The City of Eternal Spring

We have arrived in Columbia which is a country at the northern tip of South America. It is an amazing country with rainforests, the Andes Mountains and coffee plantations.

Medellin is the capital of the mountainous Antioquia province. It has been nicknamed the “City of Eternal Spring”. The city has a temperate climate.

Comuna 13 is one of the most dangerous neighborhoods in Medellin. This is because it clings to the mountainside above the San Javier metro station.

It has gone many transformations and at present is safe to visit. There are outdoor escalators, providing access to the homes in marginalized barrios.

There are six sets of escalators with murals and graffiti.

At the top you’ll find a lookout and a boardwalk that offers fantastic views of the city. You can get a local guide to show you around.

Cerro Nutibara is an 80m-tall hill upon which perches Pueblito Paisa, a miniature version of a typical Antioquian township.

Nutibara Sculpture Park

The views from the adjacent platform are amazing.

Nest to the lookout is the Museo de la Ciudad, a small museum that is dedicated to the history of Medellin with old photos of the city.

Museo Casa de la Memoria is a museum that is dedicated to the urban conflict in Medellin. There are fascinating displays on the geopolitical origins of the conflict. Survivors recount their experiences on life-size video screens and the dark room out in back pays homage to local residents who were killed in the violence.

Casa Museo Pedro Nel Gomez this museum is set-up in the house where local artist Pedro Nel Gomez lived. There is an extensive collection of his artwork. The museum also organizes painting workshops for visitors and classes are held in the artist’s studio which is decorated with a wonderful mural. Some of the houses that line the road heading up to the museum from the neighborhood of Moravia have had reproductions of Gomez’s artwork painted on their facades.

Museo de Arte Moderno de Medellin is located in an industrial building in Ciudad del Rio. El MAMM has changing exhibits of contemporary art. The large new wing has artwork from the permanent collection that includes work by local artists Debora Arango. There is a cinema that shows independent films.

Monumento a la Raza is an impressive monument designed by Rodrigo Arenas Betancur.

It stands in front of the municipal building and tells the story of Antioquia.

Museo de Antioquia makes its home in the grand art-deco Palacio Municipal. This is Columbia’s second-oldest museum. It is dedicated to fine art. The collection consists of pre-Columbian, colonial and modern art work. The highlight is the third floor where you can see lots of artwork by Columbian Fernando Botero and other artists’ artwork from Botero’s personal collection. Around the building are impressive murals by Pedro Nel Gomez.

Plazoleta de las Esculturas is a public space in front of the Museo de Antioquia. Here you can see 23 large curvaceous bronze sculptures by renowned local artist Fernando Botero.

El Cerro de Moravia is a densely populated neighborhood which was once the place for the city’s municipal rubbish dump. Then it was transformed into a model urban center and a mound of trash was transformed into a foliage-covered hillside. You can have a guided tour of the neighborhood. What is amazing is even though the hill looks green the pile of rubbish beneath it is still smoldering and some say that it is a few degrees hotter here than anywhere else in the city.

Around Parque Arvi are many houses, paved roads and development all alongside tracts of forest. This is a 17.61sq,km. reserve with hiking trails, canopy lines, lakes and a lovely mariposario or butterfly enclosure. You can get a guided walk and there is also a cable car.

Palacio de la Cultura Rafael Uribe Uribe stands next to the Berrio metro station. This is an impressive black-and-white Gothic Revival building. It is the city’s most interesting landmark that was designed by Belgian architect Agustin Goovaerts. Visitors can walk along the corridors and through the ornately decorated rooms. In some of the rooms are rotating art exhibitions. In the majestic dome you can see free international films on Tuesday or Thursday afternoons. Downstairs you can get access to the beautiful central courtyard, featuring a fountain with azaleas.

One of Medellin’s loveliest green spaces is the Jardin Botanico. Here you can see 600 species of trees and plants among them is a lake, a herbarium and a butterfly enclosure.

Monumento a la Vida is an amazing 14m high, 975-ton, concrete and bronze sculpture by Rodrigo Arenas Betancur. This symbolizes the circle of life.

Cerro Volador is a hilly municipal nature reserve which is popular with both locals and visitors. It is home to birdlife like owls and there are foxes, rabbits and several species of bats. Organized trips can be arranged with guides.

Ermita de la Veracruz is a fine church that was inaugurated in 1803. It is the only colonial-style temple in the city with a stone facade and a white-and-gold interior.

Basilica de la Candelaria is the city’s most important church. It stands over Parque Berrio. It was constructed in the 1770s on the site of the earlier wooden structure. Inside you can see a German-made pipe organ.

Parque Explora is an expansive science museum, featuring an aquarium that is full

of species from Columbian waterways as well as a reptile enclosure.

Catedral Metropolitana overlooks the Parque de Bolivar. This is a neo-Romanesque cathedral that was completed in 1931. The interior is lit by Spanish stained-glass windows.

Museo El Castillo is housed in a mock-Gothic castle that was built in 1930. It was once a home to a wealthy Antioquian landowner. Inside you can see the original furnishings and artwork from all over the world. On the outside are French-style formal gardens.

Iglesia de San Jose is a landmark church with immense stained-glass panels.

 

 

https://www.lonelyplanet.com/colombia/medellin/attractions/a/poi-sig/363323

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