Villaguay

from Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Villaguay
Basic data
location 31 ° 52 ′  S , 59 ° 1 ′  W Coordinates: 31 ° 52 ′  S , 59 ° 1 ′  W
Height above d. M .: 40  m
Population (2010): 49,445
  (Argentina)
 
 
administration
Province : Entre RíosEntre Ríos Entre Ríos
Department : Villaguay
Local community: Villaguay
Mayor: Adrián Federico Fuertes
Others
Postal code : E3240
Telephone code: 3455
Villaguay website

The city of Villaguay is the capital and administrative center of the Villaguay Department of the same name in the Entre Ríos province in northern Argentina . The city, located on the Río Gualeguay and not far from the RN 18 from Paraná to Concordia , has around 49,445 inhabitants (2010 census).

history

The settlement was laid out by the Spaniards around 1790, and the Santa Rosa de Villaguay chapel was inaugurated in 1835 . Nevertheless, Villaguay remained a garrison until 1873 when it was granted city rights.

Colonia Belgia

From 1856 onwards, European immigrants - in addition to Spaniards, Italians and French as well as Germans and from 1857 also Flemings and Jews from Belgium - founded numerous colonies in Argentina.

From 1882, Belgians also settled in Villaguay under Eugeen Schepens . The Belgian farmers were promised 32 hectares of land per couple as well as cheap loans. The first 50 families came from Antwerp and Oudenaarde and founded the Colonia Belgia ; by 1939 a total of 25,000 Belgians came to Argentina. In today's Villaguay, half of the population is said to have Belgian ancestors.

Colonia Alemania

By 1893 there were already 111 European colonies in the Entre Rios province - five of them in Villaguay with Jewish immigrants (including Villa Clara - the largest colony in the village - as well as Villaguay, Carmel, Villa Domínguez and San Gregorio), one with Volga Germans ( Colonia Alemania) and six others with Spaniards, French, Swiss (Colonia San Jose), Italians (Colonia Santa Juana), Germans (Colonia Nueva Alemania) and Belgians. Villaguay then had 2,245 inhabitants.

Despite the social unrest that particularly affected the immigrants due to political instability, the Belgian and German colonies lasted until 1940, when Villaguay was again converted into an Argentine garrison. The colonists were relocated.

literature

  • Judith Freidenberg: The invention of the Jewish gaucho - Villa Clara and the construction of Argentine Identity . University of Texas, Austin 2009.

Web links