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Nicaragua Travel |
León NicaraguaThe department of León is situated on the western side of Nicaragua, bordering to the Pacific Ocean. The department’s capital bears the same name and has a massive history to explore for those interested. Both politically and culturary the city of León is the northern equivalent to Granada, a very popular tourist destination in the southern parts of Nicaragua. There is a lot to see and experience in León but it is most probably not a city tourists stay in for more than a couple of nights. Keep on reading to learn more about the city León and its history. León Nicaragua – Some infoThe department of León covers an area of 5.107 km², has around 390.000 inhabitants and is situated in the western part of Nicaragua. The department borders with the Pacific Oceans and offers some very nice but underdeveloped beaches. The capital city of the department is also named León and is situated on the Chiquito River not very far from the Pacific Ocean. The city has a population of around 145.000 people and is by many considered to be the intellectual centre of Nicaragua, having a large and well developed university dating all the way back to 1813. León Nicaragua – HistoryAlthough it can be hard to imagine today, León was one of the first real cities founded in Nicaragua, or at least what was to become Nicaragua. In 1524 Francisco Hernandez de Cordoba established the city of Leon to work as a centre of the local conquered area, being one of many cities with this mission all over Central America. Unfortunately this city was covered in volcanic ash when Momotomb, a volcano situated just a couple of miles from the city, erupted in 1610. A new León was established about 20 miles west of the original site and is the same as the modern city today. The old city has been excavated by archaeologists and is placed on the UNESCO World Heritage list. León was long considered to become the capital of Nicaragua but so was also Granada and in 1858 a compromise was met, making the otherwise modest Managua the permanent capital. León Nicaragua – Tourist attractionsOne might say that Granada and León are two sides of the same coin since they both have fantastic architecture, a rich history and adjacent water. But it is the little differences that will make the visits different, while León is the capital of knowledge and education is Granada the capital of art and daydreaming. The most obvious tourist attractions in León are the Cathedral of San Pedro, erected in 1706 and completed in 1779, and the ruins of the old city nearby the volcano Momotomb. León Nicaragua – Getting thereGetting to León from Managua is very simple because there are both buses and taxis going between the cities regularly. It is cheap, the road is paved and all in all it just takes about 1,5 hour getting there. You will either be dropped off on the side of the road or in the centre of town depending on what kind of vehicle you choosed and then it is up to yourself finding your way around town.
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