Hohenau is a city & district of the Itapúa Department, Paraguay, located 8 kilometers away from Trinidad and 365 kilometers away from Asunción. It has extensive cultivation fields and streams nearby like the Capi'ivary, Poromocó, Mansisovy, Santa María and others.
Name
The name comes from its elevate position with a little downhill to the Paraná river, from Germanhoch 'high' and Au 'floodplain'.
History
The city was founded on March 14, 1900 by Carlos Reverchon, Guillermo Closs, Ambrosio Scholler and Esteban Scholler, helped by German colonists. Founder Wilhelm Closs, who was of German descent, was born on 31 October 1841 in Baumschneis, Brazil. Closs established a place called "Serra Pelada" in the state of Río Grande do Sul. Later, he decided to move to Paraguay, where he met Hohenau's future co-founder Carlos Reverchon. Together, they drafted plans for a massive wave of German immigrants to settle in the region. Aided by the Austrian consul to Paraguay, they successfully persuaded the government to allow for the construction of a colony. So, by a decree dated September 12, 1898, the Paraguayan government gave Guillermo Closs and Carlos Reverchon a share of 16 square leagues in the then Alto Paraná, Encarnación Department. On March 14, 1900, the first settlers arrived from Encarnación In August 1900, the arrival of 8 more families, set the stage for mass migration to the colony. Some of these first families were the Dresslers, Kuschels, Fritzes, Jachows, as well as others. These families faced many problems, such as disease, scarcity and lack of communication, which were gradually overcome. The town's status was elevated to an official district in 1944. In the 1930s and '40s, the colony began to attract many non-Germans, such as Poles, Ukrainians and Russians, and to a lesser degree Belgians and French. Later, in 1958, a large wave of Japanese arrived. These settlers then went on to found the district of La Paz.
Geography
The city has 220 square kilometers. Limits to the north and the east with the Obligado district, to the south with the Trinidad district, and to the west to the Jesús, La Paz and San Pedro del Paraná districts. Is on a zone rich in hydrographic resources with the Paraná river and the Capi'ivary stream.
Climate
The climate is sub-tropical, ideal for the agriculture, with temperatures oscillating from 3 and 4 °C in winter to 37 and 38 °C in summer.
Demography
Hohenau has a total population of 7,987 inhabitants.
Economy
The inhabitants dedicate themselves to agriculture, specifically to the cultivation of soy, cotton, corn, manioc, yerba mate, tung, sorgo, citric, bean, peanut and watermelon, and stock-breeding: cows, pigs and birds. There are also some small industries: flour mills, yerba mate mills, wineries, brick factories, bakeries, saw-mills, carpentry shops and starch factories. According to the General Directorate of Statistics, Polls and Census, the Hohenau district has the second-highest living standard in Paraguay, the first being the capital, Asunción.
Tourism
An important touristic attraction is the Alto Paraná Hunting and Fishing Club where the traditional Fishing of Dorado takes place. Among the other attractions this city offers are the German and Japanese colonies, where the visitor can admire the architectural characteristics, the typical foods and the cultivated fields. Hohenau can be reached by the Ruta Sexta Doctor Juan León Mallorquín, a road that crosses the urban center of the city and connects it with the cities of Encarnación and Ciudad del Este. A network of local roads connects Hohenau with other places in the surrounding area.
Institutions
The city has a dance school, culinary arts academy, tailoring academy, barber academy and other institutions that teaches computer science and typewriting. The sanitary institutions in the city are: SOS Aldea de Niños, founded August 21, 1971, in a terrain donated by the German Association of Hohenau and actually has 17 buildings housing 160 kids; the Mother and Child Hospital, the SOS Hospital, that counts with 40 beds and 2500 monthly consults; and the Adventist Clinic, that started its medical assistance service to the district and the department in 1963.
