National Monuments by the Poets Coast

National Monuments by the Poets Coast

Get to know the most important historical monuments of the Central Coast

Church of La Candelaria
Pablo Neruda’s house
Tomb of Vicente Huidobro
Cartagena Railway Station
Crane 82 of the Port of San Antonio

Before we commence showing you the most famous historical monuments along the Coast. 

We tell you, these sites correspond to a category of National Monuments, which are dictated by the Council of National Monuments; a technical body that depends on the Ministry of Cultures.

The Council of National Monuments is in charge of forming a register of National Monuments and Museums, preparing the projects or norms for their restoration, repair, conservation and signaling and, in addition, to pronounce on the convenience of declaring places or objects as National Monuments and request permits from the corresponding authority.

Within the National Monuments, in addition to the category of Historical Monuments, Public Monuments, Archaeological Monuments, Typical Zones, and Sanctuaries of Nature are also declared.
Historical Monuments are places, ruins, constructions, and objects of fiscal property, municipal or private, that due to their quality and historical or artistic interest or because of their antiquity, have been declared as such by supreme decree, issued at the request and prior agreement of the Council.

Church of La Candelaria

Algarrobo

Its construction dates from the year 1837, by management of the priest of the Community of Lo Abarca. The building followed a pattern of colonial religious architecture. In this temple is the image of the Virgen de la Candelaria, which is presumed to have been brought to Chile at the end of the 17th century or the beginning of the 18th century. The current bell tower was rebuilt in the 20th century with the same materials that were used in the original construction. The 1985 earthquake cracked its walls and destroyed the roof. Since then, the Council of National Monuments declared it a National Monument and established its reconstruction as a priority, in 1986.

Pablo Neruda’s house

Isla Negra

House designed like the interior of a ship, with its low ceilings, narrow corridors, and wooden floors. 

It was a place of great inspiration for Neruda, where he wrote his work “El Canto General”.
The poet arrived in the area in 1938, after buying the house from the sailor Eladio Sobrino, a small stone house that was transformed little by little, by different architects. In his house, there are collections that come from different parts of the world, mostly related to the sea; figureheads, replicas of sailboats, boats in bottles, and seashells.
After Neruda’s death in 1973, the house was abandoned until 1986, when the Neruda Foundation obtained legal status and began to restore it, becoming a House Museum open to the public in 1990.
That same year, on June 8, it was declared a National Monument. In 1996 the remains of Neruda and his wife Matilde were moved to the Isla Negra house.

Tomb of Vicente Huidobro

Cartagena

The Vicente Huidobro House Museum is the property that the poet inherited from his mother, who used it mainly in the summer season. 

He settled there in 1946, after his definitive return to Chile along with his wife and their children, until his death in 1948.

This House Museum was inaugurated in 2013 in Cartagena.
Fulfilling the wishes of the writer, his children buried him on a hill overlooking the sea, very close to his home. In 1992, the Vicente Huidobro Tomb was declared a National Museum.

Old Railway Station 

Cartagena

It is a wooden structure that preserves the historical memory of the old railway line, which promoted the development of the area.
During the middle of the 19th century, it was the place where the Santiago elite established their summer houses,
near Playa Chica. Before the existence of the railway, long journeys had to be made in horses and carts. In 1912, the State was requested to extend the railway works from San Antonio to Cartagena.
The station was very busy due to the large number of tourists that began to arrive at the station, especially in the 1940s. In 1987 the train stopped operating, lifting line two years later.
The Cartagena Railway Station was declared a National Monument in 1994, but in 1996 a fire affected the property, suffering serious damage. Today it is already restored with the same original design.

Crane 82 of the Port of San Antonio

San Antonio

Crane 82 was built in 1911 in the city of Lyon, France, by the firm Galtier de Paris arriving that same year in Chile. 

The same firm took over the construction of the Port of San Antonio.

The history of this crane is marked by different milestones, such as having participated in the construction of the Molo Panul and in the castling from Panul to the Molo de Puertecito. In 1945 it was transferred to the southern sector of Paseo Bellamar and during the following decades, it remained active and served boats in other ports in the country.

In 1995 it was declared a National Monument, becoming a symbol of the Port of San Antonio and in the cultural heritage of the country. As expected, the crane suffered natural deterioration and
In 2009, the San Antonio Port Company made a remodeling and maintenance plan. Along with that, a commemorative plaque and perimeter guardrail were installed.
Currently, it is located on Paseo Bellamar so that it can be observed by the community and tourists.

Beautiful nature in the central coast of Chile

Beautiful nature in the central coast of Chile

The Most beautiful natural places by the Coast:

El Membrillo wetland
Quebrada de Cordova
Canelo-Canelillo Park
El Peral Lagoon
Cartagena wetland
Maipo River’s Mouth

From north to south, the “Litoral de Los Poetas” is a rich territory for the practice of eco-tourism, a rising value that is evolving favorably and that attracts more travelers every day as an alternative to sun and beach tourism. The evolution towards a more responsible and conscientious consumption is closely linked to this eco-tourism that is gaining more prominence day by day. According to data from the World Tourism Organization, this modality already represents 15% of total tourism.

El Membrillo Wetland

Algarrobo

It is a Nature Sanctuary due to its variety of migratory birds in the area.
But it was threatened due to the construction of San Alfonso del Mar Resort (dumping of sewage, garbage, among others). But Thanks to the efforts of the Kennedy Foundation and the Municipality of Algarrobo, it was possible to rescue this Nature Sanctuary.

Quebrada de Cordova 

El Tabo

It is a gorge, it has been a Nature Sanctuary since 2017, it has trails easy to travel. Which do not take more than 2 hours of trekking. In this place, you will find a variety of native trees which you can get to know as you go. An excellent place to connect with nature and the sounds of the local birds.
Some of the threats in the area are illegal hunting, fires caused by rubble, garbage, and a decrease in the flow of the estuary due to the increase in water catchments in the sector.

Canelo-Canelillo Park Algarrobo

Algarrobo

Made up of two beaches along with 2 Nature Sanctuaries, one of them is the “Islote Pájaros Niños”, and the other “El Peñón Peñablanca”.
The first one, was declared Nature Sanctuarie in 1978, due to its ecological importance. In it are the Humboldt Penguin, which are in danger of extinction, the Magellanic Penguin.
The second one, “El Peñón Peñablanca”, declared Nature Sanctuarie in 1982, which has a diversity of species, as Black Cormorant, Red-winged Cormorant, Pelican, Booby and Dominican Gull.

El Peral lagoon 

El Tabo

It is a Nature Sanctuary since 1975. Due to the conditions of this lagoon, it allows the reproduction of a great variety of bird species, including the black-necked swan. It has a rich biodiversity in terms of birds and aquatic plants, it is made up of a system of dunes that surrounds it and separates it from the sea.

Cartagena’s wetland 

Cartagena

It is a municipal natural reserve, it works as a refuge for migratory birds, national and international, as well as other animal and plant species found in a conservation category and are present only in places with wetland characteristics. One of the disadvantages is that it is located in an urban area, generating night hunting of birds, removal of debris and construction material waste in the wetland, among others

Mouth of the Maipo River 

San Antonio

This place is one of the most important in Central Chile for waterfowl, concentrating thousands of birds, congregated in groups of thousands after their extensive journey from the northern hemisphere.
Some of the prominent species are Franklin’s Gull and the Yellow Bird.