Bucaramanga () is the capital and largest city of the department of
Santander
Santander may refer to:
Places
* Santander, Spain, a port city and capital of the autonomous community of Cantabria, Spain
* Santander Department, a department of Colombia
* Santander State, former state of Colombia
* Santander de Quilichao, a m ...
,
Colombia
Colombia (, ; ), officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country in South America with insular regions in North America—near Nicaragua's Caribbean coast—as well as in the Pacific Ocean. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Car ...
. Bucaramanga has the fifth-largest economy by GDP in Colombia, has the lowest unemployment rate and has the ninth-largest population in the country, with 681,130 people. Bucaramanga has over 160 parks scattered throughout the city and has been given the nickname "La Ciudad de Los Parques" ("The City of Parks") and "La Ciudad Bonita de Colombia" ("Colombia's Beautiful City").
Bucaramanga has grown rapidly since the 1960s, mostly into neighbouring locations within the metropolitan area.
Floridablanca,
Girón and
Piedecuesta
Piedecuesta (, officially ''Villa de San Carlos del Pie de la Cuesta'') is a town and municipality in the Santander Department in northeastern Colombia, South America
South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and ...
are inextricably linked geographically and commercially with Bucaramanga, and now all form together the Bucaramanga Metropolitan Area with 1,141,671 inhabitants.
The city is the base of the Colombian Petroleum Institute (ICP), the research branch of the state oil company
Ecopetrol.
History
Girón was the first and most significant town founded by Spanish colonialists in the region, and Bucaramanga (founded on 22 December 1622) did not overtake Girón in population or economic significance until the early 19th century. The city attracted a core of German merchants and adventurers in the 1860s and 1870s (the most famous of whom was
Geo von Lengerke) and tensions between the newcomers and local merchants flared in 1879, when the event named "La Culebra Pico de Oro" ("The Gold Beak Snake") occurred. With the political reorganization of 1886, Bucaramanga replaced
Socorro as the departmental capital. The region (although not the city itself) was devastated by the civil war of 1899–1902—commonly known as the
Thousand Days War
The Thousand Days' War ( es, Guerra de los Mil Días) was a civil war fought in Colombia from 17 October 1899 to 21 November 1902, at first between the Liberal Party and the government led by the National Party, and later – after the Conser ...
—causing Bucaramanga to grow only modestly in the first half of the 20th century.
Climate
Bucaramanga is located on a plateau in the
Cordillera Oriental of the Colombian Andes, and many residents occupy unstable lands descending steeply from the ''meseta''. Westbound of it, the Rio de Oro Canyon is located at an altitude of
above sea level
Height above mean sea level is a measure of the vertical distance (height, elevation or altitude) of a location in reference to a historic mean sea level taken as a vertical datum. In geodesy, it is formalized as ''orthometric heights''.
The comb ...
. Eastbound, the Andean Range rises up in high peaks, reaching almost
AMSL
Height above mean sea level is a measure of the vertical distance (height, elevation or altitude) of a location in reference to a historic mean sea level taken as a vertical datum. In geodesy, it is formalized as ''orthometric heights''.
The comb ...
in the place locally known as "Paramo de Berlin".
The city is located at . The official metropolitan area includes the municipalities of:
Girón,
Piedecuesta
Piedecuesta (, officially ''Villa de San Carlos del Pie de la Cuesta'') is a town and municipality in the Santander Department in northeastern Colombia, South America
South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and ...
and
Floridablanca, but
Lebrija
Lebrija () is a city and municipality of Spain located in the autonomous community of Andalusia, most specifically in the Province of Sevilla. It straddles the left bank of the Guadalquivir river, and the eastern edge of the marshes known as L ...
is home to Bucaramanga's airport and is commonly considered part of greater Bucaramanga. Despite recent urbanization, all four neighboring municipalities contain extensive rural areas.
Under the
Köppen climate classification
The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, notabl ...
, Bucaramanga features a
tropical monsoon climate
An area of tropical monsoon climate (occasionally known as a sub-equatorial, tropical wet climate or a tropical monsoon and trade-wind littoral climate) is a tropical climate sub-type that corresponds to the Köppen climate classification category ...
, though a noticeably cool version of the climate. The city is slightly too dry for a
tropical rainforest climate
A tropical rainforest climate, humid tropical climate or equatorial climate is a tropical climate sub-type usually found within 10 to 15 degrees latitude of the equator. There are some other areas at higher latitudes, such as the coast of southea ...
, as its driest month of January averages just under of rainfall. Although its altitude is not considered very high, Bucaramanga's climate is neither hot nor cold, 22 degrees Celsius being the average temperature. Compared to cities at the same average altitude (such as
Cali
Santiago de Cali (), or Cali, is the capital of the Valle del Cauca department, and the most populous city in southwest Colombia, with 2,227,642 residents according to the 2018 census. The city spans with of urban area, making Cali the second ...
), Bucaramanga has much cooler daytime temperatures, owing to the cold wind coming down the eastern peaks; its night temperatures are not cold, owing to the warm air coming from the canyon. These phenomena make the daily thermal oscillation narrower than in other Colombian cities.
Municipal flag
The municipal flag of Bucaramanga was designed by the historian Gustavo Gómez Mejía. Made of two green stripes with a yellow one in the middle. In the center, there's a blue disk, surrounded by a red circle. In the middle of the blue disk, there's a white star. In the red circle the following legend: "Below the azure of its sky and defended by the generous blood of its sons, Bucaramanga is opened to the four horizons of the motherland" is written.
Municipal coat of arms
The words ''Montani Semper Liberi'' are Latin for "Mountaineers are Always Free".
Demography
According to the data obtained from the 2018 census and information provided by the Metropolitan Area of Bucaramanga, the city has an estimated population of 681,130 inhabitants.
Of the total population, 47.5% are men and 52.5% women. The average number of occupants per household is 3.6 people. 16.6% of people of the population are 10 years of age or younger. Of all cohabiting couples in the city, 46.3% were single, 26.7% were married, 5.8% were separated and 4.6% were widowed. 9.2% of the resident population aged over 4 years are from another municipality, and 0.3% from another country.
In the city, 39% of people live in houses, while 56.7% live in apartments and 4.3% in a leased room or other.
Economy
Industry
![Centro La triada Bucaramanga](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/f/f9/Centro_La_triada_Bucaramanga.JPG)
An industrial activity developed in Bucaramanga that has gained national recognition is the footwear industry. For this reason, the Footwear Manufacturers' Association (Asoinducals) is located in the city. The footwear sector has a major market nationally and internationally in countries such as
Argentina
Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...
,
Brazil
Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...
,
Canada
Canada is a country in North America. Its ten provinces and three territories extend from the Atlantic Ocean to the Pacific Ocean and northward into the Arctic Ocean, covering over , making it the world's second-largest country by tot ...
,
Ecuador
Ecuador ( ; ; Quechua: ''Ikwayur''; Shuar: ''Ecuador'' or ''Ekuatur''), officially the Republic of Ecuador ( es, República del Ecuador, which literally translates as "Republic of the Equator"; Quechua: ''Ikwadur Ripuwlika''; Shuar: ''Eku ...
,
Italy
Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...
, some Caribbean islands,
United States
The United States of America (U.S.A. or USA), commonly known as the United States (U.S. or US) or America, is a country primarily located in North America. It consists of 50 states, a federal district, five major unincorporated territorie ...
,
Peru
, image_flag = Flag of Peru.svg
, image_coat = Escudo nacional del Perú.svg
, other_symbol = Great Seal of the State
, other_symbol_type = Seal (emblem), National seal
, national_motto = "Fi ...
,
Venezuela
Venezuela (; ), officially the Bolivarian Republic of Venezuela ( es, link=no, República Bolivariana de Venezuela), is a country on the northern coast of South America, consisting of a continental landmass and many islands and islets in th ...
and
Mexico
Mexico (Spanish: México), officially the United Mexican States, is a country in the southern portion of North America. It is bordered to the north by the United States; to the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; to the southeast by Guatema ...
.
There is also a big clothing industry. There are a growing number of technological research centers in various topics such as
energy
In physics, energy (from Ancient Greek: ἐνέργεια, ''enérgeia'', “activity”) is the quantitative property that is transferred to a body or to a physical system, recognizable in the performance of work and in the form of heat a ...
, gas,
oil
An oil is any nonpolar chemical substance that is composed primarily of hydrocarbons and is hydrophobic (does not mix with water) & lipophilic (mixes with other oils). Oils are usually flammable and surface active. Most oils are unsaturated ...
, corrosion, asphalt, leather and agro-industrial development tools, among others.
The Chimitá Industrial Zone is located in the western area of the plateau near the town of Girón; many companies from different specialties like
Terpel
Terpel, formerly known as Organización Terpel S.A. ( en, Terpel Organization), is a Colombian oil and gas company.
Company history
Terpel was founded in 1968 to help ease the shortage of gasoline in Santander. The Terpel Bucaramanga Company was ...
have production plants there. Also in the city is one of the main production plants of Cervecería Bavaria S.A. (Bavaria Brewery). The city is planning to build the Zona Franca de Santander, a customs-free zone located within the metropolitan area of Bucaramanga.
Bucaramanga has positioned itself as a city of congresses and events, having infrastructures like Fair and Exhibition Centre - CENFER, many fairs, and exhibitions in all branches of the national economic sectors are performed there annually.
The city also has a polyfunctional center for events and shows, which gives a space for performing great shows, puzzle games, sports, and business. A number of meeting rooms and conferences allow Bucaramanga to hold conventions for entrepreneurs around the country.
The trade fairs, as well as direct benefits to the respective sector, have benefits in other areas of the economy such as transport, hotels, restaurants, shops and various services activities such as advertising, design and decoration, modeling, etc.
The International Exhibition of Children's Fashion (EIMI) takes place in Bucaramanga. It is the only exhibition specialized in children's clothing in Latin America.
The event is organized in the CENFER complex and 40% of the sales generated come from exported products.
Business
In recent years, several major shopping centers and commercial buildings have been built in Bucaramanga. An example is the shopping center La Florida, a six-storey mall with two pedestrian bridges and one vehicular bridge. A newer shopping center, Megamall, was built in 2007, where the first store of the French multinational retailer
Carrefour
Carrefour () is a French multinational retail and wholesaling corporation headquartered in Massy, France. The eighth-largest retailer in the world by revenue, it operates a chain of hypermarkets, groceries stores and convenience stores, whic ...
opened in the city.
In the following years, three more shopping centers were built in other areas of the city: Cacique, Parque Caracolí, and De la Cuesta. Another shopping district known as "Cabecera del Llano" includes five major shopping centers: Cabecera Etapa I, Etapa II and Etapa III, as well as the more recognized Cabecera Etapa IV and the shopping center "La Quinta" or V Etapa.
The Acropolis Shopping Center is located in an area known as Ciudadela Real de Minas, while the San Andresito commercial center and the traditional and renovated (2005) Cañaveral shopping center are located in the southern sector of the city along with the El Cacique shopping center, opened in November 2012 and considered one of the largest in Latin America.
In these shopping centers, there are several movie theaters of major companies such as Cine Colombia, Cine Royal and
Cinemark, clothing stores like
Adidas
Adidas AG (; stylized as adidas since 1949) is a German multinational corporation, founded and headquartered in Herzogenaurach, Bavaria, that designs and manufactures shoes, clothing and accessories. It is the largest sportswear manufactur ...
,
Levi's, and national brands such as Arturo Calle, restaurants and cafes as Presto, El Corral,
McDonald's
McDonald's Corporation is an American Multinational corporation, multinational fast food chain store, chain, founded in 1940 as a restaurant operated by Richard and Maurice McDonald, in San Bernardino, California, United States. They rechri ...
, Crêpes & Waffles,
Juan Valdez
Juan Valdez is a fictional character who has appeared in advertisements for the National Federation of Coffee Growers of Colombia since 1958, representing a Colombian coffee farmer. The advertisements were designed by the Doyle Dane Bernbach ad ...
.
One of the largest hypermarket chains in Colombia, Exito, has five stores throughout the city and a distribution center for eastern Colombia.
Carrefour opened in 2007 the first store at Megamall, merging later with a local supermarket named Mercadefam. The chain now has seven stores in the city. Along with this, there are local small chain stores in Bucaramanga such as Mercomfenalco, Cootracolta, Cajasan, and others.
Labor market
Historically, Bucaramanga has had one of the lowest rates of unemployment among Colombian cities. As of September 2010, according to DANE statistics between July and September 2010, the city had an unemployment rate of 11.8%, increasing by 3.3% compared to October and December 2009 which showed a rate of 8.5%.
Transport
![Troncalmetroautop](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/bd/Troncalmetroautop.JPG)
Metrolínea is the
Integrated Mass Transit System of Bucaramanga. Its construction began in 2006 during the administration of
Mayor
In many countries, a mayor is the highest-ranking official in a municipal government such as that of a city or a town. Worldwide, there is a wide variance in local laws and customs regarding the powers and responsibilities of a mayor as well a ...
Honorio Galvis; its operation is currently in its first phase, which began on 22 December 2009.
The six lines inaugurated in this phase are: Avenida del Libertador (Diagonal 15), autocentral, Prospero Finch Avenue (27th Avenue), La Cumbre, Highway Floridablanca Villabel Bucarica and which have 91 stopways. The administration is currently in the process of coupling the second phase, which will cover the areas of
Piedecuesta
Piedecuesta (, officially ''Villa de San Carlos del Pie de la Cuesta'') is a town and municipality in the Santander Department in northeastern Colombia, South America
South America is a continent entirely in the Western Hemisphere and ...
, Ciudadela Real de Minas, the Avenue of the Americas (Race 33) and will have trunks at Autosur, Real de Minas and the Americas.
National road connection
Bucaramanga is connected to the mainland by two main routes. The first is the National Route 66 which comes from Barrancabermeja and Cucuta communicates with and then into Venezuela, the second the
Ruta Nacional 45A that comes from Bogotá and San Alberto comes up this road connects with the Colombian Caribbean region and major cities across the
Ruta Nacional 45.
Air transport
![Aeropuerto Palonegro Exterior](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e9/Aeropuerto_Palonegro_Exterior.jpg)
The international airport serving Bucaramanga is
Palonegro International Airport
Palonegro International Airport ( es, link=no, Aeropuerto Internacional de Palonegro) is an international airport located west of Bucaramanga in the Santander Department of Colombia. The airport serves the Bucaramanga Metropolitan Area and sur ...
, located on the hill of Palonegro, west of the metropolitan area and close to the town of
Lebrija
Lebrija () is a city and municipality of Spain located in the autonomous community of Andalusia, most specifically in the Province of Sevilla. It straddles the left bank of the Guadalquivir river, and the eastern edge of the marshes known as L ...
.
The airport opened in 1974, replacing the old airport
Gómez Niño located in the Ciudadela Real de Minas. The airport currently operates under the administration of the Palonegro consortium Colombo-Korean SAS East Airports Group. There are daily flights from most major cities in Colombia, as well as international flights from the city of
Panama
Panama ( , ; es, link=no, Panamá ), officially the Republic of Panama ( es, República de Panamá), is a transcontinental country spanning the southern part of North America and the northern part of South America. It is bordered by Cos ...
.
In 2009, Palonegro International Airport was ranked among Colombia's most important airports.
People
Many important Colombian people are from Bucaramanga, such as
Luis Carlos Galán
Luis Carlos Galán Sarmiento (29 September 1943 – 18 August 1989) was a Colombian liberal politician and journalist who ran for the Presidency of Colombia on two occasions, the first time for the political movement New Liberalism that he fou ...
, presidential candidate murdered in 1989,
Carlos Ardila Lülle
Carlos Ardila Lülle (; June 4, 1930 – August 13, 2021) was a Colombian entrepreneur and the founder and head of the Organización Ardila Lülle, a major Colombian conglomerate which controls companies such as RCN TV, the Postobon soft drink ...
, one of the most important businessmen in Colombia, Claudia Florez and Ivan Garzón.
Colombian artist
Oscar Rodríguez Naranjo came back from France during the
Second World War
World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...
and settled in Bucaramanga. Rodríguez Naranjo taught at the art school while he made a number of paintings that would build up his reputation in Colombia. In 1941 he became the Director of the Academia de Bellas Artes in Bucaramanga.
Education
The city has a good reputation due to its numerous universities, among them:
Industrial University of Santander
The Industrial University of Santander ( es, Universidad Industrial de Santander), abbreviated in Spanish with the acronym UIS, is a public university, based in a coeducational, and research model. The university serves the Santander Department, ...
(''Universidad Industrial de Santander'')
The Universidad Industrial de Santander is an official institution that offers 95 degrees and a wide range of undergraduate and graduate courses within the health sciences, humanities, sciences, and engineering colleges. Also, it offers seven technological programs in different fields through the Distance Learning Institute. Nowadays, after 71 years of existence, there are nearly 14,000 students registered in undergraduate and graduate programs, as well as a total 22,000 alumni. It proudly stands as the leading higher education institution in the northeastern part of the country and ranks fourth among official universities nationwide. Also, the University has created affiliate branches in Barrancabermeja—home of the most important oil refinery in the country—El Socorro and Málaga. Recently it has extended its services to Barranquilla and Bogotá through the offer of its Graduate Programs.
*Universidad Autónoma de Bucaramanga (UNAB)
Autonomous University of Bucaramanga
*Universidad de Santander (UDES)
*Unidades Tecnológicas de Santander (UTS)
*
Saint Thomas Aquinas University
Saint Thomas University ( es, Universidad Santo Tomás) is a Roman Catholic university located in Bogotá, Colombia. It is the oldest Colombian university, founded in 1580 by the Dominican Order. It has campuses in Bucaramanga, Tunja, Medellín, a ...
(''Universidad Santo Tomás'')
*
Pontifical Bolivarian University
The Pontifical Bolivarian University ( es, Universidad Pontificia Bolivariana), also referred to as UPB, is a private university in Colombia with its main campus in Medellín, where it was founded in 1936. As of June 2022, the UPB holds the top 4 ...
(''Universidad Pontificia Bolivariana'')
File:Lección de Geometría y Luis A. Calvo.jpg, Universidad Industrial de Santander
The Industrial University of Santander ( es, Universidad Industrial de Santander), abbreviated in Spanish with the acronym UIS, is a public university, based in a coeducational, and research model. The university serves the Santander Department, ...
. Geometry Lesson Memorial and Auditorium Luis A. Calvo
File:UIS - Facultad de Ciencias Humanas.jpg, Universidad Industrial de Santander
The Industrial University of Santander ( es, Universidad Industrial de Santander), abbreviated in Spanish with the acronym UIS, is a public university, based in a coeducational, and research model. The university serves the Santander Department, ...
. Faculty of Humanities
File:Unab3.jpg, Universidad Autónoma de Bucaramanga, campus El bosque
Culture
![FHB 0144](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/69/FHB_0144.jpg)
Bucaramanga's culture has several expressions, from the visual arts such as painting, sculpture, photography, and recently also in experimental demonstrations that incorporate new technology for artistic communication, such as video. Throughout Bucaramanga's history, it has hosted many cultural offerings in various areas, causing arts groups to form within the city.
One of the main pillars of culture in Bucaramanga is literature, as in the past there was a local cultural movement that produced a number of writers.
In 1995, the administration of Mayor Luis Fernando Peña Cote decided to convert Gabriel Turbay Public Library to hold the newly created Municipal Institute of Culture, assigning the library building to Gabriel Turbay, who has overseen space management for the institute, which has meant the movement of areas of the library to use the administrative area of the Municipal Institute of Culture. The creation of the Municipal Institute of Culture was conceived in order to expand the possibilities for sponsoring culture in the metropolitan area. But as culture has not traditionally played a leading role in local government, colleges do not receive sufficient funding and incentives to fulfill their purposes.
The Institute provides library services, art workshops, and a variety of shows and cultural work from the different neighborhoods of the city. The city sponsors these cultural activities with private investment. Bucaramanga also features a cultural radio station (Station Cultural Luis Carlos Galán Sarmiento) on 100.7 FM.
Gastronomy
![Arepa y Tamal Santandereano](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/4/47/Arepa_y_Tamal_Santandereano.jpg)
Typical dishes from Bucaramanga include Santander-mute (a soup made from various grains and accompanied by various types of meat), fricassee, a preparation of viscera and goat blood mixed with white rice, roasted meat, arepa de maize pelado, and tamales.
Also popular are candied celery, lemon, citron, rice, caramel, and pineapple. Most are produced in the Floridablanca neighboring. The Oblea,
a large, communion-like wafer and bocadillo veleño (a type of fudge made from puréed fruit or pressed caramel, or dulce de leche (milk caramel) are examples of treats found in great quantity in Bucaramanga. Nevertheless, one of the exotic foods in this Colombian city is undoubtedly the "Hormiga Culona" or big-butt ants, which have made Bucaramanga famous nationally and internationally, eventually being exported to Tokyo and London. These ants have high protein content, and their consumption among local people dates from the prehispanic era. This delicacy is only available during certain time of the year, due to the fact that they only come out during the months of May and June.
Tourism
![Cañón delChicamocha Bucaramanga Colombia](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/03/Ca%C3%B1%C3%B3n_delChicamocha_Bucaramanga_Colombia.JPG)
A variety of tourism can be performed in Bucaramanga and its neighboring municipalities, such as ecological tourism through its parks, adventure tourism at the
Ruitoque Plateau, and
Paragliding
Paragliding is the recreational and competitive adventure sport of flying paragliders: lightweight, free-flying, foot-launched glider aircraft with no rigid primary structure. The pilot sits in a harness or lies supine in a cocoon-like 'p ...
at the "Voladero the Águilas", at just a 15 minute drive away from the city. The downtown area boasts colonial buildings like the churches of San Laureano, and the Dolores Chapel, among some widely recognised colonial houses such as the house of
Simon Bolivar
Simon may refer to:
People
* Simon (given name), including a list of people and fictional characters with the given name Simon
* Simon (surname), including a list of people with the surname Simon
* Eugène Simon, French naturalist and the genus ...
, and the
Louis Peru de Lacroix
Louis Peru de Lacroix (14 September 1780 – 1837) was a French general who battled in the army of Napoleon I and later travelled to Colombia, where he joined the army of Simón Bolívar. He is famous for his biographical work of Bolívar, ''El D ...
' house. Other colonial buildings are located in the neighboring municipalities of the city. Bucaramanga's tourism diversity earned it the title of being one of the seven national pride tourism destinations through a voting process convened by
Colombia is Passion and
Bavaria
Bavaria ( ; ), officially the Free State of Bavaria (german: Freistaat Bayern, link=no ), is a state in the south-east of Germany. With an area of , Bavaria is the largest German state by land area, comprising roughly a fifth of the total lan ...
.
Bucaramanga has wide hotel infrastructure composed by some of the best hotel chains in the country. Several areas of the city center have important restaurants and nightclubs.
Lookouts
![Mirador palonegro](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/6/6f/Mirador_palonegro.jpg)
Morrorico: Located east of Bucaramanga, the road to Cucuta, you can see a panorama of the city, here is the statue of
Sacred Heart
The Most Sacred Heart of Jesus ( la, Cor Jesu Sacratissimum) is one of the most widely practised and well-known Catholic devotions, wherein the heart of Jesus is viewed as a symbol of "God's boundless and passionate love for mankind". This devo ...
, which is visited at Easter time, and the inhabitants and parishioners sector have the belief that the statue does miracles. Also in this area is planned the construction of a cable car or cable metrocable called to transport the inhabitants of the sector.
Palonegro: On the road to the airport of the same name, where you can have a splendid view of the metropolitan area of Bucaramanga. in place encuentan whereabouts visited several nightclubs and especially on weekends.
Natural and Historic Attractions
![Parqueadero Panachi](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/d/dd/Parqueadero_Panachi.JPG)
'' '
Chicamocha National Park
Chicamocha National Park (''Spanish:Parque Nacional del Chicamocha''), also known as Panachi, is a Colombian national level natural park along the Chicamocha Canyon (Cañón del Chicamocha) located 50 km from the city of Bucaramanga, Sant ...
(PANACHI): on the road that leads to Bogotá at the maximum height of the Cordillera Oriental in the municipality of ARATOCA, offers an exceptional view of the mighty river canyon Chicamocha, is equally Chicamocha National Park, from where you can appreciate at its best canons of rivers Chicamocha and Suarez.
Giron:: Located 9
km of Bucaramanga. Founded in 1631, the gold mines were important during the colonial era of tremendous architectural heritage, which made it a national monument. Stands the Museum of Religious Art, with valuable paintings and ancient liturgical objects, The Basilica of the Lord of Miracles, pilgrimage site, and the Chapel of Corregidor, on the outskirts.
Socorro: Located from Bucaramanga. Cradle of the uprising of the villagers, is located in the province Comunera, northeastern department of Santander. It was founded in 1681 and 1711 he was awarded the title of "Very Noble and Loyal Villa". In 1781
Manuela Beltrán
Manuela Beltrán was a Viceroyalty of New Granada, Neogranadine woman who organized a peasant revolt against excess taxation in 1780.
General settings
The information concerning the biography of Manuela Beltran is scarce and fragmented. It is bel ...
broke the edict that raised taxes and contributions, which led to the revolt of the Communards. In the main square stand monuments to
José Antonio Galán
José Antonio Galán (c. 1749 in Charalá, Santander (New Kingdom of Granada) – February 2, 1782 in Santafé de Bogotá (Id.)) was a Neogranadine historical figure of the 18th century. He was the leader of the Comuneros insurrection in 1781, wh ...
, leader of the uprising, and Antonia Santos. Other attractions are the house of culture and the cathedral.
Barichara: Located from the city of Bucaramanga, Barichara was founded by the Parra family Pradilla to serve the veneration of the Virgin of the Stone. In May 1975 the town received the title of "Cutest little town in Colombia" and by Resolution 005 of 30 June 1975 was declared a National Monument. Attractions in this village of cobblestone streets and wooden balconies include:
*Guane: colonial population home to a seventeenth-century church, the sanctuary of St. Lucia, and the Archaeological Museum, known for its important collection of marine life fossils and colonial period books.
*
San Gil
San Gil is a town municipality in the Department of Santander in northeastern Colombia, located roughly 300 km (192 mi) from Bogotá and 95 km from the department's capital, Bucaramanga. As of 2020, San Gil had a population of rou ...
: located from Bucaramanga. The historic center of the town with steep streets and on the banks of the river Fonce National Monument. One of its main attractions is the park The Gallineral, occupying an island in the river, the moss hanging from the trees and the sound of water make it a must-visit site.
Other attractions are the San Gil Ragonessi ecological park, spa blue well, the Grotto Hill, Cerro de La Cruz and adventure sports like rafting, mountain climbing, mountain biking and motocross, among others.
Sports
Indersantander and
Inderbu are the entities responsible for the management and development of local sport in Santander.
Football
Bucaramanga has the
Estadio Alfonso López
Estadio Alfonso López is a multi-purpose stadium in Bucaramanga
Bucaramanga () is the capital and largest city of the department of Santander, Colombia. Bucaramanga has the fifth-largest economy by GDP in Colombia, has the lowest unemploym ...
, with a current capacity of 28,000. This stadium is the home of the local football teams
Atlético Bucaramanga
Club Atlético Bucaramanga S.A., better known as Atlético Bucaramanga, is a Colombian professional football team based in Bucaramanga. The club plays its home games at the Alfonso López stadium.
The club was founded on 11 May 1949 by Rafael ...
and
Real Santander
Real Santander is a professional Colombian football team based in Bucaramanga, that currently plays in the Categoría Primera B. They play their home games at the Estadio Villa Concha in Piedecuesta, a municipality in the metropolitan area of B ...
.
Other sports
![Coliseo Bicentenario de Bucaramanga](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/9/97/Coliseo_Bicentenario_de_Bucaramanga.jpg)
The
Coliseo Bicentenario
Coliseo Bicentenario Alejandro Galvis Ramírez, mostly known as Coliseo Bicentenario is an indoor arena, indoor sporting arena, located in Bucaramanga, Colombia. The stadium was built in 2011 for the 2011 AMF Futsal Men's World Cup, AMF Futsal Men' ...
, built for the
2011 AMF Futsal World Championships held in Colombia, has a capacity of 8,000 spectators. It is currently the home stadium of the Búcaros Santander basketball team.
Another sports complex in the city is the Edmundo Luna Santos Coliseum, located in the Ciudadela Real de Minas area.
Bucaramanga has twice hosted the
National Games in 1941 and 1996. The city also hosted the Pan American Cycling Championships in the year 2000.
Bucaramanga was one of the cities that hosted the
2016 FIFA Futsal World Cup.
Transportation
*Local Bus: Metrolinea
*Intercity Bus: Terminal de Transportes de Bucaramanga
*Main airport:
Palonegro International Airport
Palonegro International Airport ( es, link=no, Aeropuerto Internacional de Palonegro) is an international airport located west of Bucaramanga in the Santander Department of Colombia. The airport serves the Bucaramanga Metropolitan Area and sur ...
Bucaramanga Public Transportation Statistics
The average amount of time people spend commuting with public transit in Bucaramanga, for example to and from work, on a weekday, is 57 minutes. Ten percent of public transit riders, ride for more than 2 hours every day. The average amount of time people wait at a stop or station for public transit is 14 minutes, while 19% of riders wait for over 20 minutes on average every day. The average distance people usually ride in a single trip with public transit is 5.6 km, while 10% travel for over 12 km in a single direction.
Tourism
*
Chicamocha National Park
Chicamocha National Park (''Spanish:Parque Nacional del Chicamocha''), also known as Panachi, is a Colombian national level natural park along the Chicamocha Canyon (Cañón del Chicamocha) located 50 km from the city of Bucaramanga, Sant ...
Malls
*
El Cacique Mall
*
Gratamira Mall
Media
* Newspaper:
Vanguardia Liberal
''Vanguardia'' ( en, Vanguard), formerly ''Vanguardia Liberal'', is a Colombian regional newspaper, founded in September 1919 in Bucaramanga
Bucaramanga () is the capital and largest city of the department of Santander, Colombia. Bucaraman ...
* Television:
Televisión Regional del Oriente
People from Bucaramanga
*
Julián Leal
Ómar Julián Leal Covelli, commonly known as Julián Leal, (born May 11, 1990 in Bucaramanga) is a professional racing driver from Colombia. He has also competed with an Italian licence in the GP2 Series.
Career Formula Renault 2.0
Leal began ...
References
External links
*
*
Tourism information BucaramangaBucaramanga LinkWebsite of the mayor's officeCity photo GuideMetropolitan area of BucaramangaLocal Chamber of CommerceBucaramanga Daily Photo
{{Authority control
Municipalities of Santander Department
Populated places established in 1622
Capitals of Colombian departments
1622 establishments in the Spanish Empire