7 Best Sights in Medellín, Colombia
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Medellín is the country's main industrial hub, but don't expect a city full of smoking chimneys: the factories are well outside of town. Deep-green mountains that rise sharply around the city provide a bold backdrop to the glass-and-concrete towers of its elegant financial district. Well-developed tourist facilities in the city proper testify to the region's relative economic strength.
While El Poblado holds all the cards when it comes to dining and nightlife, it is the historic center that provides visitors with their cultural fix, most notably in the blocks between the Parque de Bolívar and the Plaza Botero. A pedestrian street, Avenida Carabobo, stretches south of the Plaza Botero for eight blocks, ending in the modern seat of the government of Antioquia.
Museo de Antioquia and Plaza Botero
The Antioquia Museum contains a collection of 188 paintings and sculptures by native son Fernando Botero. Known for depicting people and objects with a distinctive "thickness," Botero donated part of his personal collection to the museum (the bulk of his gift went to Bogotá). The plaza out front completes the Botero circle, with 23 sculptures dotted between trees, benches filled with chatting locals, and two fountains designed by the artist as well. The museum also offers a grand overview of Colombian art, with salons dedicated to pre-Hispanic, colonial, Republican, and contemporary art. There are free tours in Spanish daily, which take in both the museum and the works in the plaza. English-speaking guides are available, but tours have to be organized at least two days in advance.
Iglesia de la Veracruz
Distinguishing the interior of the 1803 baroque Veracruz Hermitage are its white walls and columns with gilded capitals. Just off a picturesque plaza, it's a quiet escape from Medellín's noisy streets.
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Museo de Arte Moderno de Medellín
Parque de Bolívar
Despite its location in the middle of crowded Medellín, this shady park has a generous amount of open space. In the evening it's popular with young people who congregate on the steps of the nearby cathedral. The small Lido theater, on the eastern side of the square, has borne witness to the growth of Medellín's theater and cinema since its construction in 1945.
Parque de las Esculturas
This small sculpture park near the peak of Cerro Nutibara is a maze of paths dotted with modern and traditional sculptures by Latin American artists.
Santa Fe de Antioquia
Eighty kilometers (50 miles) northwest of Medellín is the province's former capital, Santa Fe de Antioquia. Founded in 1541, the town is now a colonial showpiece, with cobbled streets and whitewashed houses. It's well known for its orfebrería (gold work). Visit the workshops on Carrera 10 between the cathedral and the river.