Nuevo Berlín

Nuevo Berlín (New Berlin) is a town in the Río Negro Department of western Uruguay.

Nuevo Berlín
Town
Memorial with stone from the Berlin Wall
Memorial with stone from the Berlin Wall
Nuevo Berlín is located in Uruguay
Nuevo Berlín
Nuevo Berlín
Coordinates: 32°58′45″S 58°3′10″W
Country Uruguay
DepartmentRío Negro Department
Elevation
10 m (30 ft)
Population
 (2011)
 • Total2,450
Time zoneUTC−3
Postal code
65002
Dial plan+598 4568 (+4 digits)

Geography

It is located on the east bank of Uruguay River 7 kilometres (4.3 mi; 3.8 nmi) northwest of the junction of Route 24 with Route 20. South of the town flows the stream Arroyo de la Yeguada and to its west, in the Uruguay River, is the island Isla del Burro. Its distance from the capital of the department Fray Bentos is 42 kilometres (26 mi) via Route 42 and Route 2.

History

In the 19th century, some German settlements were created next to the river, mostly composed of farmers. The brothers Richard and Karl Wendelstandt migrated from Germany around 1850 and bought the farm "El Curupí" in the Department of Soriano. Some years later, they bought properties in Paysandú which they renamed as Nueva Melhem (New Melhem). This new farm, with some 27,000 hectares was surrounded by 32 "positions", 31 of which were occupied by other German families.

Meanwhile, the Wendelstandt family in Germany decided to invest in their relatives' properties in Uruguay. With these investments, the surroundings of farm "Nueva Melhem" became the village Nuevo Berlín around 1865–1868, with the approval of the brothers Wendelstandt, who requested Mr. Fridolin Quincke to design it. The task was finished by the end of 1874.

On 16 March 1875, it was declared a "Pueblo" (village)[1] and on 19 December 1974 its status was elevated to "Villa" (town) by the Act of Ley Nº 14.326.[2]

Population

In 2011 Nuevo Berlín had a population of 2,450.[3]

YearPopulation
19081,454
19631,912
19752,659
19852,097
19962,366
20042,438
20112,450

Source: National Institute of Statistics of Uruguay[1]

Air disaster
Main article: Austral Líneas Aéreas Flight 2553

On 10 October 1997, a Douglas DC-9-32, en route from Posadas, Misiones to Buenos Aires, crashed near the town after entering a storm. All 74 occupants of the plane perished in the crash.[4]

Notable people

References
  1. "Statistics of urban localities (1908–2004)" (PDF). INE. 2012. Archived from the original (PDF) on 13 November 2009. Retrieved 5 September 2012.
  2. "Ley Nº 14.326". Eastern Republic of Uruguay, Legislative Branch. 1974. Archived from the original on 6 March 2016. Retrieved 5 September 2012.
  3. "Censos 2011 Cuadros Río Negro" [2011 Census Tables Río Negro] (in Spanish). INE. 2012. Archived from the original on 9 March 2013. Retrieved 25 August 2012.
  4. "Aircraft accident McDonnell Douglas DC-9-32 LV-WEG Nuevo Berlin". Aviation Safety Network. Archived from the original on 25 November 2021. Retrieved 24 April 2022.
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