Introduction
City in Colonia, UruguayNueva HelveciaCityEntrance to Nueva HelveciaNueva HelveciaCoordinates: 34°17′S 57°12′W / 34.283°S 57.200°W / -34.283; -57.200Country UruguayDepartment ColoniaFounded1862Population (2011 Census) • Total10,630
Nueva Helvecia (Spanish for "New Helvetia"; formerly known as Colonia Suiza) is a city in Colonia Department of Uruguay.
It is 120 kilometres (75 mi) west of Montevideo, the capital and largest city of Uruguay, and a few kilometres from the coast where the Atlantic Ocean meets the Río de la Plata. It is known nationwide for its Swiss heritage.
History
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Swiss emigration[edit]
Europe was undergoing severe economic hardships during the second part of the 19th century. The Industrial Revolution affected many small artisans and family businesses. By law, Swiss mercenary soldiers could no longer fight for other countries and were returning home to find their families in precarious conditions that could not support any more members.
The Americas represented a chance for progress and prosperity. Many Swiss came to North America during the California Gold Rush, but once the Civil War started in the United States, the Swiss emigrants started looking further south in Argentina, Brazil and Uruguay for a better future. In Brazil there was a law that foreigners could not own land. In Argentina the colonists settled in indigenous territory and were not welcome, but Uruguay's government had a relatively open immigration policy. They were desperate to populate the country, which had but a few inhabitants at the time. The Swiss colony was given autonomy, and the first democratic secret vote in Uruguay happened in Colonia Suiza. The Swiss immigrants helped shape many Uruguayan laws, giving Uruguay the name of "Switzerland of the Americas", among many other contributions such as the classical production of Swiss cheese, also known as "Colonia cheese".
Settlement[edit]
The first Swiss settler was David Salomon Bratschi from Bern. He arrived in 1858, three years earlier than the first large group of settlers who arrived at the end of 1861.
However, the day of Nueva Helvecia's foundation is considered to be 24 April 1862. This date marks the time when a large number of immigrants, mostly from Switzerland, but with a significant number from Austria, Germany, Italy and France, settled in the area. The foundations of Colonia Suiza, Colonia Valdense, Colonia Miguelete, Rosario and other towns are the consequences of this European immigration. The name "Nueva Helvecia" was given to "Colonia Suiza" some decades later.
The arrival of Swiss, Austrian, Italian, French, and German immigrants was important to the subsequent political organization of a country that was receptive to foreign influences. Uruguay offered a range of alternatives to immigrants, like fertile lands for agriculture and grassland for livestock productivity.
