Puerto Varas

Puerto Varas was settled from the 1850s under the Chilean government's programme of bringing German families to colonise the lake district, and the timber houses with their shingled walls and steep roofs date from that period and after. The Sacred Heart church, built from 1915 to 1918 in native timber, follows the plans of churches in Baden-Wurttemberg, and the resemblance to southern Germany is deliberate. The town sits on the southern shore of Lake Llanquihue looking across at Osorno and Calbuco, and it functions as the base for the whole area - Petrohue, the volcanoes, rafting on the Petrohue river and the Cruce Andino all leave from here.

History

The government created the Llanquihue Lake Colonization Territory on 27 June 1853, during the presidency of Manuel Montt, and by the end of that year the first 212 German families had arrived, from Hesse, Silesia, Westphalia, Saxony, Bavaria and other regions; they settled first at La Fábrica, where the road from Puerto Montt met the lake, and the town was named after Antonio Varas, then Minister of the Interior. A Catholic church opened near the square in 1872, Sudeten German settlers from Braunau in Bohemia founded Nueva Braunau on 15 August 1875, the German Club followed in October 1885, and Puerto Varas became a town in 1897 (Wikipedia, Puerto Varas).

What to look for

• German colonist timber houses - shingled, from the 1850s onward.
• A church on German plans - the Sacred Heart, built 1915-1918.
• Osorno and Calbuco across the lake - the town's outlook.
• The base for the lake district - most trips leave from here.

When to go

December to March; the town is quiet and wet in winter. A full day.

What to expect

Rain is frequent and the volcanoes are often invisible. The town is expensive by Chilean standards and busy in January and February. The colonisation history is presented positively; its effect on Mapuche and Huilliche land is a separate and harder subject.

Nearby

Frutillar is round the lake north; Puerto Montt is south.

Key facts