Emblematic parks

Olaya Herrera
Lake Uribe Uribe
La libertad

Olaya Herrera

Built in the 1930s, it is located between 19th and 23rd Streets and between Avenida 30 de Agosto and Carrera 14 Bis in Pereira. Originally located between 18th and 21st Streets, its design includes ample spaces, sports areas and artistic works such as the Obelisk and the Girl with Amphora, as well as the modern Megacable station. This park stands out for its Masonic symbolism, visible in its paths and obelisk, which integrate figures such as the square and the compass.

Historically, the park was designed by the Pereira Public Improvement Society, founded in 1925, which included prominent local Masons such as Ricardo Sánchez and Deogracias Cardona. This organization sought to promote the moral and material progress of the city. In 1932, during the visit of President Enrique Olaya Herrera, the park was named after him. Initially it was part of a trio of parks inspired by virtues: freedom (Parque de La Libertad), victory (Parque de Bolívar) and faith (Parque Olaya Herrera).

Did you know?
Between the 1930s and 1940s, Pereira became a refuge for migrants.
Did you know?
The heart of Pereira beats between three historic parks that hide secrets of change and memory.
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Lake Uribe Uribe

Popularly known as “El Lago”, it was built in 1926 in the historic center of Pereira under the initiative of the Sociedad de Mejoras Públicas (Public Improvement Society). Originally called Plaza de la Concordia, it has had several names throughout its history: Plazuela de Colón, Parque de los Novios and Parque Lago Uribe Uribe Uribe. Its central lake, unique in its time, served as a water reservoir for emergencies such as fires and as a recreational space. Activities such as rowing, swimming, open-air cinema, fairs and cultural presentations were practiced there.

In its beginnings, the park housed a monumental ceiba tree that was replaced by the lake. In its center was initially installed a bust of General Rafael Uribe Uribe, the work of sculptor Francisco Antonio Cano, which was later moved to one side due to criticism.

A disturbing story runs through the corridors
Did you know?
At the end of the 1960s, a radio station organized unusual contests in Uribe Park.
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La Libertad

Formerly known as Plaza de la Paz and Parque Cañarte, it was designed by Guillermo Velázquez and urbanized by Julio Rendón. Originally, it was an English and French style garden, surrounded by a fence that was later moved to the San Camilo cemetery. In its center, a kiosk was built where the municipal band offered Sunday concerts.

The park was a symbol of resistance and political space in the first half of the 20th century. During the presidency of Julio Rendón in the Sociedad de Mejoras Públicas, a controversial rule was issued prohibiting the entry of barefoot people, which generated strong criticism from figures such as Ignacio Torres Giraldo. This episode marked a turning point, consolidating the park as a space for protest and social expression.

The protest nature of the park was reflected in 1957 with the creation of the Monumento a los Estudiantes (Monument to the Students), a mosaic created by the Pereira artist Lucy Tejada, in homage to the students who participated in the fall of the Rojas Pinilla dictatorship. This work is an icon of the park and reinforces its historical identity as a space of resistance and collective memory.

On the debris lie forgotten stories
Did you know the origin of the name of La Libertad Park?
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Did you know that between the 1930s and 1940s, Pereira became a haven for migrants from Turkey, Syria and Europe fleeing the ravages of World War II?

Refugees, among them many Jews, came to this city looking for a new opportunity and they did not arrive empty-handed: they brought with them the impetus to transform the local economy. Their investments, businesses and ventures were seeds that made industries and markets flourish, turning Pereira into a vibrant and prosperous city. Thus, in the midst of a time of global crisis, these migrants contributed to the development of the region and left a legacy of growth that still resonates in its history.

Did you know that the heart of Pereira beats between three historic parks that, although they have familiar names today, hide secrets of change and memory?

The Plaza de la Paz, where people gathered to talk and share, evolved into La Libertad Park, emblem of the city. A few blocks away, the Parque del Lago Uribe Uribe began as the Plaza de la Concordia and went through names like Plazuela de Colón and Parque de los Novios, until water and greenery consecrated it with its current name. And, of course, the Plaza de Bolivar, which originally honored Queen Victoria of England, today stands as a symbol of independence and local pride. These three parks, with their histories and changes, are the reflection of a city in constant transformation, keeping the traces of what Pereira was and what it continues to be.

Among the shadows of the Civic Plaza of Ciudad Victoria and the Cultural Center of Ciudad Tejada, a disturbing story runs through the corridors.

the legend of Lucy Teja’s little girl. It is said that, in the silent corridors of the library and the cultural station, a small figure wanders aimlessly, trapped between this world and another. Witnesses claim to have felt her presence, an inexplicable coldness that precedes her appearance, and some claim to have seen her crossing with slow steps, as if she were looking for something. Oral tradition has turned it into an unavoidable specter, a reminder of the remains that once rested in this place, giving life to a mystery that survives the passage of time.

Did you know that in the late 1960s and early 1970s, a local radio station used to organize unusual contests in Uribe Uribe Park?

Imagine the challenge: cycling across a makeshift lake, on a narrow row of boards across it. The excitement was palpable with each attempt, as the audience held their breath and then burst into laughter as one cyclist after another lost their balance and fell into the water. Those were times when the community united around laughter and adrenaline, enjoying together that magical combination of risk and fun.

On the rubble lie forgotten stories.

After the 1999 earthquake, the Civic Plaza of Ciudad Victoria and the Lucy Tejada Cultural Center were built on the remains of what was, for decades, the commercial heart of Pereira: the old Central Gallery. As its walls collapsed, worn and fragile as the cathedral itself, the rubble revealed a disturbing past; bones and human remains buried in the ruins of the gallery emerged to remind us that every brick and stone of this place is built on stories of life and death.

Did you know that La Libertad Park was so named because that was the place where revolutionaries and freethinkers gathered?

At some point in history, this park was the meeting place for the free men of the city to shout their harangues against those government directives with which they disagreed. Today it is also a favorite place for protesters, especially the city’s teachers who, with their presence, honor the class struggle and keep in mind that freedom takes precedence over slavery and arbitrary political decisions.

Have you ever wondered where the first settlers arrived in Pereira?

Although today the center is the heart of the city, those first settlers did not settle there. On the contrary, they settled in what we know today as Condina. However, these lands did not offer the fertility they expected, which led the settlers to move little by little to areas closer to the current center. Thus began the movement that shaped the Pereira we know today.

Have you ever wondered who laid the foundations for the 1886 Constitution?

Mr. Francisco Pereira Martinez was one of the first to leave the first signs of what would become the creation of this important Constitution, which eventually became one of the pillars of our legal history.

¿Sabías que, en el siglo XIX, para fundar una ciudad, se realizaba un acto simbólico muy particular?

En lugar de ceremonias complejas, bastaba con que los fundadores desenvainaran una espada y marcaran una gran X en un árbol, a menudo cortándolo parcialmente. Este sencillo gesto se convertía en el primer hito de la nueva ciudad, dejando así, con una sola marca, el inicio de lo que sería un nuevo asentamiento.

Did you know that Pereira had three foundations throughout its history?

The first occurred in 1540, when Marshal Jorge Robledo, who then held the rank of captain, arrived in these lands and founded the city of Cartago. However, just a year later, in 1541, his superior, Sebastián de Belalcázar, arrived and reported that the city had been poorly founded. This forced the colonizers to make a new foundation.

Finally, on August 30, 1863, with a religious ceremony led by Father Remigio Antonio Cañarte, the city of Pereira, which we know today, was legally founded. This third and final foundation marked the beginning of a new chapter for the city and its inhabitants, consolidating its identity and place in the history of Colombia.

Did you know that the emblematic Plaza de Bolívar did not always bear that name?

In its early years, it was known as Plaza Victoria, a reflection of a time when our identity was still marked by European influences. In fact, the urban design of the city and the layout of its streets were the work of an English architect named Walker, who chose the name “Plaza Victoria” for this central place that would eventually become an icon of our history and culture.