Filadelfia (Paraguay)

Filadelfia
Coordinates: 22 ° 20 ′  S , 60 ° 1 ′  W Filadelfia​ Filadelfia on the map of Paraguay
Basic data
Country	Paraguay
Department	Boquerón
City foundation	August 17, 1931
Residents	18,210  (2017)
Detailed data
surface	13879 km²
Population density	1.32 inhabitants / km 2
height	138  m
Post Code	9300
prefix	(595) (491)
Time zone	UTC −4
City Presidency	Holger Bergen Hoots (Alianza Todos por Filadelfia)
Website	www.filadelfia.gov.py
[[File: | 270px | center | main street of Filadelfia]] main street of Filadelfia

Filadelfia is the capital of the north-western Boquerón department in Paraguay . The name comes from the Greek ( Philadelphia ) and means brotherly love . The city is also the center of Fernheim , one of the largest Mennonite settlements in Paraguay, and is located in the Gran Chaco , a savannah landscape that covers all of western Paraguay and extends south into Argentina and north into Bolivia . The population is 18,210 ( DGEEC 2017) , of which around 2,500 are German Mennonites or Russian Mennonites , whose native language is Plautdietsch . Therefore, German lettering can still be found in public spaces. The majority of the population consists of Indian tribal groups.

history

Filadelfia was founded in 1930 and was close to the front during the Chaco War , but was hardly involved in the fighting. During the Second World War , conflicts arose because some of the German-born settlers dreamed of returning to Germany and therefore supported the National Socialists' home-in-the-Reich policy .

In 1955, Philadelphia was renamed Filadelfia so that Spanish-speaking residents would pronounce the name correctly.

In 1961 the Ruta 9 (Ruta Transchaco) reached Filadelfia, in 1989 the entire route from 450 km to Asunción was paved.

In 2005 Filadelfia celebrated its 75th anniversary.

Infrastructure, economy

The city lives to a large extent from cattle breeding for meat and milk production and to a lesser extent from trade and tourism. Only a few streets in the city are paved. The cost of living is quite high compared to the rest of Paraguay.

Culture

The cultural life of Filadelfia takes place mainly in the area of ​​schools, u. a. held through concerts and theater performances.

Schools in Filadelfia

Jakob Unger Museum (local history museum)

School education is very important in Filadelfia. In addition to the state schools, there are also the following three private schools:

1. School Benjamin H. Unruh (Primaria): This school was founded in 1950. It was named after Benjamin H. Unruh , who helped the Mennonites from Russia to flee to Paraguay and Canada. The school was relocated in 2009 but still has the same name. Here students are taught from the first to the sixth grade.
2. Johann Cornies School (Primaria): This school was named after a Mennonite named Johann Cornies . There are also students from first to sixth grade here.
3. Colegio Filadelfia (Secondary): The first central school was built in Schönwiese. In 1936 the central school was moved to Filadelfia, where it is still today. In this colegio pupils from the seventh to twelfth grade are taught. The main building, the so-called Secretariat of the Colegio Filadelfia, was built in 1984. It also includes the staff room, directorate, computer room and library. The classrooms as well as the sports hall, auditorium and music rooms are located in other buildings. There is also a boarding school on the school premises, where girls and boys from the surrounding villages live.

climate

Filadelfia
Climate diagram
J F. M. A. M. J J A. S. O N D.     104   36 23     91   35 22nd     73   33 21st     81   30th 18th     40   28 16     28   25th 14th     19th   26th 13     6th   30th 15th     27   32 17th     79   33 20th     81   35 21st     95   36 22nd Temperature in ° C ,  precipitation in mm Source: Climate-data.org

Average monthly temperatures and rainfall for Filadelfia Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec Max. Temperature ( ° C ) 35.8 34.7 33 30.1 27.5 25.3 25.8 29.5 32 33.2 34.8 35.8 O 31.4 Min. Temperature (° C) 22.8 22.4 20.9 18.1 15.6 14.1 13.1 14.9 17.4 19.8 21.1 22.3 O 18.5 Temperature (° C) 29.3 28.5 26.9 24.1 21.5 19.7 19.4 22.2 24.7 26.5 27.9 29 O 25th Precipitation ( mm ) 104 91 73 81 40 28 19th 6th 27 79 81 95 Σ 724 Source: Climate-data.org

literature

• R. Andrew Nickson: Historical Dictionary of Paraguay , The Scarecrow Press, Metuchen & London, 1993, ISBN 0-8108-2643-7
• John D. Thiesen: Mennonite & Nazi: Attitudes among Mennonite Colonists in Latin America 1933-1945 , Pandora Press, Kitchener, Ontario, 1999, ISBN 0-9683462-5-1

Web links

• Official website
• Association for the history and culture of the Mennonites in Paraguay
• Filadelfia In: Lexicon of the Mennonites in Paraguay

Commons : Filadelfia  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

1. ↑ Proyección de la población por sexo y edad, según distrito. Revisión 2015
2. ↑ City population - Paraguay