At the beginning of 1680 a small group of Portuguese under the command of Maestre de Campo Manuel de Lobo established the first Portuguese settlement on our territory: a fort built of mud and stone which occupied a small peninsula on the bank of the River Plate. Because of its strategic position it became the reason for a constant struggle between Spain and Portugal and changed hands frequently. The Maestre had named it “Nova Colonia do Sacramento”, and this name was maintained  in its Spanish form. 

Nowadays Colonia is one of the main tourist entries into Uruguay. Due to its Portuguese origins it is somehow different from the other classical cities on the banks of the River Plate in its conformation. At a distance of 177 km from Montevideo and separated from Buenos Aires by the stream, Colonia’s streets and buildings have preserved 300 years of history. One part of its architectural façade has been reconstructed in the years, but there are still some sectors in several of the towns of this department in which the original building materials can be found. 

One of the important streams of immigrants of the second half of the XIX century reached Colonia and contributed to its  distinctive character, by its diligence in work, customs and tradition. As one of the main tourist centers it offers places where one can find traditional Swiss or German food and enjoy an atmosphere impregnated with history. On December 8, 1995, in Berlin,  Colonia was declared Cultural Heritage of Humanity. The typical character of this department is embedded in a past which finds its expression in the present and projects itself towards its future.