Visiting Lota

Hi! In this post I will invite you to visit my city: Lota.

 

Lota is a city located in the province of Concepcion, in the coastal part of the Gulf of Arauco, which is why it consists of vast beaches that are filled with tourists every summer.

Lota is mostly known for being the center of the coal mining activity in our country. In 1896, and realizing the large amount of coal in the area, the Cousiño family settled in the city and founded a coal mining company.

Coal Miner at work

Old Coal Miners

The presence of the Cousiño´s in the city generated that Lota had the first electric railway in Chile, as well as the first hydroelectric plant in Chile, which was designed by Thomas Alba Edison himself at the request of the Cousiño family. Also, this family built a large botanical park in Lota, in the middle of which was the Palacio Cousiño, the family's residence in the city and an exact replica of the palace of the same name located in Santiago. Unfortunately, the palace no longer exists in the city, since after the earthquake of 1960 it was in poor condition and the municipality did not have the resources to repair it, so it was dynamited. Currently, there is still a botanical park to be visited, as well as the Historical Museum of Lota, where part of the palace furniture, that was not taken to Santiago, is located.

Botanical Park entrance

Botanical Park interior

After the closure of the coal mines in 1997, the city was never the same again, due to high unemployment. But its people are strong and hardworking, they don´t forget their mining past nor the strong and struggling union leadership.

The strong history and cultural heritage of Lota make it the owner of various tourist spots: the Isidora Cousiño Botanical Park, the Historical Museum of Lota, the church San Matías Apostol (a replica of a french church built at the request of the Cousiño and where Matías Cousiño's remains rest), the Chiflón del Diablo mine (part of the mine that can be visited by descending several meters below the surface), "El Pueblito" (location of the film Subterra recorded in Lota, that the production donated to the city as a tourist attraction), the tomb of the local writter Baldomero Lillo in the city's cemetery, the Chivilingo Hydroelectric Plant (the first hydroelectric power station in the country) and extensive beaches (Blanca beach, Colcura beach and Chivilingo beach).

 

Church San Matías Apostol

           

Colcura Beach

My city is humble, but beautiful and a fighter. I hope that if you someday travel to the Biobío Region you can visit Lota.

I wait for you!

Tourists in the "Chiflón del Diablo"