Quinta de Bolívar

About this place

The Quinta de Bolívar is a colonial country house in Bogotá where Simón Bolívar stayed when he visited the capital after the war of independence. It is now a museum of his life and times, set in quiet gardens at the foot of the mountain, and a national monument. The house goes back to the late seventeenth century, when the land was sold to a Spanish merchant who built a country home. It declined after his death, and the new government bought it and gave it to Bolívar in gratitude. He stayed for short periods between 1820 and 1830, then gave it to a friend. It was later a health house, a brewery, a tannery and a girls' school, until a national campaign raised money to buy it in 1919. You enter through a white gateway to gardens with fountains, a well, a pool and stone-paved paths under the trees. The house has rooms furnished in the style of the period, among them the dining room and sitting room, with objects from the independence era, some of them Bolívar's own. Old cannons along the verandas recall the war. The calm here comes as a surprise so close to a big city. The house is 1.5 km in a straight line east of Plaza de Bolívar and close to the station for Monserrate, so the two combine well. It is fairly cool and rain is common, so bring a light jacket. Do not touch the exhibits, and ask about photography inside the rooms.