The Enrique Olaya Herrera National Park (

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Cana ...

: ''Parque Nacional Enrique Olaya Herrera''), better known as National Park (Spanish: ''Parque Nacional'') is a park located in the Eastern hills of

Bogotá Bogotá (, also , , ), officially Bogotá, Distrito Capital, abbreviated Bogotá, D.C., and formerly known as Santa Fe de Bogotá (; ) during the Spanish period and between 1991 and 2000, is the capital city of Colombia, and one of the larges ...

, in the northeast of the locality of Santa Fe. The inauguration of the park took place on August 6, 1934. President

Enrique Olaya Herrera Enrique Alfredo Olaya Herrera (12 November 1880 – 18 February 1937) was a Colombian journalist and politician. He served as President of Colombia from 7 August 1930 until 7 August 1934 representing the Colombian Liberal Party. Early years ...

attended at its inauguration and was one of its most important promoters, hence its full name includes the mention of the president. Its heritage and tradition is very rich and today forms part of the image of the city. It was declared a

National Monument A national monument is a monument constructed in order to commemorate something of importance to national heritage, such as a country's founding, independence, war, or the life and death of a historical figure. The term may also refer to a spec ...

of Colombia on September 26, 1996. It is located at a height between 2,600 and 3,150 meters above sea level. Between the streets 36 and 39 with ''carreras''

Seventh Seventh is the ordinal form of the number seven. Seventh may refer to: * Seventh Amendment to the United States Constitution * A fraction (mathematics), , equal to one of seven equal parts Film and television *"The Seventh", a second-season epi ...

and Fifth the park keeps its original layout, which resembles an inverted triangle with roads that connect the different monuments of the park. It has 283 hectares of extension. Its eastern sector is crossed by the Arzobispo River. On its grounds there is a small aviary,

field hockey Field hockey is a team sport structured in standard hockey format, in which each team plays with ten outfield players and a goalkeeper. Teams must drive a round hockey ball by hitting it with a hockey stick towards the rival team's shooting ci ...

courts, a

roller skating Roller skating is the act of traveling on surfaces with roller skates. It is a recreational activity, a sport, and a form of transportation. Roller rinks and skate parks are built for roller skating, though it also takes place on streets, sid ...

ring, a soccer field, volleyball courts, basketball courts, a theater and a playground. It also has a main grove in which stands the monumental fountain in honor of

Rafael Uribe Uribe Rafael Victor Zenón Uribe Uribe (born April 12, 1859 – died October 15, 1914, in Bogotá) was a Colombian lawyer, journalist, and general in the liberal party rebel army. Uribe Uribe is best known for his political ideas in favor of the est ...

, made in 1940 by Spanish sculptor

Victorio Macho Victorio Macho (December 23, 1887 in Palencia – July 13, 1966 in Toledo, Spain) was a renowned 20th century Spanish sculptor. He is considered to be one of the greats of modern Spanish sculpture. His style was influenced by art deco. His ho ...

and inaugurated on October 27, 1940. The grove continues eastward for a pedestrian path adorned with benches and lanterns, ending in a small plaza with a clock tower, donated by the Swiss community of the city in 1938. The park has other monuments, among which stands out a sculpture by

Enrique Grau Enrique Grau (December 18, 1920 – April 1, 2004) was a Colombian artist best known for his depictions of Amerindian and Afro-Colombian figures. He was a member of the triumvirate of key Colombian artists of the 20th century which included Fernan ...

called ''Rita 5:30 pm'', inaugurated in 2000. The children's theater, with capacity for 300 children, was built in 1936 by the architect Carlos Martínez and was declared a

of Colombia by decree 1802 of October 19, 1995. On its western side are the sports fields and stalls for food vendors. The eastern section has a considerable amount of flora and fauna, water sources and extensive tree planting. The Arzobispo river crosses it from east to west after descending from the Eastern hills of the city.

References

External links

Official website
(in Spanish) {{coord missing, Colombia Parks in Bogotá