The Enrique Olaya Herrera National Park is 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 Imperial period and between 1991 and 2000, is the capital city, capital and largest city ...
, in the northeast of the town of
Santa Fe. It is located on
Carrera Séptima
Carrera Séptima (Seventh Street), also known as Eduardo Posada Flórez Avenue, is one of the principal transit arteries which crosses the eastern side of Bogotá north and south. It is the most important thoroughfare of the city in the sense ...
on the southern side of the
Javeriana University and the Faculty of Engineering of the
Francisco José de Caldas District University
The Universidad Distrital Francisco José de Caldas () is a public university, public, coeducational, research university based in Bogotá, Colombia. It is the second most important public higher education institution in the city, after the Nati ...
. 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 sp ...
of
Colombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country primarily located in South America with Insular region of Colombia, insular regions in North America. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Caribbean Sea to the north, Venezuel ...
by decree 1756 of September 26, 1996.
History

It was the third park built in the city, after the Centenario Park (1883) and the
Parque de la Independencia (1910). The construction of the park brought together a series of circumstances that caused tensions in the city in the 1930s: the decision of the State to directly influence urban planning through large works such as parks and avenues; the aspiration of the poor inhabitants of the eastern hills to be recognized as legitimate owners of their properties or to be welcomed in new modern neighborhoods; the interest of large landowners and construction companies to prevent any public initiative that could affect future high-cost real estate developments in this part of the city. Finally, with the construction of the park, the State was able to sponsor a new model of urban development towards the west and northwest of the city; the poor neighborhoods were contained, razed or displaced towards the south of the city; the large landowners received significant profits for their properties, while the construction companies were able to develop a series of high-cost neighborhoods for the rising middle and small bourgeoisie. The park was inaugurated 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 its inauguration and was one of its
Bogotá
Bogotá (, also , , ), officially Bogotá, Distrito Capital, abbreviated Bogotá, D.C., and formerly known as Santa Fe de Bogotá (; ) during the Spanish Imperial period and between 1991 and 2000, is the capital city, capital and largest city ...
was one of the most important promoters, hence its full name includes the mention of the president. Its heritage and tradition is very rich and is part of the city's image today. It can be considered today the most traditional park in
Bogotá
Bogotá (, also , , ), officially Bogotá, Distrito Capital, abbreviated Bogotá, D.C., and formerly known as Santa Fe de Bogotá (; ) during the Spanish Imperial period and between 1991 and 2000, is the capital city, capital and largest city ...
The park had a mechanical amusement park and a small zoo in the eastern sector of Carrera Quinta, which were in service during the 1960s and 1970s, but later the district decided to move them.
In 1995, a restoration of the park was undertaken. During this restoration, the monuments, fountains and sports fields were recovered and two reliefs of
Colombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country primarily located in South America with Insular region of Colombia, insular regions in North America. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Caribbean Sea to the north, Venezuel ...
were installed. In 2000, the avenue on
Carrera Séptima
Carrera Séptima (Seventh Street), also known as Eduardo Posada Flórez Avenue, is one of the principal transit arteries which crosses the eastern side of Bogotá north and south. It is the most important thoroughfare of the city in the sense ...
was restored and the monument of
Enrique Grau was inaugurated in this same sector.
On May 24, 2012, Rosa Elvira Cely was found. In honor of her tragic death, a garden was built in a section of the park that was named after her and a memorial was placed as a public act of rejection against violence and in particular violence against women and children.
From September 2021 to May 2022 and again from September 2023 to October 2024, the park has been used as a camp by the Embera indigenous community following the announcement of the end of financial aid by the District and the National Government.
Characteristics

It is located at an altitude between 2600 and 3150 Between streets 36 and 39 with
Carrera Séptima
Carrera Séptima (Seventh Street), also known as Eduardo Posada Flórez Avenue, is one of the principal transit arteries which crosses the eastern side of Bogotá north and south. It is the most important thoroughfare of the city in the sense ...
and Quinta, it maintains the original layout of the park from its beginnings, which resembles an inverted triangle with paths that connect the different monuments of the park. It has an area of 283 hectares. Its eastern sector is crossed by the
Arzobispo River.
On its grounds there is a small aviary, hockey rinks, skating rinks, a soccer field, volleyball rink, basketball rink, theater and a children's playground. It also has a main avenue in which the monumental fountain in honor of
Rafael Uribe Uribe
Rafael Victor Zenón Uribe Uribe (April 12, 1859 – 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 establishme ...
stands out, made in 1940 by
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 ...
and inaugurated on October 27, 1940. The avenue continues to the east along a pedestrian path decorated with benches and lanterns, until reaching the Swiss clock tower, donated by the city's Swiss community in 1938. The park has other monuments, including the sculpture by
Enrique Grau called ''Rita 5:30 p.m.'', inaugurated in 2000 on the avenue of Carrera Séptima.
The children's theater, with capacity for 300 children, was built between January and August 1936 by the architect Carlos Martínez and was declared a national monument of
Colombia
Colombia, officially the Republic of Colombia, is a country primarily located in South America with Insular region of Colombia, insular regions in North America. The Colombian mainland is bordered by the Caribbean Sea to the north, Venezuel ...
by decree 1802 of October 19, 1995.
On its western side are the
hockey
''Hockey'' is a family of List of stick sports, stick sports where two opposing teams use hockey sticks to propel a ball or disk into a goal. There are many types of hockey, and the individual sports vary in rules, numbers of players, apparel, ...
,
skating
Skating involves any sports or recreational activity which consists of traveling on surfaces or on ice using skates, and may refer to:
Ice skating
*Ice skating, moving on ice by using ice skates
**Figure skating, a sport in which individuals, ...
,
tennis
Tennis is a List of racket sports, racket sport that is played either individually against a single opponent (singles (tennis), singles) or between two teams of two players each (doubles (tennis), doubles). Each player uses a tennis racket st ...
,
volleyball
Volleyball is a team sport in which two teams of six players are separated by a net. Each team tries to score points by grounding a ball on the other team's court under organized rules. It has been a part of the official program of the Summ ...
,
basketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams, most commonly of five players each, opposing one another on a rectangular Basketball court, court, compete with the primary objective of #Shooting, shooting a basketball (ball), basketball (appro ...
and
football
Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kick (football), kicking a football (ball), ball to score a goal (sports), goal. Unqualified, football (word), the word ''football'' generally means the form of football t ...
courts, as well as a space for skating and stalls for vendors food.
The eastern section is recognized for its great biodiversity in flora and fauna, water sources and extensive tree planting (eucalyptus, acacias, urapanes and cypresses). 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