Altos de Chavón is a tourist attraction, a re-creation of a 16th-century Mediterranean–style village, located atop the

Chavón River The Chavón River is a river located to the east of the Dominican Republic. Its best view is obtained from the village called Altos de Chavón. The history of this river contains extremely interesting passages; From the origin of its name, possible ...

in the city of

La Romana, Dominican Republic La Romana is a municipality and capital of the southeastern La Romana Province, province of La Romana, opposite Catalina Island, Dominican Republic, Catalina Island. It is one of the 10 largest cities in the Dominican Republic with a population ...

. It is the most popular attraction in the city and hosts a cultural center, an archeological museum, and an amphitheater. The project was conceived by the Italian architect Roberto Copa and the industrialist

Charles Bluhdorn Charles George Bluhdorn (born Karl Georg Blühdorn; September 20, 1926 – February 19, 1983) was an Austrian-born American industrialist. He built his fortune in auto parts and commodities such as zinc, and following a 1966 acquisition became C ...

History

The project began in 1976, when a stone mountain had to be blasted for the construction of a nearby road. Charles Bluhdorn, chairman of then

Paramount Pictures Paramount Pictures Corporation, commonly known as Paramount Pictures or simply Paramount, is an American film production company, production and Distribution (marketing), distribution company and the flagship namesake subsidiary of Paramount ...

parent company

Gulf+Western Gulf and Western Industries, Inc. (stylized as Gulf+Western) was an American conglomerate. The company originally focused on manufacturing and resource extraction, but it began purchasing a number of entertainment companies beginning in 1966 ...

, had the idea of using the stones to re-create a sixteenth-century style Mediterranean village, similar to some of the architecture found in the historic center of

Santo Domingo Santo Domingo, formerly known as Santo Domingo de Guzmán, is the capital and largest city of the Dominican Republic and the List of metropolitan areas in the Caribbean, largest metropolitan area in the Caribbean by population. the Distrito Na ...

. Construction was completed in the early 1980s. Bluhdorn's daughter, Dominique Bluhdorn, is the current president of the Altos de Chavón Cultural Center Foundation. Narrow, cobble-covered alleyways lined with lanterns and shuttered limestone walls yield several good Mediterranean-style restaurants, a number of quaint shops featuring the diverse craftwork of local artisans, and three galleries exhibiting the talents of local students.

Altos de Chavón School of Design

The on-site design school, Altos de Chavón School of Design (Spanish: ''Altos de Chavón La Escuela de Diseño'') was founded in 1983. It is an affiliate school of

Parsons School of Design The Parsons School of Design is a private art and design college under The New School located in the Greenwich Village neighborhood of New York City. Founded in 1896 after a group of progressive artists broke away from established Manhattan art ...

in New York City. Notable attendees of the Altos de Chavón Design School have included Lisa Thon, Joiri Minaya, Jenny Polanco and Mía Lourdes Taveras López. Altos de Chavón School of Design offers full-time degree programs as well as continuing education courses and after-school programs for kids and teens.

St. Stanislaus Church

Adding authenticity to the project is the St. Stanislaus Church (''Iglesia San Estanislao de Cracovia'' in Spanish). With its plaza and sparkling fountain, it is a popular wedding venue. The St. Stanislaus Church was named after the patron saint of Poland,

Stanislaus of Szczepanów Stanislaus of Szczepanów (; 26 July 1030 – 11 April 1079) was a Polish Catholic prelate who served as Bishop of Kraków and was martyred by the Polish King Bolesław II the Bold. He is the patron saint of Poland. Stanislaus is vener ...

in tribute to

Pope John Paul II Pope John Paul II (born Karol Józef Wojtyła; 18 May 19202 April 2005) was head of the Catholic Church and sovereign of the Vatican City State from 16 October 1978 until Death and funeral of Pope John Paul II, his death in 2005. In his you ...

who visited

in 1979 and left some of the saint's ashes behind. It was in this church that Prince Louis, Duke of Anjou married Venezuelan heiress María Margarita Vargas Santaella on 6 November 2004.

Amphitheater

A Roman-styled 5,000-seat amphitheater hosts 20th century musical acts—The Pet Shop Boys, Frank Sinatra, and Julio Iglesias to name a few—while Génesis nightclub provides a popular dance venue for guests from the

Casa de Campo The Casa de Campo (, for Spanish: ''Country House'') is the largest public park in Madrid. It is situated west of central Madrid, Spain. It gets its name 'Country House' because it was once a royal hunting estate, located just west of the R ...

resort nearby. The Regional Museum of Archaeology (''El Museo Arqueológico Regional'') contains a collection of pre-Columbian Indian artifacts unearthed in the surrounding area. Altos de Chavón overlooks Rio Chavón and the Dye Fore golf course of Casa de Campo. The Concert for the Americas was held here in August 1982. Performers included

Frank Sinatra Francis Albert Sinatra (; December 12, 1915 – May 14, 1998) was an American singer and actor. Honorific nicknames in popular music, Nicknamed the "Chairman of the Board" and "Ol' Blue Eyes", he is regarded as one of the Time 100: The Most I ...

Buddy Rich Bernard "Buddy" Rich (September 30, 1917 – April 2, 1987) was an American jazz drummer, songwriter, conductor, and bandleader. He is considered one of the most influential drummers of all time. Rich was born and raised in Brooklyn, New York, ...

Heart The heart is a muscular Organ (biology), organ found in humans and other animals. This organ pumps blood through the blood vessels. The heart and blood vessels together make the circulatory system. The pumped blood carries oxygen and nutrie ...

and

Santana Santana may refer to: Transportation * Volkswagen Santana, an automobile * Santana Cycles, manufacturer of tandem bicycles * Santana Motors, a former Spanish automobile manufacturer * Sailboat designs by W. D. Schock Corp ** Santana 20 ** Santan ...

. File:Chavón River. Casa de Campo (historical village), La Romana, Dominican Republic.jpg, Chavón River File:Amphitheater in Altos de Chavón, La Romana, Dominican Republic.jpg, Amphitheater File:Altos de Chavon 2.jpg, Altos de Chavon

References

External links