Beagle's expedition generated many expectations regarding the terra ingonita Magallanes and Tierra del Fuego, whose geographical characteristics were spread out in detail all over Europe.

In the year 1839, pieces of translations from the book “Outline of travel of the Adventure and Beagle british warships” by Andrés Bello were published on the newspaper “El Araucano.” One of the remarkable facts of this trip along Chile dealt with captain Fitz Roy's decision to take some “fueguino” natives to England with the purpose to educate them. They succeeded to educate four of them and among these there was one native whom they called Jemmy Button. Later, he would become a legend all over Europe. These facts demonstrated that the Chilean coasts were constantly visited by foreigners without the Chilean government having influence at all. Besides, it showed that the country was still vulnerable to the occupation of its southern territory.

The obvious concern from Manuel Bulnes' government to control the southern part of the country by means of the colonization of the Magallanes territory and the navigation by steam ships, led to the decision to not delay the country's sovereignty any longer and keep the passage clear to Magallanes. Furthermore, it was a public fact that foreign ships used to cross periodically those paths in their attempts to get to Peru. Bulnes gave instructions to occupy the southern region at the soonest. Different constitutions, the 1833 constitution among them, kept this principle by settling the limits of the country on its text. It stated that Chile spread out from “the Atacama desert to Cape Horn.” However, the zone actually occupied was that between La Serena and Concepción. Bernardo O'Higgins had succeeded to place the idea of the colonization of the south of Chile, insisting from his stay in Peru to the Chilean government about the immediate occupation of Magallanes.

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- Former steps towards the colonization of the south of Chile

In 1840 the vast mayority of Chilean population lived in Santiago due to the peak of the economical situation of the country. Searching for wealth moved to some pioneers to explore the northern and southern territories of the country. Chilean government concerning about its sovereignty and exploitation of the distant southern lands, promoted the european colonization in the sourth of Chile, just as O'Higgins had suggested.

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- European Situation

In the year 1845 the Industrial revolution began in Germany with the introduction of machinery on the agrarian and industrial fields. This had as a result the emigration of people from the field to the cities, due to the high unemployment rates. However, the working conditions that these people found at the cities were humiliating, forcing them to deal with excessive exploitation by continuous working days coming up to 16 hours.

This overall situation in Europe ended in strikes, civil disorders and revolutions. Within this environment, Carl Marx and Engels in 1848 gave birth to the Manifesto of the communist party.

Faced with the political and economical changes, an important immigration of european families towards North America, Brazil and Argentina took place.

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- Bernardo Eumon Philippi

German naturalist Bernardo Eumon Philippi heard news of a big lake beyond Osorno which was feared by the natives, for they believed it was haunted. It was the Llanquihue Lake that had been explored by the spanish in ancient times. Afterwards, it was forgotten during the period in which the “araucanos” conquered that territory in the XVII century. Spanish people named it “Llanquihue lagoon,” taking for granted its importance and size. In 1797 they took possession of the lake, but they did not dare to penetrate its surroundings, fearful because of the stories told by the natives who spoke about monsters living by one of its borders and pehuenches and araucanos by the other, aiming to scare people.

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- Llanquihue Lake

The story about the discovery of the Llanquihue Lake written by Bernardo Eumon Philippi in the year 1842, provides an idea of the immensity of the lake.

“We had just walked about two hours when we discovered the surface of the lake through the green trees, to walk over the slight slope of the stony border of the lake a few minutes later. Such a magnificent view widely compensated me for the trip's fatigue. The water of this lake is as clear as Geneve in Switzerland, its surface is about seven leagues long for other seven wide, so I could not see the other border. Like Geneve, it has the white Alps by one side, the Cordillera de los Andes arising from its Eastern creeks with a volcano covered by snow until a half part of its height and going into the water.”

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- Terra incognita

In September 21 st of 1843 it was taken possession of the Strait of Magallanes, the expedition had the foundation of a fort in the Strait with the aim to show Chilean sovereignty in those lands and begin some kind of colonization in the south of Chile. The leader of the expedition was the English captain John Williams under Chilean service and the German naturalist Bernardo Eumon Philippi who participated voluntarily on the expedition. First, they took possession of the land and then they built some fenced cabins which were baptized as Bulnes Fort. A paragraph from the letter written by Bernardo Philippi to Espiñeira governor regarding the Bulnes fort provides a vision of the patriotic spirit they lived that moment with: “This afternoon at six, the Chilean flag has been saluted for the first time with 21 cannon shots in presence of the Gole Lapwring Brig which has already been the first ship saluting the flag when arriving to this harbour. Bulnes fort population, decided to move 100 kilometres east by the Strait, due to the lack of water and the land's bad quality on a sandy place where the city of Punta Arenas was raised.

After Philippi's experiences in Magallanes and the Llanquihue Lake's discovery, he was moved to convince his brother Rodolfo to contract nine craftsmen families from Hessen, Germany, to settle down in the south of Chile. In 1846, thirty four colonos came out of the Catalina ship to inhabit the Santo Tomás estate by Río Bueno borders, located at the northern part of Osorno.

In July of 1848, the government assigned Ingeneering Major Sergeant Bernardo Eumon Philippi to make an official trip to Europe in order to contract a German colony between 150 and 200 families with the aim to settle down in the south of Chile. In October 1850, the government appointed Vicente Pérez Rosales agent of the colonization in Valdivia.

A true fever had begun for the emigration to el Dorado of California and Adelaida harbour in New Holland, as well as an Austrian project to colonize Hungary with German people. These projects delayed the plan of hiring and bringing German colonos to Chile.

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- Distant Territories

Until the beginnings of the republican period, the national territory was limited to the region embraced between Copiapó and Bío Bío (third to eighth regions), along with the fort in Valdivia and the so called Osorno colony and the island of Chiloé. The rest of the Chilean territory was unknown and its lakes and fiords were abandoned. On the other hand, the central government was many miles far from them. The wealth of the main inhabited regions proved that the other half of Chile could have a great potential if insisting in their settling down soon enough.

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- German Colonization of Lake Llanquihue

Vicente Perez Rosales

With the first arrival of the German colonos and the decrees of the government which authorized Philippi and Rosales to settle the colonization from Valdivia and further south, speculations regarding Valdivia and Osorno territories began immediately. Pérez Rosales who led the location and the stability of the colony, started the exploration of other lands from Valdivia penetrating the virgin forests aiming to receive more German colonos who continuously came out of the steam and sailboats sent from Germany by Philippi. So, after a tireless fight for discovering new territories, Pérez Rosales went on until the borders of the Llanquihue lake. Afterwards, he climbed up the Osorno Volcano, where he could see the lake's southern end and the heart of Reloncaví, which would be the new penetrating passage for the German colonos. Pérez Rosales burnt the forest in a 40 kilometres long strip to clear the land on the high plains of Llanquihue

In November 1852, the sailboat “Susanne” arrived to Valdivia with 105 immigrants. Pérez Rosales decided to settle them down by the borders of Llanquihue Lake, so they had to go back to Puerto Montt. In November 23 rd , the “Susanne” arrived to Ancud. From here the colonos were transported by launches to Mellipulle (Puerto Montt) where they arrived to in November 28 th . In February 12 th of 1853, Pérez Rosales founded in Mellipulle the city he named Puerto Montt in honour to the President of the Republic. After that, some miles further north, he founded the colony of Llanquihue at the Llanquihue Lake.

Former colonos were hard working people who brought their own tools and seeds. German's will to insist on the colonization of Chile was demonstrated by Carlos Andwanter in Valdivia: “We will be honest and hard working Chileans like them all.”

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- German colony efforts

In the middle of deprivations and exposed to hard weather conditions, the German colonos were a model of struggle against nature. The government gave 140 hectares with 100 blocks each and 18 hectares with 50 blocks each, which surrounded the North, South and the Western side of the Llanquihue Lake. The territory was full of dense forests, however, German colonos succeeded to dominate the region due to their efforts and discipline.

Photo: Heinrich Werner and Paulina Kretschmar, came in 1852 with Susana.

In Octay, linseed and turnip were cultivated to manufacture oils which would be sent to Valparaíso. In the East there were barley and fine linen weaving factories, also the potatoes crop and its turning into liquor, flour mills, fulling mills for tanina peels, drying oil for painting, all of these to be exported. Later, brewery and salt meat industries were created together with toughening shops, wicker weaving factories, beehive industry and others which began to give shape to the wealthy Llanquihue colony.

The former colonos arriving to Llanquihue Lake on the “Susanne” were the families: Muschgay, Weidelmer, Fuchs, Verter, Dempflin, Wahl, Staehle, Riedel, Koehler, Schmidt, Klotz, Buck.

In the year 1856 the towns of Puerto Varas, Llanquihue and Frutillar were founded. In 1857 there were 44 marriages making a total of 212 colonos at the southern and western riversides of the Llanquihue Lake. And in 1860 there were 1570 German colonos in the region between Osorno and Puerto Montt.

The government provided medical aid and means for building churches and schools. The colonos enjoyed of tax exemption and military service by being granted the Chilean citizenship.

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- Frutillar City
Bay at the Western side of Llanquihue Lake.

In November 23 rd of 1856, Frutillar Town was officially founded by command of the President Manuel Montt.

The small farms measured by José Decher began to be taken up soon by the former families of German colonos, being among them Wilhelm Kaschel, Heinrich Kuschel, Theodor Niklitschel, Christian Nannig, Christian Winckler and Adams Schmidt.

These former German colonos built their homes by the borders of the surrounding hills, due to the marshy ground around the lake. The colonos devoted themselves to the agricultural tasks fully, as well as the agrarian industry like dairy products, mills, distilleries, tannery and some stores devoted to the sales of food and tools.

Frutillar was a compulsory passage between Puerto Montt and the city of Osorno, something that helped to its development and growth by favouring the beginnings of trade and agricultural industries.

Educational and cultural activities were developed around Frutillar bay supported by the economical boom. The constitution of an educational society that created the German Institute of Frutillar started to generate a considerable prestige at the region.

As far as the social aspect is concerned, the German Club was founded in 1882 and it was used for social events and where from the best German publications were distributed. Later, a fire brigade and the Red Cross were created.

With the arrival of the railway in 1907, the Frutillar Alto station was born. Today, it includes industries, services, trade and a health center.

At the field of civil service, the municipal office, police service and the registry office were created among others. During the 60's, education was enhanced by the creation of the Chilean – German Industrial High School and the Ignacio Carrera Pinto Technical High School. .

Culturally, Frutillar exhibits high level events such as the Musical Weeks of Frutillar which since 1968 account for the most select pieces of classical music year by year, with philharmonic orquestras directed by well known conductors together with chamber music, chorals being born with the creation of the “Jacob Junginger” mixed group, jazz and famous opera performers either national as international.

In 1973 the German Colonial Museum was built to honor the German colonos who came to these lands. This is the period in which the Artistic and Cultural Centres of the town were born, where in the folklore and the cultural values of Frutillar are emphazised, being “Stirrup of Frutillar” the most popular folk band that have traveled most of the region performing its music and dances.

Within the latest 20 years, Frutillar has experienced a rise in its touristic activities. It has kept the German colonial urban style and it has developed the catering business, nautical, salmon fishing and hunting branches

In the year 2002 the first marina and yatch club of Llanquihue Lake were built with a branch office in Frutillar. This nautical center has a capacity for 60 crafts which promote the sail navigation on the lake. So, after 10 years of efforts and dreams the Cofradía Náutica of Frutillar has its own official centre in Frutillar over what it used to be an unsuitable place full of rocks, where now there is a dock, a ramp, a sail school and a pub. It is also worthy to mention that before the sail school was created, an even organization was founded with the donation of some sailing boats by the Cofradía in 1997 for the German Colonial Institute of Frutillar and the second sail school for the Nautical Cofradía of Frutillar, immediately after its construction in the year 2003.

So it begins the history of Frutillar, with the magic from the past and european features respecful of culture, music, navigation, agriculture and the traditional calmness from this bay bordering the Llanquihue Lake.

Frutillar.com - May 2003