Villa Elisa, Paraguay
Encyclopedia
Villa Elisa is a city in the Central Department
of Paraguay
on the outskirts of Asuncion
. It was the only colony that was inhabited by Swedish people in Paraguay and today is one of the most important and active cities that are part of the Metropolitan Area of the capital. Villa Elisa is an urban city and borders with Asuncion, in the Defensores del Chaco Ave some 16 km away from Asuncion's city centre. It was founded on March 22, 1983.
(Guerra contra la Triple Alianza), Paraguay
with its population devastated and poor, was receiving Europe
an immigrants, who were given land for the agricultural production and cattle breeding. Around 1890, Belgium immigrants founded the Belgium Colony of Mbocayaty, later added by French
and Italian people
around 1880 and 1890.
As time went by the inhabitants of the colony began to work in agricultural, specially in the production of fruit. Later the Belgium people migrated to the properties of a Danish person Emilio Johansen, and later on around 1896, the city became Colonia Elisa, as a homage to his wife, Ms Elisa Von Poleski, of an aristocratic German origin (later a street in the city will also have her name).
The first Administrative Board of Villa Elisa was created on June 21 , 1899 under the direction of Mr. Emilio Johansen. To the Colonia Elisa new inhabitants arrived later: Scandinavian, Swedish, Danish and German people. With the arrival of more foreigners in the years of 1900 and 1940,the population grew and so the need of a new organization of the institutions, since Paraguay was now going through a lot of internal conflicts and the war with Bolivia
,called the Chaco War (1932–1935).
Petroleum refinery
operated by Petróleos Paraguayos
(Petropar), an institution created by law N 1182, issued on December 23, 1985, is located in Villa Elisa. This refinery was later transformed in an autarquic company, beginning its operations on January 9, 1986.
The city borders with the following towns: to the North with Asuncion and Fernando de la Mora
, to the East with San Lorenzo and Ñemby
, to the West with Lambare and to the South with San Antonio
and the Paraguay River
.
Some events made in the city are also: the students parades, the religious parades and the important dates, such as the Child Day, the one in the memory of the ex soldiers who fought in the Chaco War, festival of Youth in Spring day and other artistic shows that can be shared by all the family.
It was declared also the sub location of the Lake Festival of Ypacaray
.It is known as the folk capital of the south.
Alejandro Dumas. He began as a narrator in 1984 with the publishing of his two short novels: "Andanzas de un comisario de campaña" y "Sueños y conflictos". (Stories of a country marshal and Conflicts and Dreams). A year later he wrote another novel: "La vida y sus secuencias" (1985), (Life and its sequences) and in 1989 appeared "La pesadilla,” ( the nightmare) his fourth novel.
, the river banks where you can see beautiful landscapes and the petroleum refinery ( PETROPAR) which industrial plant is located in 64acres, on the left side of the Paraguay River
, Chipa Asador, pastel mandi`o, ryguasu ka`e, lampreado
, butifarra, Chicharó trenzado, Chipa so'o
, among other delicious and strange specialties.
vary among curves of 58 to 250 meters over the sea level. Villa Elisa has a soil covered by vegetation, it's a low and sandy land. Besides it has areas only populated by trees and bushes. It's a typical savanna, a good zone for the population.
Central Department
Central is a department in Paraguay. The capital is Areguá. With its 1,929,834 inhabitants it is the most populated of the 17 departments of Paraguay.-Boundaries:*North: the departments of Cordillera and Presidente Hayes....
of Paraguay
Paraguay
Paraguay , officially the Republic of Paraguay , is a landlocked country in South America. It is bordered by Argentina to the south and southwest, Brazil to the east and northeast, and Bolivia to the northwest. Paraguay lies on both banks of the Paraguay River, which runs through the center of the...
on the outskirts of Asuncion
Asunción
Asunción is the capital and largest city of Paraguay.The "Ciudad de Asunción" is an autonomous capital district not part of any department. The metropolitan area, called Gran Asunción, includes the cities of San Lorenzo, Fernando de la Mora, Lambaré, Luque, Mariano Roque Alonso, Ñemby, San...
. It was the only colony that was inhabited by Swedish people in Paraguay and today is one of the most important and active cities that are part of the Metropolitan Area of the capital. Villa Elisa is an urban city and borders with Asuncion, in the Defensores del Chaco Ave some 16 km away from Asuncion's city centre. It was founded on March 22, 1983.
History
After the War of the Triple AllianceWar of the Triple Alliance
The Paraguayan War , also known as War of the Triple Alliance , was a military conflict in South America fought from 1864 to 1870 between Paraguay and the Triple Alliance of Argentina, Brazil, and Uruguay...
(Guerra contra la Triple Alianza), Paraguay
Paraguay
Paraguay , officially the Republic of Paraguay , is a landlocked country in South America. It is bordered by Argentina to the south and southwest, Brazil to the east and northeast, and Bolivia to the northwest. Paraguay lies on both banks of the Paraguay River, which runs through the center of the...
with its population devastated and poor, was receiving Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
an immigrants, who were given land for the agricultural production and cattle breeding. Around 1890, Belgium immigrants founded the Belgium Colony of Mbocayaty, later added by French
French people
The French are a nation that share a common French culture and speak the French language as a mother tongue. Historically, the French population are descended from peoples of Celtic, Latin and Germanic origin, and are today a mixture of several ethnic groups...
and Italian people
Italian people
The Italian people are an ethnic group that share a common Italian culture, ancestry and speak the Italian language as a mother tongue. Within Italy, Italians are defined by citizenship, regardless of ancestry or country of residence , and are distinguished from people...
around 1880 and 1890.
As time went by the inhabitants of the colony began to work in agricultural, specially in the production of fruit. Later the Belgium people migrated to the properties of a Danish person Emilio Johansen, and later on around 1896, the city became Colonia Elisa, as a homage to his wife, Ms Elisa Von Poleski, of an aristocratic German origin (later a street in the city will also have her name).
The first Administrative Board of Villa Elisa was created on June 21 , 1899 under the direction of Mr. Emilio Johansen. To the Colonia Elisa new inhabitants arrived later: Scandinavian, Swedish, Danish and German people. With the arrival of more foreigners in the years of 1900 and 1940,the population grew and so the need of a new organization of the institutions, since Paraguay was now going through a lot of internal conflicts and the war with Bolivia
Bolivia
Bolivia officially known as Plurinational State of Bolivia , is a landlocked country in central South America. It is the poorest country in South America...
,called the Chaco War (1932–1935).
Petroleum refinery
Villa Elisa Refinery
Villa Elisa Refinery is an oil refinery located in Villa Elisa, from Asunción close to the Paraguay River and is owned by the Paraguay national oil company Petróleos Paraguayos...
operated by Petróleos Paraguayos
Petróleos Paraguayos
Petróleos Paraguayos or [Paraguayan Petroleums] is the Paraguayan national oil company that owns the only refinery in the country Villa Elisa Refinery located in Villa Elisa with a capacity of , a LNG plant, a biodiesel plant and several storage facilities with a storage capacity of around ....
(Petropar), an institution created by law N 1182, issued on December 23, 1985, is located in Villa Elisa. This refinery was later transformed in an autarquic company, beginning its operations on January 9, 1986.
Location
It is located only 16 km away from Asunción and to get there you must take the South Access road. There are many public transportation and they leave Asuncion and go directly to Villa Elisa.The city borders with the following towns: to the North with Asuncion and Fernando de la Mora
Fernando de la Mora (Paraguay)
Fernando de la Mora is a city located in the Central Department, and is part of the metropolitan area of Asunción, Paraguay. With some 160,000 inhabitants, the city is one of the most populated of the country....
, to the East with San Lorenzo and Ñemby
Ñemby
Ñemby is a city in the Central Department of Paraguay. It is part of the Gran Asunción metropolitan area.-History:Among the historical sites of this city stands the Church of San Lorenzo which was founded by Spanish settlers in 1718 when Ñemby was a population of only 2,187 inhabitants.Other...
, to the West with Lambare and to the South with San Antonio
San Antonio, Paraguay
San Antonio is a city in Paraguay located in the Central Department. It has been significant since colonial times, as it was located beside the Royal Way, a road which leads to the city of Villeta...
and the Paraguay River
Paraguay River
The Paraguay River is a major river in south central South America, running through Brazil, Bolivia, Paraguay, and Argentina...
.
Demography
It has a very high growth rate, 9.52% per year. According to the General Direction of Statistics and Survey the population comes to a 53,166 inhabitants in 2008. Nowadays 100% of its population corresponds to the urban area completely.Neighborhoods
It has 16 neighborhoods, including San Juan, Villa Bonita, Mbocayaty, Picada, Sol de América, Ypaty, San Miguel, Rosedal, 29 de septiembre, Von Poleski y 3 Bocas.Government
The Town Hall belongs to the first category ( Decree number 12.192/01) and the number of advisors that compose the Legislative power of the Town Hall is of twelve, and they represent to the National Republican Association, or Red Party(6), Radical Liberal Party (5) and the party Patria Querida (1). Its mayor now is Mr Miguel Fretes, belonging to the Liberal Party.Art and culture
The local party is celebrated on June 24 in the memory of Saint John, the patron of the city. In this occasion there are masses, a lot of delicious food, typical of Paraguay besides a number of traditional games all over the country , such as pelota tata (fire ball) toro candil, walking on fire, yvyra syi (soap stick) among others.Some events made in the city are also: the students parades, the religious parades and the important dates, such as the Child Day, the one in the memory of the ex soldiers who fought in the Chaco War, festival of Youth in Spring day and other artistic shows that can be shared by all the family.
It was declared also the sub location of the Lake Festival of Ypacaray
Ypacaraí Festival
The Ypacaraí Festival has been held in the city of Ypacaraí, Paraguay, since 1971, between August and September. It is a folklore festival organized with great emphasis on all kinds of cultural manifestations....
.It is known as the folk capital of the south.
Important People
One of the important people of Villa Elisa is the writer Cristian Gonzalez Safstrand who was born in the city in 1947. Even though he was a self-taught person, he was very interested in Literature since a very young age, having read some of the classics of the occidental narrative, such as the Spanish great writers, Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra and Pedro Antonio de Alarcón and the FrenchFrance
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
Alejandro Dumas. He began as a narrator in 1984 with the publishing of his two short novels: "Andanzas de un comisario de campaña" y "Sueños y conflictos". (Stories of a country marshal and Conflicts and Dreams). A year later he wrote another novel: "La vida y sus secuencias" (1985), (Life and its sequences) and in 1989 appeared "La pesadilla,” ( the nightmare) his fourth novel.
Tourism
Villa Elisa is not known as a tourist city, but it has some places that are worth visiting such as the beautiful church Virgen del CarmenOur Lady of Mount Carmel
Our Lady of Mount Carmel is the title given to the Blessed Virgin Mary in her role as patroness of the Carmelite Order. The first Carmelites were Christian hermits living on Mount Carmel in the Holy Land during the late 12th and early to mid 13th centuries...
, the river banks where you can see beautiful landscapes and the petroleum refinery ( PETROPAR) which industrial plant is located in 64acres, on the left side of the Paraguay River
Paraguay River
The Paraguay River is a major river in south central South America, running through Brazil, Bolivia, Paraguay, and Argentina...
Gastronomy
Villa Elisa, just like all the Paraguayan cities keeps in its gastronomic taste the typical country food such as : MbejúMbeju
Mbeju is a starch cake sometimes made with fariña or manioc flour.The high-calorie mbeju is a staple of the Paraguayan diet. According to scholars of Paraguayan social history, the popular Paraguayan diet evolved as a result of the War of Paraguay in the nineteenth century. In the aftermath of the...
, Chipa Asador, pastel mandi`o, ryguasu ka`e, lampreado
Lampreado
Lampreado, Lambreado or “Payaguá Mascada” It is a dish typical of the cuisine of Paraguay that, like others, for well identifiable historical reasons, it has a high nutritional value....
, butifarra, Chicharó trenzado, Chipa so'o
Chipa so'o
Generically speaking, the “chipa” is a cake, that could be baked or cooked in many different ways ....
, among other delicious and strange specialties.
Geography
The topographic characteristics of the Central DepartmentCentral Department
Central is a department in Paraguay. The capital is Areguá. With its 1,929,834 inhabitants it is the most populated of the 17 departments of Paraguay.-Boundaries:*North: the departments of Cordillera and Presidente Hayes....
vary among curves of 58 to 250 meters over the sea level. Villa Elisa has a soil covered by vegetation, it's a low and sandy land. Besides it has areas only populated by trees and bushes. It's a typical savanna, a good zone for the population.