Colombia (Lonely Planet, 5th Edition) - Jens Porup [100]
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Getting There & Away
Frequent city buses from Bucaramanga deposit you on the corner of Carrera 26 and Calle 32, one block from Parque Principal (the main plaza). Buses back to Buca collect passengers on the corner of Calle 29 and Carrera 26.
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NORTE DE SANTANDER
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Norte de Santander is where the Cordillera Oriental meets the hot, lowland plains that stretch into neighboring Venezuela. The scenic road from Bucaramanga climbs to 3300m at the provincial border town of Berlin before it begins its rapid descent toward Venezuela. The east side of the mountains offers a cool retreat, and colonial-era towns such as Pamplona make a pleasant stopover on the overland trail. Cúcuta is a dry, hot market town better known for contraband than its sights, though you may need to stop here if you’re crossing the border.
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PAMPLONA
7 / pop 45,000 / elev 2290m
Spectacularly set in the deep Valle del Espíritu Santo in the Cordillera Oriental, colonial-era Pamplona is a delightful town of old churches, narrow streets and bustling commerce. With an average temperature of just 16°C, it’s a welcome respite from the heat of nearby Bucaramanga and Cúcuta, and a nice stopover if you’re en route to or from Venezuela.
Pamplona was founded by Pedro de Orsúa and Ortún Velasco in 1549, making it the oldest town in the region. Soon after its foundation five convents were established and the town swiftly developed into an important religious and political center. A construction boom saw the rise of churches and noble mansions.
Unfortunately, an earthquake occurring in 1875 wiped out a good part of the town. The inviting plaza is now a mix of reconstructed colonial and modern architecture.
Pamplona was a schooling center from its early days, and the traditions have not been lost; today the town is home to the Universidad de Pamplona, and the large student population is very much in evidence. Pamplona has a distinctly cultured air, and boasts more museums than Cúcuta and Bucaramanga combined.
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Information
ATM (cnr Calle 6 & Carrera 6)
Banco de Bogotá (Carrera 6) East of Parque Agueda Gallardo. Has an ATM.
Internet cafe ( 568 2062; Calle 7 No 5-62; per hr COP$1200; 8am-8pm)
Post office ( 568 2405; Calle 6 No 6-36; 8am-noon & 2-6pm Mon-Fri) Adpostal.
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Sights
Pamplona has quite a collection of museums and almost all are set in restored colonial houses. Museo Fotográfico (Carrera 7 No 2-44) is a curiosity rather than a museum, but do go in to see hundreds of old photos. Museo Arquidiocesano de Arte Religioso ( 568 1814; Carrera 5 No 4-53; admission COP$500; 10am-noon & 3-5pm Wed-Sat & Mon, 10am-noon Sun) features religious art, comprising paintings, statues and altarpieces, collected from the region. Have a look at Casa de las Cajas Reales (cnr Carrera 5 & Calle 4), a great colonial mansion, and at Casa de Mercado (cnr Carrera 5 & Calle 6), the 19th-century market building, just off the main square. There are some 10 old churches and chapels in town, reflecting Pamplona’s religious status in colonial days, though not many have retained their splendor. The Iglesia del Humilladero, at the entrance to the cemetery, boasts the famous Cristo del Humilladero, a realistic sculpture of Christ brought from Spain in the 17th century.
MUSEO DE ARTE MODERNO RAMíREZ VILLAMIZAR
In a 450-year-old mansion, this museum ( 568 2999; Calle 5 No 5-75; admission COP$1000; 9am-noon & 2-6pm Tue-Fri, 9am-6pm Sat & Sun) has about 40 works by Eduardo Ramírez Villamizar, one of Colombia’s most outstanding artists, born in Pamplona in 1923. The collection gives an insight into his artistic development from expressionist painting of the 1940s to geometric abstract sculpture in recent