All the cities of Venezuela were once founded by Spanish colonists, and each of them has a rich history. To understand this, it is enough to walk along the streets and squares that are decorated with ancient buildings of that era. The capital is Caracas, but it is not the most beautiful of the largest cities in Venezuela. After all, Valencia and Barcelona are even more beautiful, as they better preserved their historical heritage.
Tourist cities
In this tropical country there are a lot of them, however, they are recognized as the most favorite places for travel:
- Caracas;
- Barcelona
- Valencia
- Koro;
- Makaraibo;
- Merida;
- San Cristobal.
Capital
The European city of Venezuela called Caracas has a slightly different name given by the Spanish colonists. To verify this, just look into the encyclopedia, where it turns out that it completely sounds like Santiago de Leon de Caracas. The name is quite long, each of his words can intrigue the curious traveler:
- Santiago. So in Spanish the name of St. James, whom they consider their patron, sounds. In ancient manuscripts, there is a mention that, with the word "Santiago," the indigenous tribes inhabiting Venezuela fled without looking back. So St. Jacob turned into a battle cry of the conquistadors.
- Leon. The first governor of the conquered lands was Juan Ponce de Leon, whose name is immortalized in the name of the capital city.
- Caracas (emphasis on the second syllable). That was the name of the tribe of Native Indians who lived in a valley that brought a rich harvest. Captain Diego de Lozada with his soldiers decided to settle here, so in 1567, with the help of muskets, he expelled the aborigines outside the fertile land.
This is how Santiago de Leon de Caracas appeared, which became the capital due to its more sparing climate. This is due to the fact that it is located at an altitude of 900 m. In addition, a high mountain range protects the city from sea winds, which, mixed with the scorching heat, turn Venezuela into hellish hell.
However, there are not many architectural historical values of the time of foundation here. And all because earlier earthquakes often happened here. But by the end of the 19th century the situation had stabilized. After the Second World War, European migrants poured here for the extraction of "black gold". The traditions of various cultures merged together, and very soon Caracas became one of the most beautiful cities in Latin America.
During the reign of dictator Marcos Perez Jimenez, road junctions were built here that still allow solving many problems. At that time, many architectural objects were erected, which, according to UNESCO, are the brightest examples of modern architecture. However, a large part of the city is occupied by one-story slums, due to which the population density is relatively low.
Barcelona
This city is located in the state of Anzoatugi. The first stone was laid in 1671. Initially, it had a rather long name - Nueva Barcelona del Cerro Santo, which from Spanish translates as "New Barcelona on the Sacred Hill". The founder was a conquistador named Juan Orpi, who became the last. He came to these lands with his army and took them from the Kumanogoto natives.
Today, this city of Venezuela is very popular among tourists, since the architectural heritage of the colonial times is well preserved here. The Iglesia El Carmen Cathedral was built over two centuries ago and is considered to be the main symbol of Barcelona.
The oldest well-preserved building is the Ansoategui Museum, which is the architectural heritage of Venezuela. The most ancient buildings are closely grouped around the squares: Boyaka, Miranda and Bolivar. Barcelona welcomes guests by offering hotels with a different number of stars and places where you can get acquainted with the peculiarities of local cuisine.
Valencia
This is the capital of the state of Carabobo, whose population density is quite high. The full name of this large city of Venezuela is: Nueva Valencia del Rey. It is divided into five municipal districts:
- Naguanagua;
- Valencia
- San Diego
- Los Guayos
- Libertador.
Valencia lies in a central valley and is surrounded by the wall of the Cordillera de la Costa mountain range. The lake of the same name lies closer to the eastern outskirts, occupies an honorable second place among other water bodies of Venezuela. The peculiarities of the geographical location and the proximity of the sea make the climatic conditions rather favorable for life, and the average annual temperature ranges from +18 to +26 ° C.
Back in 1555, Alonso Diaz Moreno rebuilt Valencia. She became the first Spanish city located in the central part of the country. Local residents were evicted outside the settlements, but some of them were used by the conquistadors as free labor.
In 1830, Valencia was appointed the capital of Venezuela, and in 1858, after the overthrow of the monarchy, it became the government residence. At the beginning of the last century, oil was discovered on its territory, which had an impact on an unprecedented population growth.
Valencia is one of the largest cities in Venezuela, which can be safely called developed both from a cultural point of view and from an economic point of view. There are many house-museums here, and if you want to look at art exhibitions or listen to classical music, the Athenium Cultural Center will welcome you with open arms.
Interesting places of Valencia
The city theater is an architectural monument. It was built in the manner of its French "brothers" in 1895. To get acquainted with the history of this area, you can visit the Museum of Anthropology, and you will be better told about the country in the Itterris Palace.
Popular among tourists is the Plaza Monumental de Valencia, an arena located in the South Park, which hosts world-famous bull fights. A must-see place is the City Aquarium, in which trained Amazonian dolphins live. On its vast territory there is also a zoo with local representatives of the fauna, terrarium and serpentarium. For kids equipped with special playgrounds.
Under the hot sun, basking cities in the country of Venezuela, and which one to visit - it's up to you. In any case, you won’t have to regret it, since each of them is able to give a lot of new sensations and supplement the knowledge base.