were often given forested land, which they cleared to turn into farms.[21] NativeMapuche andHuilliche either sold their land or were pushed into reservations. The Osorno department of Valdivia Province was moved toLlanquihue Province (created in 1853) as consequence of German immigration to the Llaquihue area.
We shall be honest and laborious Chileans as the best of them, we shall defend our adopted country joining in the ranks of our new countrymen, against any foreign oppression and with the decision and firmness of the man that defends his country, his family and his interests. Never will have the country that adopts us as its children, reason to repent of such illustrated, human and generous proceeding,...
Valdivia prospered with industries, including shipyards, the Hoffmann gristmill, the Rudloff shoe factory, the Anwandter beer company and many more. Thesteel mills ofCorral were the largest recorded private investment in Chile at the time, and were the first steel mills inSouth America. In 1891 Valdivia became acommune according to a law that created such subdivisions. After theMalleco Viaduct was built in 1890 the railroads advanced further south, reaching Valdivia in 1895. The first passenger train arrived in 1899. In 1909 a fire destroyed 18city blocks in downtown Valdivia,[16] which were rebuilt with modern concrete buildings. By 1911 lumber production, from clearing of native forests, became the most important industry. Cattle-raising was a growing industry, and wheat was grown on the cleared lands. Lumber, cattle, leather, flour and beer were exported. In 1895 the city's population was 8,062 inhabitants and was estimated at 9,704 in 1902.
Valdivia, situated at some distance from the coast, on the Calle-calle river, is a German town. Everywhere you meet German faces, German signboards and placards alongside the Spanish. There is a large German school, a church and variousVereine, large shoe-factories, and, of course, breweries...
The economic prosperity of Valdivia continued throughout the first half of the 20th century. In 1917, the first "Valdivian Week" (Spanish:Semana Valdiviana) was celebrated. Chile's oldest beauty contest, "Queen of The Rivers" (Spanish:Reina de Los Ríos) began the same year. The city evolved as an early tourist center in Chile, while popular songs that named Valdivia and theCalle-Calle River made it better known in Chilean popular culture. ThePedro de Valdivia Bridge crossing the Valdivia River was built in 1954. Valdivia came to be one of the most important industrial centers in Chile together with the capitalSantiago and the main port city,Valparaíso.
The commercial and human flux Valdivia suffered two setbacks in the early 20th century, first the connection ofOsorno by railroad to central Chile which meant that Valdivia lost the quality of being the port that connected Osorno toCentral Chile.[22] Later on 1911, the opening of thePanama Canal meant a decrease in ship traffic all over Chile since ships travelling from the north Atlantic to north Pacific no longer had to pass through theStraits of Magellan or visit any Chilean port.
Great Chilean earthquake and Los Lagos Region (1960–2006)
A street in Valdivia after theearthquake of 22 May 1960
On May 22, 1960, Chile suffered the most powerful earthquake ever recorded, rating 9.5[7] on themoment magnitude scale, with Valdivia being the most affected city. The earthquake generated devastatingtsunamis that affectedJapan,the Philippines,Australia,New Zealand, andHawaii. Spanish-colonialforts around Valdivia were severely damaged, while soil subsidence destroyed buildings, deepened local rivers, and created wetlands of theRío Cruces y Chorocomayo – a new aquatic park north of the city.
Large sections of the city flooded after the earthquake, and a landslide near theTralcán Mountdammed the Riñihue Lake. Water levels in Lake Riñihue rose more than 20 meters (66 feet), raising the danger of a catastrophic break and of destroying everything downriver. Government authorities drew plans for evacuating the city, but many people left on their own. Danger to the city was reduced after a large team of workers opened a drainage channel in the landslide; water levels of the lake slowly returned to normal levels. There is evidence that a similar landslide and earthquake happened in 1575.[16] After the Great Chilean earthquake, Valdivia's economy and political status declined. Much of the city was destroyed and many inhabitants left.
By 1974, the military junta reorganized the political divisions of Chile and declared Valdivia a province of theLos Lagos Region withPuerto Montt as the regional capital. Many Valdivians resented the decision, and felt theirs should have been the legitimate regional capital—while Valdivia was founded in 1552, and had resistedpirate attacks,hostile natives and several earthquakes, Puerto Montt was a relatively new city founded only in 1853 (three hundred and one years later).
Since the liberalization of the economy in Chile in the 1980s, the forestry sector in Valdivia boomed, first by exporting wood chips to Japan fromCorral and then by producingwoodpulp in Mariquina (50 km northeast of Valdivia). This led to deforestation and substitution of nativeValdivian temperate rainforests to plant pines andeucalyptus, but also created new jobs for people with limited education. Valdivia also benefitted from the development ofsalmonaquaculture in the 1990s, but to a much lesser extent than places such as Puerto Montt and Chiloé.
Valdivia is often promoted for its unique characteristics, that make it different from other cities in Chile: Valdivia has an early Spanish colonial past, plus a later history ofGerman colonization. Both eras left visible landmarks such as theforts of Corral Bay and the German-style wood houses. The governments of Spain and Germany currently maintain honoraryconsulates in Valdivia. The city is commonly seen as a tourist magnet in Chile, and sometimes described asLa Perla del Sur (The Pearl of the South) and asLa ciudad mas linda de Chile (Chile's most beautiful city).Every year during the summer months of January and February the municipality organizes many free cultural events along the river site, such as concerts, sporting events, and other entertainment. To mark and celebrate the end of the touristic summer months, halfway through February all entertainment reaches its climax with the celebration ofnoche Valdiviana (Valdivian night). During this night many local groups and communities present themselves on boats during a night parade over the river. Every boat has its own theme related with one theme of that year. At the end a jury picks the winners in different categories. The parade is by tradition started by a boat which presentsla reina de los ríos. In recent years[when?] Valdivians have shown an increasing interest in nature andecotourism. An example of this was the formation ofAcción por los Cisnes an ecologist group formed to protectblack-necked swans and the natural environment that surrounds the city, particularly wetlands created or expanded by theGreat Chilean earthquake. With the founding ofUniversidad Austral in 1954 and the arrival of theCECS research center, Valdivia is now considered a major research center in Chile, particularly in areas related to nature such aglaciology andecology. TheGreat Chilean earthquake and the national government's creation of theLos Lagos Region were difficult for Valdivian society. Valdivians resented to be punished first by a major earthquake and then by being placed under the administration of what they perceived to be a less-deserving city,Puerto Montt. The recent creation of a new, smaller, but more independent region (Los Ríos), with Valdivia as its capital, reduced the previous stigma.
Valdivia's varied influences are reflected by its multiculturaltoponyms that include placenames ofMapuche, Spanish,Quechua and German origin.[23]
During much of the colonial period, Valdivia was essentially a military camp, a walled city surrounded by hostile natives. The coastal defenses and their garrisons made up a large part of the population. After several fires and earthquakes, nearly all buildings from this period were destroyed, with the exception of the military defenses. Valdivia's best known historical landmarks are now the two towers which were part of a former city wall, built by the Spaniards to defend the city, known asTorreones:Torreón Los Canelos andTorreón del Barro.
Since the firstGermans migrated to Valdivia in the mid-1840s, German cultural influence has been visible in the city. Germans in Valdivia settled mostly in theIsla Teja andCollico suburban areas. Until the building ofPedro de Valdivia Bridge, inhabitants ofIsla Teja lived isolated from the city, where it was common that children first learned to speakGerman before Spanish. Nowadays, theGerman language is preserved by theInstituto Alemán Carlos Anwandter one ofLatin America's oldest German schools. German descendants also form Valdivia's oldest fire stationGermania, located in Isla Teja.
German immigrants and their descendants formed their social clubClub Alemán, which afterWorld War II changed names toClub la Unión. German workers once had their own club simply calledEl Alemán (The German).
Valdivia also hostsBierfest Valdivia, a celebration that could be described as a small, regionalOktoberfest, despite being celebrated in late January or February of every year (during the local summer, when there is the largest influx of tourists). The main sponsor and organizer isKunstmann, a localbeer company, founded by German nationals, but since bought out by the largest beer and beverages company in Chile (CCU).
The Valdivia Book Fair is organized annually by the Municipal Cultural Corporation in Parque Saval.[24] Likewise, the Society of Writers of Chile, through its subsidiary Valdivia and with the collaboration of theAustral University of Chile, regularly holds literary gatherings, a space in which books are presented and local letters are shared with the student community.[25] Several authors born in theLos Ríos Region also stand out in the city, such asMaha Vial,[26] Iván Espinoza Riesco,[27]José Baroja,[28] Aldo Astete Cuadra,[29] Efraín Miranda Cárdenas, among others.
According to the 2002census of theNational Statistics Institute, the commune of Valdivia spans an area of 1,015.6 km2 (392 sq mi) and has 140,559 inhabitants (68,510 men and 72,049 women). Of these, 129,952 (92.5%) lived inurban areas and 10,607 (7.5%) inrural areas. Between the 1992 and 2002 censuses, the population grew by 15.1% (18,391 persons).[3]
The city of Valdivia spans 42.39 km2 (16 sq mi) had a population of 127,750 and 35,217 homes, giving it a population density of 3,013.7/km2 (7,805/sq mi). The commune is divided into 19 census districts with one recognizedtown, Niebla, with an area of 1.55 square kilometers (0.60 sq mi), population of 2,202 (in 1,169 homes) and population density of 1,420.6/km2 (3,679/sq mi).[3]
Within the population, the presence of descendants of migrants of German origin and of Spanish origin also stands out, colonies that are grouped into different social, educational, sports and cultural institutions.
The Southern University of Chile (Universidad Austral de Chile, UACh), one of the original eight Chilean state universities, has its main campus in Valdivia. In the last decade Valdivia gained prestige as an important cultural and scientific venue: theValdivia Film Festival became the most important in Chile, and theCentro de Estudios Científicos (CECS) is now housed in the recently modernized, German-style hotel Schuster located by the Valdivia River.Claudio Bunster, a physicist and winner of Chile's National Prize in Exact Sciences, is the Director of CECS. Some research areas where CECS and UACH have gained widespread recognition include:
The city is surrounded by many nature reserves and large areas of forest plantations, wetlands andValdivian temperate rainforest that, together with the numerous rivers that circle the city, have heightened the residents' awareness of living close to nature.
In addition to being known asthe City of Rivers, Valdivia has also been calledThe pearl of the South,The key of the South seas,Gibraltar of the Pacific, andChile's most beautiful city. The nicknameValdilluvia is a mix of the Spanish word for rain –lluvia and Valdivia referring to the rainy climate of the city.
As part of theChileanPatagonia, the geography of the Valdivia area consists of wetlands and alluvial terraces. Several rivers, such asCau-Cau,Calle-Calle andCruces, join near the city forming the largerValdivia River. Valdivia River in turn empties toCorral Bay in thePacific Ocean just some 15 km west of Valdivia. This river network made Valdivia a trade center even sincePre-Hispanic times. The city itself was built on a riverine terrace but expanded later over adjacent wetlands. Nowadays the city is virtually surrounded by hills by all sides except north where Valdivia's lowlands connect to the flatlands of San José de la Mariquina. Some hilly areas around Valdivia are covered with exotic forest species such asDouglas-fir,Pinus radiata andEucalyptus globulus. Other places are used for recreational purposes or conservation of native ecosystems. Additional Northern Hemisphere exotic trees such asbirch,horsechestnut andpoplar are common in residential areas.Palms are occasional.
Parts of city is built on poor soils made up of former wetlands or artificial fills that are prone to suffer during earthquakes as demonstrated in 1960 and2010.[30]
Atectonically andeustatically stable period during theOligocene and EarlyMiocene allowed erosion to create deep valleys in the Coast Range and peat swamps at what is now theestuary of the Valdivia basin.[33] About 23.5 million years ago this stable period was interrupted by a majorvolcanic eruption and 23 mya ago an increase in convergence rate at thePeru–Chile Trench caused an uplift of the landscape and renewed erosion.[33] However basinsubsidence and a marinetransgression formed deep embayments,tidal flats, bayhead deltas and beaches.[33]
During the summer months (December, January and February) the average temperature is about 17 °C (63 °F), while in winter the temperature descends to 8.5 °C (47.3 °F). The annual average temperature forLos Ríos Region is 11 °C (52 °F), while the mean temperature amplitude is 8.8 °C (47.8 °F) and the daily is 11 °C (51.8 °F).[34] Average annualprecipitation is 1,750 millimeters (70 in), distributed through the year, but primarily between March and October. Hail occurs with some frequency during winter, but snow falls rarely. The last times it snowed in Valdivia were in August 2020, July 2007, and in August 1995 during the so-calledTerremoto Blanco (Spanish for White Earthquake). TheSeven Lakes in the interior help to keep an average relative humidity of 80% for the region as whole and there are no months with less than 75% average humidity.[34] The precipitation is generated byfrontal systems that cross the zone, which produce cloudiness and few clear days.[34] Theleeward effect of theValdivian Coast Range is minimal due to its low height (715 m atCerro Oncol) and the gap in the range atValdivia River's outflow to thePacific Ocean.
Decreasing precipitation has caused the city's water supply inCalle-Calle River to be contaminated with saline water from the coast.[35] The effects of saline water entering the water supply of Valdivia were particularly noticeable in March 2015 when there was a surge in complains about the taste of the water.[35][36] The saltwater in the rivers near Valdivia during autumn is expected to increase in the future.[36] Estimations indicate that whenever the sum of the water discharge of Cruces and Calle-Calle rivers falls below 74 m3/s (2,600 cu ft/s) saltwater reaches the supply site at Cuesta Soto.[36]
Climate data for Valdivia, Chile (Pichoy Airport) 1991–2020, extremes 1966–present
In response to the alleged contamination of Cruces River by theCelco cellulose pulp mill, a group of citizens formed theAccion por los Cisnes (Action for the Swans) ecology group. Action for the Swans attracted the attention of the national newspapers and succeeded in temporarily closing downValdivia Pulp Mill through a court order.[41]
The city and commune of Valdivia rely heavily onsilviculture, thepulp and paper industry and other forestry-related activities (the harvesting and processing of wood from nearby plantations ofeucalyptus andDouglas firs). Large businesses such asCELCO,Bomasil andLouisiana-Pacific have established wood processing factories near Valdivia.Metallurgy,naval construction and repairs are also important industries, with the companies ofAsenav and Alwoplast based in the area.[42]Agroforestry/agriculture,livestock,aquaculture andfood processing are lesser but also important industries that contribute to the region's economy. Thechocolate company (Entrelagos) contributes to the image of the region, as does thebrewing industry, a symbol of the area and another important part of the local economy, withKunstmann the most famous brewery in Valdivia.Beer, along withcold cut meat andsausages, is part of the city's German heritage and is preserved as part of the local heritage.[43] Trade, restaurants and hotels link to the tourism industry which represent an important part in Valdivia's growing economy.[44]
Valdivia is a historic tourist destination in Chile, valued for the beauty of the city and surrounding areas, the area's culture and its history. It is an all season city, but during the summer months in particular (December, January, February) tourism is a major source of income for Valdivia's economy. "Valdivian Week" (Spanish:Semana Valdiviana), as it has been known since 1917, is a long-held tradition that dates back to the foundation of the city. Starting February 9 each year,[45] it commemorates the city's anniversary and also gives Valdivia the chance to promote itself as a tourism center. "Semana Valdiviana" features an allegorical parade of ships – a tradition that began in the seventeenth century as a protest against the Spaniard authorities – and also includes a big artisan market, fairground rides, and the election of the "queen" ofLos Rios. The week ends withfireworks and theatre performances on the closing night, known as "Noche Valdiviana" (Valdivian Night).The center of the city has a rich architectural heritage. One of its most visited buildings is the "Mercado Municipal" ("municipal market"),[46] a local produce market that is also now a gastronomic and cultural attraction. Also popular are the "Convento San Francisco" (Saint Francis Convent) and the European-style buildings dating back to the beginning of the 20th century, used today by the city's universities, cultural centers and government.
The city of Valdivia hosts a number of international relations institutions, such as the Regional Unit of International Affairs (URAI) of the Regional Government of Los Ríos, responsible for analyzing and managing the region’s bilateral and multilateral relations withLatin America and the rest of the world, as well as organizing international events such as the Los Ríos International Meeting, which annually gathers Embassies and foreign institutions in the city; the Regional Unit for Investment Promotion and Attraction; the International Relations Commission of the Regional Council of Los Ríos; the International Relations Unit of the Regional Corporation for Productive Development; the regional office of theNational Migration Service; the regional office of theGeneral Directorate for Export Promotion (ProChile); the Department of Migration and International Police of theInvestigations Police; and the Migrant Office of the Municipality of Valdivia.[47]In the field of higher education internationalization, the main actor in Valdivia is the International Relations Unit of theAustral University of Chile.[48]
Due to the significant number of immigrants and descendants from various European countries (especially Germans), the city hosts several honorary consulates that address different issues affecting the local resident population.The consulates present in the city are:
Germany: Honorarkonsul der Bundesrepublik Deutschland (Honorary Consul: Kurt Hellemann).
Austria: Honorary Consulate of Austria (Honorary Consul: Dr. Marcos Iampaglia).
Spain: Honorary Consulate of the Kingdom of Spain (Honorary Consul: Elías Caballero).
France: Consulat Honoraire de la République Française (Honorary Consul: Carl Friedrich Fingerhuth Vorwerk).
Italy: Honorary Consulate of the Italian Republic (Honorary Consul: Alessandro Foradori).
Netherlands: Honorary Consulate of the Netherlands (Honorary Consul: Charlotte Lovengreen Van Der Meijden).
United Kingdom: Honorary Consulate of the United Kingdom (Honorary Consul: John Kenyon).
Facilities for playingfootball,tennis,rowing,rugby,golf, indoorswimming, indoor and outdoorbasketball and some other sports are available throughout the area. Rowing is practiced in Valdivia in three clubs: Club Deportivo Phoenix Valdivia, Club Centenario de Remeros and Club Arturo Prat. Valdivian rowersCristian Yantani andMiguel Cerda won the first place in Men's Lightweight Coxless Pair-Oared Shells at the world championship inSeville, 2002.[49]
Club Deportivo Valdivia is Valdivia's main basketball team and plays in Chiles first division,DIMAYOR where it won the 2001 season. In 1977 and 2001 Valdivia hosted South Americas Men's Basketball Championship.[50]
Most of Valdivia lies on the southern side of theValdivia andCalle-Calle Rivers but other areas of the city, such asIsla Teja andLas Animas, are connected to it by bridges. The main access points to the city areCalle-Calle Bridge from the north and a southern route. Both connect the city with thePan-American Highway and run through forested areas and wetlands.Route 207 runs from Valdivia southeast connecting the city with the town ofPaillaco at theRoute 5.[51]
Calle-Calle Bridge, the first bridge built in the city, connects Valdivia with Las Animas and forms the northern highway access to the city.Pedro de Valdivia Bridge was built in 1954 and connects the city withIsla Teja, where many German immigrants once lived. During the Great1960 Valdivia earthquake only the minorCaucau Bridge (connecting Las Animas with Isla Teja) was destroyed,[dubious –discuss] while all other bridges were repaired and are still in use. In 1987Augusto Pinochet openedRío Cruces Bridge, making the coastal town ofNiebla as well asTorobayo andPunucapa accessible by road. Calle-Calle Bridge, the main access to the city, was enlarged in the 1990s.
The New Cau Cau bridge in Valdivia has been restored and fixed.
The new Caucau bridge was intended to provide a faster route from the city centre to the Pichoy airport via Isla Teja, but the faulty construction made it unusable.
Until highway bridges were built, Valdivia's economy and citizens depended on boat traffic on the surrounding rivers, but with a contraction of bridges and highways, the river has lost its importance. Today, the rivers are used by the commercial ships built or repaired inAsenav, one of Chile's most important shipyard companies, and by tourist boats. Some of the locations that are regularly reached by tourist boats includeMancera Island andPunucapa.Fishing boats also travel inland from the coast to the River Market. Today, just one ferry is still in operation, theNiebla–Corral line, as it is much quicker to reach Corral byferry than by road.
Although in recent years the rivers have not had a major role in Valdivia's public transportation, a new private project is being developed by "Los Solares",[52] an environmentally friendly company that operates solar-powered river taxis onValdivia River. The project is called Transporte Fluvial Sustentable (TFS, or "Sustainable Water Transportation" in English). So far, the company has a fleet of three river taxis,[53] and a small, sustainable and locally designed floating village that includes a pier, a café and the company's offices. The community produces its own electricity, water supply and processes its own wastewater with a bacterial solution.[54]
The city is served mainly byPichoy Airport, lying 32 km northeast of the city via the north entrance road that connects the city with thePan American Highway. The smaller but much closerLas Marías Airport is used primarily by small aircraft, with noairlines operating there.
^Ramirez, C., E. Carrasco, S. Mariani & N. Palacios. 2006. La desaparición del luchecillo (Egeria densa) del Santuario del Rio Cruces (Valdivia, Chile): una hipótesis plausible. Ciencia & Trabajo, 20: 79-86
^abcMariño de Lobera, Pedro,Crónica del reino de Chile, Colección de historiadores de Chile, Imprenta del Ferrocarril, 1865. Available in www.memoriachilena.cl
^Guarda, Gabriel.Nueva historia de Valdivia (Editorial Universidad Católica de Chile, Santiago, 2001)
^Jerónimo de Vivar – Crónica y relación copiosa y verdadera de los reynos de Chile – Ended in 1558. Transcription of Irving Leonard published byFondo Histórico y Bibliográfico José Toribio Medina, Santiago de Chile, 1966
^abc"Historia".Museo de Sitio Castillo de Niebla (in Spanish). Servicio Nacional del Patrimonio Cultural. Archived fromthe original on 4 August 2020. Retrieved7 April 2020.
