From today's Sosua News:
Recently, officials of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism held a meeting with representatives of entrepreneurs from the cities of La Isabela and Puerto Plata and representatives of the Spanish Agency for International Cooperation for Development (AECID). The main item on the agenda: maintaining and improving the historic park near the town of Luperon. Columbus founded here the first European city in the newly discovered continent. On his second voyage, Columbus decided to go ashore in the New World in a bay with a river with fresh water, to set up a refuge for the sick. Because it appeared that they had to stay there quite long, the construction of the settlement was set up thoroughly.
There were large houses for the nobility and a large number of barracks for the lesser people. In addition, a church and a luxury furnished accommodation for Columbus was constructed. The first Mass was read on January 6, 1494. The settlement can be seen as the first city built by Europeans in the New World. Columbus named the newly constructed city after the Spanish Queen Isabela: 'La Isabela. In the fifties dictator Trujillo ordered to clean up the remains of La Isabela and make it suitable for a sightseeing tour. Unfortunately, this order was not well understood and a bulldozer swept all the remains of this first European city in the New World above ground level into the ocean. Later, all the foundations of the settlement were excavated and opened to the public.
In the meeting they agreed that the park should be made more attractive for the tourist. For example, the guides should be better educated. The roads and road signs will be repaired. The parking facilities will be expanded. The exhibition modernized using audio visual resources. The sale of handicrafts of a professional level. If all these innovations will be implemented, the committee expects the historic park will be a big boost for tourism. More tourists are expected for the construction of the cruise ship port in the near future.
Recently, officials of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism held a meeting with representatives of entrepreneurs from the cities of La Isabela and Puerto Plata and representatives of the Spanish Agency for International Cooperation for Development (AECID). The main item on the agenda: maintaining and improving the historic park near the town of Luperon. Columbus founded here the first European city in the newly discovered continent. On his second voyage, Columbus decided to go ashore in the New World in a bay with a river with fresh water, to set up a refuge for the sick. Because it appeared that they had to stay there quite long, the construction of the settlement was set up thoroughly.
There were large houses for the nobility and a large number of barracks for the lesser people. In addition, a church and a luxury furnished accommodation for Columbus was constructed. The first Mass was read on January 6, 1494. The settlement can be seen as the first city built by Europeans in the New World. Columbus named the newly constructed city after the Spanish Queen Isabela: 'La Isabela. In the fifties dictator Trujillo ordered to clean up the remains of La Isabela and make it suitable for a sightseeing tour. Unfortunately, this order was not well understood and a bulldozer swept all the remains of this first European city in the New World above ground level into the ocean. Later, all the foundations of the settlement were excavated and opened to the public.
In the meeting they agreed that the park should be made more attractive for the tourist. For example, the guides should be better educated. The roads and road signs will be repaired. The parking facilities will be expanded. The exhibition modernized using audio visual resources. The sale of handicrafts of a professional level. If all these innovations will be implemented, the committee expects the historic park will be a big boost for tourism. More tourists are expected for the construction of the cruise ship port in the near future.