(continuer en français) – Last updated: June 22, 2023

At two thirds of the Trans-Chaco Highway, Filadelfia comes out like a mirage in the middle of the desert. A clean and well-kept city, with all the services the traveler could dream of. Not only is it a pleasant surprise in the middle of this starved region, but in a country where cities are in a permanent chaos, the order and calm that reign in Filadelfia are appreciable exceptions. Just a hint, the motorcyclists all wear helmets.

The explanation for this singularity lies in the very origin of the city. It was founded in 1930 by a group of about 1500 Mennonites who had fled persecution by the communist regime of the Soviet Union. They were promised boat and train and ended up in carts pulled by oxen and mules.

An old horse-drawn cart which was typical of the Mennonites but which is no longer used here, unlike other more traditionalist communities :

In the centre of Filadelfia there is a recreation of the Freedom Gate through which the Mennonites left the Soviet Union:

Unlike other Mennonite communities, the settlers decided to adopt the most modern methods to develop the poor land that had been passed on to them. They concentrated their forces on a few sectors by organizing themselves vertically in a cooperative, Fernheim. Milk, beef, peanuts or sesame are produced in family farms grouped together in villages, the cooperative takes care of processing and marketing. The income is used to provide the community with collective facilities such as education and health care.

Filadelfia became the largest city in the Chaco, starting from nothing in 1930, it now counts 20,000 inhabitants, half of whom are descendants of the first pioneers. Attracted by jobs and living conditions, others came to settle there like several groups of indigenous people.

The Mennonites from Russia had previously fled the Netherlands and Prussia over the centuries, turning in on themselves they managed to retain their original language, Plautdietsch, which is quite close to modern German. Amazingly, German is still the main language of Filadelfia, the local radio is in German, as are the signs and names of most of the surrounding villages.

In the centre of Filadelfia is the Memory Park, to remember the painful past. Several bottle trees grow there with their funny silhouettes.

It is also in the park that the former colony’s administrative buildings have been transformed into a museum. Objects from the early days are on display there, without any real explanation.

The old classrooms contain exhibits on the region, wildlife and native peoples, as well as the Mennonite journey.

Knelsen Haus is a fine house built in 1948 by Jakob Knelsen in the centre of Filadelfia and used as a hotel. Since 2002, its refurbishment has sought to reflect the typical residence of that time.

In spite of the facilities, the weather conditions in the Chaco continue to plague the lives of the inhabitants, be it the heat or the wind, facing the outdoors remains an ordeal.

In Filadelfia, most of the activities are operated by the Fernheim Cooperative, such as the Hotel Florida. This hotel, with its swimming pool in a water scarce area, has the reputation of being the best hotel in the Chaco region. It is a good example of the beginning of tourism growth in a region that the Trans-Chaco Highway is beginning to open up, with the neighbouring town of Loma Plata following the same trend.

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