Colonia Tovar
| Colonia Tovar | ||
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Coordinates: 10 ° 25 ′ N , 67 ° 17 ′ W Colonia Tovar on the map of Aragua
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| Basic data | ||
| Country | Venezuela | |
| State | Aragua | |
| City foundation | April 8, 1843 | |
| Residents | 21,000 (2016) | |
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| Detailed data | ||
| surface | 250 km 2 | |
| Population density | 84 people / km 2 | |
| height | 1800 m | |
| prefix | 033 | |
| Time zone | UTC -4: 30 | |
| City Presidency | Alfredo Durr ( PSUV ) | |
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Colonia Tovar is a community with over 21,000 inhabitants (2016), about 70 km west of Caracas in Venezuela in the state of Aragua . Most of the population are descendants of German immigrants from the Kaiserstuhl .
Geographical location
Colonia Tovar is located in the coastal cordillera west of Caracas at an altitude of 1,800 to 2,000 meters.
Neighboring communities
climate
Tropical, cool rainforest, mean annual temperature of 16 ° C.
history
In 1843 358 citizens emigrated from the Kaiserstuhl area to Venezuela via Le Havre , mainly from Endingen am Kaiserstuhl , Forchheim , Wyhl and Oberbergen . After some confusion, they were resettled in their current location. The farmers planted vegetables and fruits and also brewed Venezuela's first beer; they built their houses in a half-timbered style . The village community remained under its own laws until 1942 and gradually fell into oblivion.
Only after the construction of an asphalt road in 1964 did the modern age find its way into Colonia Tovar. In the 1960s, the inhabitants of Colonia Tovar, who to this day maintain their language in the Alemannic dialect (Kaiserstühler dialect) and their traditions up to the Alemannic Carnival (Fasnet), re-established close contact with their Baden homeland. So it happens that many descendants did their education in Germany. The village is now a popular tourist attraction and weekend getaway destination for the residents of Caracas .
On May 18 and 19, 2017, as part of the protests against the Maduro government , serious riots broke out, after which the colony was occupied by the military.
Culture
language
The Alemannic language Alemán Coloniero is still spoken throughout by the older generation. The youngest generation can hardly speak the dialect anymore, as immigrants have mixed more and more with the Spanish- speaking Venezuelan population in recent decades . But the language attitude has also changed. Today the “Ditsch” is embarrassing for the young people and children, they don't want to be teased at school. But the dialect is a great cultural asset for the Tovars, so they do everything in their power to preserve it. The close contact with the twin town of Endingen am Kaiserstuhl, which also includes the training of Tovars in various professions, promotes language and thus cultural preservation.
Museums
Historical and handicraft museum.
Regular events
- April 8th: Colony founding day
- November 11th: day of the patron saint, Saint Martin
Alemannic Carnival
They still have the same carnival slogans and the same carnival clothes (jokili) as in Endingen.
Culinary specialties
Traditional Alemannic home-style cooking is served: blood sausage , pork knuckle , Schäufele , sauerkraut , potatoes , various sausages and a strong "Tovar" beer .
See also
Web links
- Colonia tovar - website (spanish)
- www.coloniatovar.net - official website (Spanish)
- www.colonia-tovar.com - Tourism portal of Colonia Tovar (Spanish)
- www.venezueladigital.net/colonia/cultura.htm (Spanish)
- Information about Colonia Tovar at www.margaritainfo.com
- Media reports:
Footnotes
- ^ Military marches into German colony in Venezuela. In: Westfälische Nachrichten. May 20, 2017. Retrieved May 20, 2017 .
- ↑ Gobierno militarizó la Colonia Tovar from May 20, 2017 (Spanish)
- ↑ Jochen Shift: Home and Carnival. In: Fool's Messenger. Journal Schwäbisch-Alemannischer Fastnacht, No. 36, pp. 36–43
- ^ Ninth meeting of the German-speaking communities in Latin America, accessed on April 19, 2020