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The
state capital was founded in 1764 under the
name of Santo Tomé de Guayana de Angostura
del Orinoco and known simply as Angostura. For
years, the city served as the base for
Liberator Simón Bolívar’s military
operations, leading to the final stage of the
War for Independence. In fact, in 1846,
Angostura changed its name to that of Ciudad
Bolívar, in honor of the Liberator. The
Congress of Angostura held in that city
approved the creation of Gran Colombia, a new
republic that was to be comprised of
Venezuela, Colombia and Ecuador. The
historical city center, now duly restored and
maintained, today shows signs of the historic
deeds of the War for Independence.
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Ciudad
Bolívar is located 591 km from Caracas, 296
km from Barcelona, 1126 km from Maracaibo, 804
km from Barquisimeto and 1065 km from Mérida.
It can be reached by road from El Tigre (Anzoategui State) and Ciudad Guayana and planes
fly in to the Ciudad Bolívar airport.
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Tourist Attractions |
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 Angostura
Bridge
The
Orinoco River, together with the Angostura
Bridge (which links up this state with the
rest of the country) and its islands offer one
of Ciudad Bolívar’s loveliest views.
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 The
Metropolitan Cathedral of Ciudad Bolívar
The
Metropolitan Cathedral dedicated to Our Lady
of the Snows, whose feast day is celebrated on
August 5th every year, stands on the eastern
side of the central square. Work was started
on the edifice in 1771 and its inauguration
took place in 1840.
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 Jesús
Soto Museum of Modern Art
Initially set up in 1963, the Jesús
Soto Modern Art Foundation was organized as a
private institution around the artist’s
prominent collection of abstract international
art, in which numerous of his own plastic
proposals were openly opposed to those of many
contemporary artists. In 1986, the Jesús Soto
Museum of Modern Art Foundation was officially
established.
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 The
San Isidro House Museum
San
Isidro was the estate that belonged to José
Luis Cornieles, the provincial mayor of the
first Angostura City Council and a close
friend of Bolívar’s. The Liberator
frequently stayed on this coffee plantation
--located in the country-- and it was here
that he penned his famous Message to the 1819
Angostura Congress.
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 Bolívar
Square
Located
on Bolívar Square, in addition to the
Angostura Congress, are the salmon-colored
Cathedral, the Piar House --where Manuel Piar
was imprisoned until shortly before his
execution--, the parish house and the mansion
inhabited by the colonial governors. The
present headquarters of the Bolívar State
government are also situated on the square.
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