i Dominican Republic - travelfilm.de

In 1992, the urn and the mausoleum
were moved to the Faro a Colón
(Columbus Lighthouse), the most
outstanding monument built in this
century to honor the memory of the
Discoverer of Americas, Christopher
Columbus. There lie, in peace, the
mortal remains of the great admiral.
Each country in the Americas has held
an exhibition to honor his name.
El Conde Street
El Conde, the popular commercial
street located in Santo Domingo’s
Colonial Zone, is a cobblestone road
that stretches from the Parque Colón
to the Parque Independencia. It is the
only fully pedestrian way in the city.
The name “El Conde” (“the count”,
in Spanish) was given to honor the
Count of Peñalva, a governor of the
Hispaniola who in 1655 prevented the
English from conquering the city.
At the Parque Independecia, the
remains of what was once the wall
that protected the entire Colonial
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City can be observed; walking south
down the Palo Hincado street, visitors
can see the Puerta de la Misericordia,
where Ramón Matías Mella proclaimed
the nation’s Independence on February
27th, 1844. To the north, one finds the
Fuerte de la Concepción, a XVII century
military watchtower. In the white marbled
mausoleum, the country’s Founding
Fathers (Juan Pablo Duarte, Francisco
del Rosario Sanchez and Ramón Matías
Mella) rest. Under the facade of the
Puerta de El Conde, a votive candle
burns for them as a sign of the honor
and respect the Dominican nation has
for these great men and their heroism. A
military salute is given by army personnel
passing by, while civilians are expected
to take off their hats as a sign of respect.
The park’s gates are used throughout
the year by embassies and artists as an
immense gallery in which to hang art and
as a place for the exposition of important
cultural topics to general public via the
visual arts.
Exiting the City of Santo Domingo
Sculpted in bronze over the paving of
the Independencia Park one finds the
Rosa Nautica, which contains the 32
courses into which the horizon is divided.
This is the spot that marks the Zero
Kilometer and starting point from which
the distance to other towns and cities is
measured.
If you have rented a car, get a map
and check it to see how to best exit the