Osorno, Chile

Cathedral of St Matthew, Osorno, Chile
Source: https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Cathedral_of_St._Matthew,_Diocese_of_Osorno,_Chile.jpg
Author: Ccox csc


Osorno is the capital of Osorno Province, Los Lagos Region, in Chile. It covers 951.3 sq km (367.3 sq mi) and has a population of 150,000 people (2012 estimate).

Osorno was founded in 1558 by García Hurtado de Mendoza, the governor of Chile, and named after his father, the Count of Osorno. It was supposed to have been established earlier, by governor Pedro de Valdivia, but Valdivia passed away before the town could be established. In any case, the initial settlement was destroyed a few years after it was founded when the indigenous Huilliche tribe attacked it.

Over a century would pass before a new township of Osorno was established. This happened in 1796, under Juan Mackenna, under the orders of Ambrosio O'Higgins, who became the Marquess of Osorno. The city is within sight of the Osorno volcano. The Rahue River flows through the city.

In the mid 19th century, the Osorno area attracted German settlers. Six of the houses from that era has been preserved today as national monuments. Today the city continues to be an important agricultural center which produces wheat and oats as well as Chilean horses and cattle.

Places of Interest in Osorno

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