Puerto Varas

Puerto Varas is a city and commune located in the southern Chilean province of Llanquihue, in the Los Lagos Region.

The city is known for its German traditions,its natural environment, and its popularity as a tourist destination, with a scenic location close to mountains, lakes and national parks. It is located 20 kilometres (12 mi) from the city of Puerto Montt on the shore of Llanquihue Lake, the second largest lake in Chile. The conical Osorno Volcano and the snowcapped peaks of Mt. Calbuco and Mt. Tronador are clearly visible from the lakefront. Puerto Varas is the southernmost of a string of towns on the western shore of Llanquihue Lake that includes Frutillar, Llanquihue and Puerto Octay. It spans an area of 4,064.9 km2 (1,569 sq mi).

The city of Puerto Varas, also known as "La ciudad de las rosas" or "the city of roses", dates back to 1853 and is named after Antonio Varas, the Minister of the Interior at the time. It was founded by German immigrants who settled the shores of Lake Llanquihue as part of a government colonization project during the presidency of Manuel Montt.

The area known as the "Llanquihue Lake Colonization Territory" was created by the government on 27 June, 1853, and by the end of 1953, the first 212 German families had settled in what would be Puerto Varas.

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