My city by The New York Time - Mi ciudad por el New York Time

 

Tomas Munita for The New York Times

Danny Diaz, a South American skimboarding champion, called Viña del Mar, a resort town an hour and a half from Santiago, “the Chilean version of Laguna.” More Photos »

By MICHAEL T. LUONGO

Published: May 20, 2011

A version of this article appeared in print on May 22, 2011, on page TR9 of the New York edition with the headline: Where Santiago Goes to Relax by the Sea.

Viña began in the 1870s as a resort suburb of Valparaíso, connected to that city and to the capital by train. After a 1906 earthquake damaged Valparaíso, Viña expanded with new architecture transforming its seaside cliffs. One such structure is Castillo Wulff, a Germanic turreted granite castle set on a rocky point. Over the years, it has become a symbol of the city (much like the nearby giant floral clock that spells out the city’s name and faces the ocean, offering a brilliant greeting to passing cruise ships). Called Cerro Castillo, or Castle Hill, this part of town is one of the oldest, full of other century-old whimsical homes jutting from the cliffs. The city is divided by the Estero Marga Marga, lined with colorful midcentury high-rise towers, their facades faceted by balconies tilting to the sea.

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Castillo Wulff, a Germanic turreted granite castle set on a rocky point, has become a symbol of the city.