Megacity with Colorful Accents: Sights in Bogotá

In the immediate vicinity of the café is one of the city's special sights: the over 13,000 square meter "Plaza de Bolívar" with monumental buildings all around. From north to south and west to east, there is plenty of architectural art to marvel at: the square-futuristic "Palace of Justice," the National Capitol with its massive stone columns, the "Catedral Primada de Colombia," which towers over everything with its two towers, and the sunny yellow City Hall. Just pick a staircase, take a seat on the steps and pause for a moment. Better still a few moments more.

Fernando Botero began drawing at the age of twelve. Today, the Colombian painter and sculptor is considered an exceptional talent and one of the most important artists in South America. Everything that comes before his eyes he paints excessively, well, thickly, but without denunciation. In the "Museo Botero", which is only a few minutes walk from the "Plaza de Bolívar", you can follow the development of his creative work and look at many chubby sculptures. Special highlight: Leonardo da Vinci's Mona Lisa, but with a few kilos more on the ribs. Best of all, admission is free.

Did you know that the walnut is Bogotá's tree? More precisely, the "Juglans neotropica", which grows only in Colombia, Ecuador and Peru and belongs to the endangered species. In the Botanical Garden "José Celestino Mutis", just a few minutes from Colombia's capital, you can examine the nut and relax on paths between wax palms, carnations or lily ponds. But that is not the garden's only purpose. It sees itself as a knowledge and research center that is primarily concerned with the various ecosystems and their threats. In this way, much more than the nut is to be protected.

No matter where you stand in Bogotá, its silhouette is visible from almost everywhere in the city: Monserrate Mountain is only a 20-minute drive from the center, and you can climb to the top either on foot or by cable car. From a bird's eye view, at an altitude of over 3,000 meters, the capital of Colombia presents itself from its most stately side. With this view, it is hardly surprising that a church was built on the mountain top as early as the beginning of the 17th century. The vernacular knows why: visitors should by no means lose faith when they let their gaze wander over the magnificent, man-made city.