BARILOCHE INFORMATION
San Carlos de Bariloche, usually known as Bariloche, is a city in the province of Río Negro, Argentina, situated in the foothills of the Andes, surrounded by lakes (Nahuel Huapi, Gutiérrez Lake, Moreno Lake and Mascardi Lake) and mountains (Tronador, Cerro Catedral, Cerro López). It is famous for skiing but also known for sight-seeing, water sports, trekking and climbing. Cerro Catedral is one of the most important ski centers in South America.
The name Bariloche comes from the Mapudungun word Vuriloche meaning "people from behind the mountain" (furi = behind, che = people). The Vuriloche pass was used by the Mapuches to cross the Andes and was kept secret from the European priests for a long time.
In 1672 the Jesuits established in Chiloé Island founded a mission in the Nahuel Huapi Lake that lasted until 1717.
The modern settlement of Bariloche developed from a shop established by Carlos Wiederhold a Chilean immigrant that had settled in the area of Llanquihue in Chile. Carlos Weiderhold then crossed the Andes and established a little shop called "La Alemana" (The German) near the present city center after crossing the Andes from Chile.
Bariloche made headlines in the international press in 1995 when it became known as a haven for former Nazi war criminals like the former high ranking official of the SS 'Hauptsturmführer' Erich Priebke who had been living there for years. Former Mauthausen extermination camp nazi doctor Aribert Heim could still be hidden there according to Simon Wiesenthal Center. |
