We are going to move to the history of Puerto Plata, the so-called La Novia del Atlántico, it is a beautiful province that is located on the north coast of the island of Santo Domingo, a place chosen by Christopher Columbus. Columbus discovers San Felipe de Puerto Plata on his first voyage, on January 12, 1493, and called the mountain (now Loma Isabel de Torres) Monte de Plata because on its top there are clouds that make it appear silver.
The city Puerto de Plata takes its name from it. When Columbus arrived on the island of Santo Domingo in 1492, the first thing he built was the Christmas Fort. Destroyed it builds the first city in America called La Isabela on January 2, 1492.
The city of Puerto Plata was founded in 1502 by Nicolás de Ovando in the place chosen by Columbus. In 1508 the coat of arms was granted with a silver mount, on whose upper points an F and a V are engraved, and at the foot of the mountain some white and blue waves. The San Felipe Fortress is the only witness to the city of the 16th century.
This fortress built from 1564 to 1577. The convent of San Pedro Mártir that was standing at the time of the second foundation fell into disrepair at the time of the Haitian occupation. The church of San Felipe Apóstol from 1934, made of reinforced concrete, is built on the same site as the original and subsequent ones, which were successively made of brick, masonry and wood made of galvanized iron.
On October 4, 1863, as a consequence of the Restoration War against the Annexation to Spain, the city was set on fire, being built again in 1865. In this third building, this city flourishes again due to its constant conditions as a port, which communicates all the Cibao region with the outside world.
This communication is aided by the opening of the railways: Sánchez-La Vega in 1887; Puerto Plata-Santiago in 1890 and Santiago-Moca in 1909 (It must be taken into account that there were still no interior roads and in trade it was necessary to do it in steamboats along the coast). At that time, merchants from different parts of the world came to populate the city, mainly from Germany, England, Spain and the Antilles.
In 1974 it was chosen for its coastal characteristics as a tourist destination by presidential decree. As part of the conditioning program of Puerto Plata for tourism purposes, the infrastructure of the historic center was improved, such as the aqueduct, the boardwalk was built, streets and curbs were fixed, the Fort of San Felipe was restored, and the funicular was built to go up to Isabel de Torres hill.
The Victorian roundabout in the central park was rebuilt and recently, at the initiative of the government, the train station was rebuilt, the Faith in the Future and the Guinea Bridge were restored. San Felipe de Puerto Plata is the capital of the province of Puerto Plata, on the north Atlantic coast of the Dominican Republic. The city is known for its beaches and its beauty.
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