Trelew

Introducing Trelew

Though steeped in Welsh heritage, Trelew isn’t a postcard city. In fact, this midsized hub, convenient to so many attractions, is poised to be touristy, but isn’t. You might find that good or bad, but in its very uneventfulness Trelew does offer the traveler a welcome pause. After the obligatory visit to the city’s top-notch dinosaur museum, you’re free to frequent the ice-cream parlors, lounge on the verdant square and check out a few historic buildings. The region’s commercial center, it is also a convenient base for visiting the Welsh villages of Gaiman and Dolavon. Founded in 1886 as a railway junction to unite the Río Chubut valley with the Golfo Nuevo, Trelew (tre-ley-ooh) owes its easily mispronounced name to the Welsh contraction of tre (town) and lew (after Lewis Jones, who promoted railway expansion). During the following 30 years, the railway reached Gaiman, the Welsh built their Salón San David (a replica of St David’s Cathedral, Pembrokeshire), and Spanish and Italian immigrants settled in the area. In 1956 the federal government promoted Patagonian industrial development and Trelew’s population skyrocketed.

Last updated: Mar 2, 2009