Bariloche

The name Bariloche comes from the Mapudungun word Vuriloche meaning "people from behind the mountain" (vuri = behind, che = people). The Poya people used the Vuriloche pass to cross the Andes, keeping it secret from the Spanish priests for a long time.

There is evidence of the existence of indigenous settlements on banks of Lake Nahuel Huapi, in the area now occupied by the city of Bariloche, prior to arrival of expeditionaries and white settlers. During the Neolithic, the arrival of human beings to Nahuel Huapi region occurs. The archaeological and historical record speaks of tehuelches and puelches presence in the area. With the process of araucanization and mainly since the 17th century, the culture of these groups is strongly affected by Mapuches, who increased their presence from the settlement of Spaniards in Chile, and his continued push east.[3]

At 19th century end, in the vicinity of Nahuel Huapi, only a few scattered indigenous families were there: People of Inacayal had been stripped of their lands, and transferred to Tecka (Chubut) when the cacique was taken prisoner. Curruhinca had made an act of submission to Argentine government with his own. Some Nguillatun was still being celebrated.

But the region was beginning a new stage in its history. Although incorporated into national sovereignty, the Nahuel Huapi area began to develop fundamentally linked to Chile. Before 19th century end, when the border was still in dispute, people from the south of the neighboring country were gradually arriving to settle in surroundings of the lake. Small farmers were most of them from the island of Chiloe, but German immigrants living in Chile also arrived.[4]

Spanish explorations and missions

Further information: Mission of Nahuel Huapi

Bariloche, 1916

The Civic Centre opened in 1940 and was declared a national monument in 1987

The Neo-Gothic Cathedral of San Carlos de Bariloche had its structure completed in 1947

Nahuel Huapi lake was known to Spaniards since the times of the Conquest of Chile. Following the trails of the Mapuche people across the Andes, in the summer of 1552–1553, the Spanish Governor of the Captaincy 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 through Mamuil Malal Pass and headed south until reaching Limay River in the vicinity of Nahuel Huapi Lake.[5]

Another early Spaniard to visit the zone of Nahuel Huapi Lake was the Jesuit priest Diego de Rosales. He had been ordered to the area by the Governor of Chile Antonio de Acuña Cabrera, who was concerned about the unrest of the native Puelche and Poya after the slave-hunting expeditions carried out by Luis Ponce de León in 1649, who captured Indians and sold them into slavery. Diego de Rosales started his journey at the ruins of Villarica in Chile, crossed the Andes through Mamuil Malal Pass, and traveled further south along the eastern Andean valleys, reaching Nahuel Huapi Lake in 1650.[6]

In 1670 Jesuit father Nicolás Mascardi, based in Chiloé Archipelago, entered the area through the Reloncaví Estuary and Todos los Santos Lake to found a mission at the Nahuel Huapi Lake, which lasted until 1673.[5] A new mission at the shores of Nahuel Huapi Lake was established in 1703, backed financially from Potosí, thanks to orders from the viceroy of Peru.[5] Historians disagree if the mission belonged to the jurisdiction of Valdivia or Chiloé.[5] According to historic documents, the Poya of Nahuelhuapi requested the mission to be reestablished, apparently to forge an alliance with the Spaniards against the Puelche.[5] Following the 1712 Huilliche rebellion in Chiloé Archipelago some insurgents sought refuge with Father Manuel del Hoyo in the mission.[7]

The mission was destroyed in 1717 by Poyas following a disagreement with the missionaries; the superior of the mission had refused to give them a cow.[5] Soon thereafter authorities learned that four or five people travelling to Concepción had been killed by the Poya. The colonists assembled a punitive expedition in Calbuco and Chiloé.[5] Composed of both Spaniards and indios reyunos, the expedition did not find any Poya.[5]

In 1766 the head of the Mission of Ralún tried to reestablish the mission at Nahuel Huapi, but the following year, the Crown suppressed the Society of Jesus, ordering them out of the colonies in the Americas.[5]

19th century up to 1895

View of the city

The area had stronger connections to Chile than to the distant city of Buenos Aires during most of the 19th century, but the explorations of Francisco Moreno and the Argentine campaigns of the Conquest of the Desert established the legitimacy of the Argentine government. It thought the area was a natural expansion of the Viedma colony, and the Andes were the natural frontier to Chile. In the 1881 border treaty between Chile and Argentina, the Nahuel Huapi area was recognized as part of Argentina.

German settlers begun to arrive in neighboring southern Chile from the 1840s. Some of these settlers and their descendants begun a lucrative leather industry obtaining leather from indigenous communities across the Andes.[8] In the 1880s the Argentine Army displaced indigenous communities disrupting this trade and forcing leather merchants in Chile themselves to cross the Andes to obtain supplies. This way numerous entrepreneurs from Chile, many with a German background, established cattle and trade business in the area of Nahuel Huapi and Lácar lakes.[8]

Architectural development and tourism

Chairlifts in the Cerro Catedral.

Glacier Castaño Overo spilling water and ice over the cliff on Cerro Tronador.

Between 1935 and 1940, the Argentine Directorate of National Parks carried out a number of urban public works, giving the city a distinctive architectural style. Among them, perhaps the best-known is the Civic Centre.

Bariloche grew from being a centre of cattle trade that relied on commerce with Chile, to becoming a tourism centre for the Argentine elite. It took on 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.[9] 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, planners and developers thought that Nahuel Huapi National Park, because of its temperate climate, could compete with the tourism of Europe. Together with Bariloche, it was established for priority projects by national tourism development planners.[9]

Alejandro Bustillo designed the Edificio Movilidad, Plaza Perito Moreno, the Neo-Gothic San Carlos de Bariloche Cathedral, and the Llao Llao Hotel. Architect Ernesto de Estrada designed the Civic Centre of Bariloche, which opened in 1940. The Civic Centre's tuff stone, slate and Fitzroya structures include the Domingo Sarmiento Library, the Francisco Moreno Museum of Patagonia, 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 the string quartet, Camerata Bariloche, here in 1967.

Tourism, both domestic and international, is the main economic activity of Bariloche throughout the year. The city is very popular with Brazilians, Europeans and Israelis. One of the most popular activities is skiing, and most tourists visit Bariloche in winter (June–September). Regular flights from Buenos Aires via LAN airlines and Aerolíneas Argentinas serve the city year round. The main ski slopes are the ones at Cerro Catedral, the biggest ski resort in South America and in the southern hemisphere. During the summer, beautiful beaches such as Playa Bonita and Villa Tacul welcome sun-bathers; brave lake swimmers venture into its cold waters (chilled by melting snow). Lake Nahuel Huapi averages 14 °C (57 °F) in the summertime. Bariloche is the biggest city of a huge Lakes District, and it serves as a base for many excursions in the region. Activities such as fishing, whitewater rafting, and birdwatching are popular with tourists. Trekking along trails in the nearby mountain wilderness is supported by a few high-mountain huts operated by the Club Andino Bariloche. The city is also noted for its chocolates and Swiss-style architecture. Many high school students in Argentina take a senior trip to Bariloche, and the town is well prepared to host these kinds of groups.[12] In November 2012, Bariloche was named "national capital of adventure tourism" under Law 26802 sanctioned by the Argentine National Congress.

Centro Atómico Bariloche

Besides tourism and related services, Bariloche is home of advanced scientific and technological activities. The Centro Atómico Bariloche is a research center of the National Atomic Energy Commission, where basic and applied research in many areas of the physical sciences is carried out. Inside it, the Instituto Balseiro, a higher education institution of the Universidad Nacional de Cuyo, with a small and carefully selected number of students, awards degrees in Physics, and in Nuclear, Mechanical and Telecommunications 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.

View of the Nahuel Huapi National Park landscape surrounding Bariloche

View of the city from the lakeside in summer

Cerro Catedral ski resort in July

Bariloche lies in the transition between a cool Mediterranean climate (Köppen Csb) and an Oceanic climate (Köppen: Cfb), with marked alpine characteristics (low nighttime temperatures, wide temperature variations, high thermal amplitude). The combination of its altitude, latitude, and predominance of west-northwest winds cause the climate to be classified as a cool temperate climate with a dry season that presents a west–east precipitation gradient.[13] Mean annual precipitation ranges from 4,000 mm (157 in) in the Andean peaks and in Puerto Blest to only 600 mm (24 in) in the Limay River area.[13] In the urban areas, mean annual precipitation ranges from 800 to 1,000 mm (31 to 39 in).[13] Most of this is concentrated in autumn and winter, which are responsible for 70% of the annual precipitation.[13]

The mean annual temperature in Bariloche is 8.4 °C (47 °F) in the city centre (1901–1950).[13] At the airport in the eastern end, the mean annual temperature is 8.3 °C (47 °F) (for the period 1981–2010).[13][14] In January, daytime temperatures normally range from 20 to 28 °C (68 to 82 °F) and may occasionally go up to 30 °C (86 °F).[13] The average minimum in January is 8.2 °C (47 °F) at the city centre and 6.6 °C (44 °F) at the airport although during warm days, nighttime temperatures can reach to 15 °C (59 °F).[13][15][14] In winter, daytime temperatures range from 1 to 8 °C (34 to 46 °F) while nighttime temperatures approach freezing or less.[13] Temperatures vary by altitude; in general, the temperature decreases by 6 °C (11 °F) for every 1,000 metres (3,281 ft) increase in altitude.[13]

The weather is characterized by being windy throughout the year; 85% of the days are windy and calm days are rare.[13] Most of the wind predominantly comes from the west-northwest with easterly winds being rare.[13] Normally, the winds are strong, particularly in spring where gusts can exceed 100 km/h (62 mph).[13]

At the city centre, mean annual precipitation is 1,092 mm (43 in) in which there are 122 days with precipitation.[13] In the eastern end where the airport is located, precipitation is lower, averaging 791 mm (31 in).[13] In winter when temperatures are lower, snowfall can occur, which is favoured by the low evapotranspiration.[13] In spring, melt from snow and lower temperatures lead to moist conditions that facilitate the development of dense forest and agricultural activities.[13]

The water temperature in the lakes are always cold, ranging from 12 to 15 °C (54 to 59 °F).[13] This is due to the lakes being large, making it difficult for the sun to influence its temperature owing to their large heat capacity.[13] Smaller lakes can freeze in the winter, particularly those located in the higher elevations.[13]

Part of the forest in the mountain.

Bariloche is in the transition area between the Patagonian steppe and Valdivian forest, therefore it is rich in a variety of native species, of which the following is a list.[21]

• Fitzroya cupressoides, Alerce
• Drimys winteri, Canelo
• Lomatia hirsuta, Radal
• Nothofagus nervosa, Raulí
• Nothofagus dombeyi, Coihue
• Nothofagus betuloides, Coihue de Magallanes
• Nothofagus antarctica, Ñire
• Nothofagus pumilio, Lenga
• Nothofagus obliqua, Roble Pellín
• Chusquea culeou, Caña Colihue
• Maytenus boaria, Maitén
• Austrocedrus chilensis, Ciprés
• Luma apiculata, Arrayán
• Embothrium coccineum, Notro
• Araucaria araucana, Araucaria
• Gevuina avellana, Avellano
• Alstroemeria aurea, Amancay
• Fuchsia magellanica, Chilco

Bariloche Airport.

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 neighbouring 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.

Bariloche can also be reached by buses and private cars. The main land route from North is RN 40 (ex 237) that enters from Neuquén and connects through Argentine's route system with Buenos Aires and rest of Argentina. Other options are, from the East, by Provincial Route 23 (partially paved), crossing the southern Patagonian line, or from the South by RN 40, coming from the town of El Bolsón. Currently, route RN 2455 (from Collon Cura) and route 258 are part of RN 40, former routes 237 and 258 are joined by the new Av. De Circunvalación North of the city

San Carlos de Bariloche lies close to the Chilean border and is connected to Chile by the Cardenal Antonio Samoré Pass crossing the Andes Mountains.

A terminal railway station links Bariloche to Viedma.

Bariloche is home of the army's "12° Regimiento de Infantería de Montaña" (12th Mountain Infantry Regiment), where military personnel are instructed in mountainous conditions, including combat, survival, and skiing. It is usual for the Regiment to receive infantry personnel from other parts of the country and train them. Furthermore, the Escuela Militar de Montaña, the mountain warfare school of the Argentine Army is located in Bariloche.[22]

The main Neighbourhoods are Belgrano, Jardín Botánico, Melipal, Centro, Las Victorias, Las Marias, Dos Valles, and Playa Bonita.

The Andean Club Bariloche (Spanish: Club Andino Bariloche-CAB) was co-organiser of the 1st and the 3rd South American Ski Mountaineering Championships.

The Club Deportivo Cruz del Sur takes part in Torneo Federal B, the fourth tier of the Argentine football league system. The sides Estudiantes Unidos and Estrella del Sur also participated in lower Argentine leagues.

• Club Andino Bariloche
• Ferrocarril General Roca
• Huemul Project
• Nahuel Huapi National Park
• Servicios Ferroviarios Patagónico

Wikimedia Commons has media related to San Carlos de Bariloche.

• (in Spanish and English) Bariloche Official Website