WHAT TO VISIT
It was not in vain that a number of religious orders settled in Córdoba in its early years. They have left their mark in the form of numerous colonial buildings, which are the most valuable of the city’s treasures:
The Cathedral, an ambitious 17th century project. Work started in 1687, and was not completed until 1914. it has a notable wooden dome an a main altar made entirely of silver. Renaissance, baroque and romantic styles all merge in this building, which fronts onto the Plaza San Martín. There right on the road, a drawing on mosaics reproduces the front of the Cathedral.
The Cabildo, (Town Hall), also in the Plaza San Martín and –just like the Cathedral- reproduced on the road, has a fifteen-arched preserved market. In classical style, it is one of the last cabildos that can be admired anywhere in the country and is currently the subject of an important restoration project.
The convent of the Company of Jesus and its notable Domestic Chapel are part of the so-called Manzana de las Luces. The chapel is important for its roof of guadua bound with thin strips of leather and adorned with paintings taken from vegetables of the region.
Córdoba University Cloisters, Monserrat College, the churches of San Francisco and San Roque ; the convent of the Discalced Carmelite Nuns; the tree monasteries of the Franciscan, Dominican, and Our lady of Mercy monks, and the convent of Santa Catalina and San José, together known as The Teresas, are just some of the many examples of 17th and 18th century religious architecture.
The Juan de Tejeda Museum of Religious Art is to be found in the Carmelite Convent. Further important collections are in the Fray José de San Alberto Religious Museum and the Deán Funes Ecclesiastical Museum.
In what was the residence of the first governor, the Marquis of Sobremonte, a fine old 18th century house, there is today the Provincial Historical Museum. Popularly known as the Marquis’ House, this contains important collections of historical object and documents, as well as fine decorated vaults and typical pathways adorned with tiny stones extracted from river beds, which should not be missed.
But not everything is a relic of colonial architecture or an example of religious art. Córdoba has its Contemporary Art Centre which is housed in a elegant old 19th century house in the Chateau Carreras.
The Municipal Museum of Fine Arts occupies an elegant French-style country house and as important collections by Córdoba artists, as has the Emilio Caraffa Provincial Museum of Fine Arts, located in Sarmiento Park.
To round off the museum visits, don’t forget the Museums of Mineralogy; Zoology; Medicine, Meteorology and Anthropology. When added to the art and religious ones, this makes a total of twenty two museums, which cater for a wide range of different interests.
There are other architectural curiosities that should not be forgotten as you wander around Códoba. The Chalet de Hierro (Iron Chalet) is the only work of its kind anywhere in Latin America, and was designed by the engineer Eiffel, the builder of the famous tower in Paris. There is also the Casa Giratoria (Rotating House), at the intersection of Paraná and San Lorenzo Streets, which was completed in 1951 and was a product of the imaginative mind of an immigrant of Syrian origin called Abdón Sahade. Built from everyday materials, it is extremely solid and can even support a second floor, it is 51 m in circumference and is moved by two thee-horsepower motors. It is supported above a platform on pillars with wheels at the top; an electric key makes it rotate in either direction at a speed of one metre per minute, thereby completing one rotation in 55 minutes. It is currently inhabited by one of the builder’s grandsons, who allows visitors to enter.
If you are travelling with children or are a nature lover, then you shouldn’t miss Sarmiento Park, a vast green expanse which borders onto the sports fields of the National University of Córdoba. It has a beautiful wood and delightful sport in which to linger. Inside the park are the Zoological gardens, laid out over a large ravine where the natural elements have been used to the best advantage to provide the animals with a suitable habitat.
In the same park you will find the open-air Greek Theatre, which respects the structure of ancient Greek Theatres, and where during the summer interesting musical performances are held.
Córdoba is a city you should walk though, it is a pleasure to wander though its streets and discover its architectural contrast. The French, or Italian-style country houses, which typify Argentinian architecture of the second half of the nineteenth country stand side by side with austere baronial mansions that still retain their mysterious tiled courtyards with the well in the centre, and their shady porticoes. Alternating with these are bold examples of modem architecture, with showy glass and brick frontages.
Many of the colonial buildings are to be found in the pedestrianised area between Obispo Trejo, Rivera Indarte, Deán Funes, 9 de July and 25 May Streets.
Córdoba was one of the first cities in Argentina to have pedestrianised streets, and what is more, these are wonderful gardens full of flowerbeds that are unbelievably clean and well-kept. In this sector the colonial architecture blends happily with modern commercial galleries which cross from street to street and attractive cafes that cheerfully set up their tables with sunshades in the open air. Here it is impossible not to be taken in by the charm, by the desire to sit down at one of the tables and enjoy the view of a particular bell tower, a curious shop window, the exquisite balcony on some shop, or simply to watch the people walking leisurely by.
Shopping
The pedestrian zone is where the most elegant shops are to be found and here you can find clothing, perfumes and articles for the home. All with splendis windows display, and alternating with pastry shops, restaurants and pubs. As with any city in a permanent state of change. Córdoba has experienced the shopping centre phenomenon, and there are several of these, all extremely modern and offering a complete range of goods. Everywhere in the central area, and especially in the old part, there are shops offering articles of a regional nature, and you can find good examples of elaborate silverwork, ponchos and leather goods, including shoes and sandals. And, of course, mate gourds and associated equipment abound, and to suit all tastes.
Places of interest in the surrounding area
Punilla Valley
The city of Córdoba is the gateway to this valley, so named because its topography is similar to that of the “puna” plateau, and it makes a very interesting tour. Here can be found many of the attractions of the province. The journey starts by taking the motorway that leads to Carlos Paz, one of the most important holiday resorts in the country, situated on San Roque Lake, and a mere 34 km from the provincial capital. Here are to be found a whole range of excellent hotel facilities, recreation centres, restaurants, tearooms and pastry shops, as well as discotheques and pubs aplenty. The lake, a sheet of water that was formed when the primitive San Roque dam was built in 1890, gave rise to the town, which was founded in 1914. Today it is a pretty place with over 60.000 inhabitants, whose life depends on the lake, which is suitable for all kinds of water sport. If you are looking for somewhere a little less congested, especially in summer, then “La Villa”, as the people of Córdoba like to call it, is also the starting point for visiting the small and extremely beautiful villages that abound in the valley. If you follow route 38 in a northerly direction, in rapid succession you come to Bialet Masse, Cosquín –which is considered to be the national folklore capital in view of the fact that during the summer the country’s most important folk festival is held there –Valle Hermoso, La Falda, Villa Giandino, La Cumbre, Los Cocos and Capilla del Monte (at the foot of Uritorco Hill, the highest point in the Sierras Chicas, it is a resort centre with mineral springs). Near here is the legendary Ongamira Valley, a strange landscape of caves with numerous remains indicating that it was once inhabited by primitive men very different from the indigenous tribes that the Spaniards found when they arrived. It is one of the richest archaeological sites in the country, and students have estimated that it dates back about 5000 years from the relics that have been found there.
Alta Gracia – Villa General Belgrano
This Circuit is to the south of the provincial capital, leaving by the motorway and then taking route 45. First, you come to Alta Gracia, a town with a history; it was the summer resort of the Viceroys, and the house where Viceroy Sobremonte used to spend the summer can still be seen. There are also important buildings constructed by the Jesuits, since the city was originally a Jesuit hacienda. The ruins of the writer Enrique Larreta’s estate can also be visited, and the house of the composer Manuel de Falla, which has been converted into a museum.
Nearby, the Astronomical Observatory the Satellite Communications Station, and Los Molinos Dam are all worth a visit before you continue your journey to the delightful Villa General Belgrano. This was founded by central European immigrants who made it into a veritable Alpine enclave in the Córdoba Hills. It contains typical chalets, and also Archaeological and Carriage Museums. Each year it also hosts a Beer Festival and a Chocolate Festival, which attract many tourist, and a Tyrolean Carnival. Of course, tearooms abound, offering typically-German confectionery delicacies, for which it as become famous. From Villa General Belgrano those with a sweet tooth can make a short trip to another Alpine Village, La cumbrecita, which has only 80 permanent inhabitants, and where delicious cakes and tarts are sold.
The history Trail
The Mule Trail, formerly the Camino Real or Royal Road, which used to connect the towns of Upper Peru and the North west whit the coast and Buenos Aires, can be followed in a northerly direction from Córdoba. This trail leads to Ascochinga, 64 km. from the provincial capital, but without straying too far from it you can enjoy a number of small paradises. Villa Allende and Unquillo are two suburban areas of Córdoba itself that offer surprisingly-attractive old mansions set in shady parks that are decidedly rural in appearance. From Unquillo, or via the Pajas Blancas road (which also leads no the airport), Río Ceballos can be reached. This is barely 34 km away from the city. It was founded in 1830 by Juan de Ceballos, who laid it out along the course of the river which today bears his name, and this is why it has such attractive, winding streets. Not to be missed in this small town situated 679 m above sea level is La Quebrada Park, a nature reserve with an extremely rich ecosystem known as Chaco Serrano, and an extensive variety of fauna and flora including rare species like the puma, grey fox, wild pig and grey deer.
La Quebrada Dam is part of the park of the same name, and is an excellent spot for canoeing every year both provincial and inter-provincial competitions are held here. And all other water sports are allowed too -except motorized ones!- Around the dam there is a path accessible only to those on foot and which leads to the Condor Falls, set amongst luxuriant vegetation; upstream is another fine waterfall, Los Hornillos, with a height of over ten metres. Other interesting laces to visit in this area include Los Altos –a group of luxury residences right in the hills-, the Ñu Porá Christ Monument by the sculptor Cortinovis, Santa Teresita and Itatí Caves, and La Candonga Jesuit Chapel.
Warnings
Córdoba is the only city in Argentina where the “colectivos” operate on the token system, and these can be purchased from the bus Station and news kiosks. It is also the only city to have trolleybuses, which help notably to reduce traffic congestion. But in the historic part of the city, it is best to walk.
Córdoba as only one campsite, located after the Fair Complex on the Suquía river. Towns in the surrounding area are notable for their excellent tourist facilities in general, and all have more than one campsite.
The Municipal Tourist Office organizes a number of different town tours. Within the central area, these can be undertaken on foot or in minibuses. Possibilities extend to an ecological circuit, the San Vicente district, various industries, and the Nueva Córdoba and Las Rosas areas. During Holy Week and the winter and summer holiday periods, the Town Authorities issue visitors travelling by car whit special licenses (“obleas”) which allow you to go where you want with access to the centre and free parking in controlled areas. These “obleas” can be obtained from service stations, the Town Hall, the Bus station and hotels.
