History of Medellin

rks. Fernando Botero, who found the inspiration for his work in the daily life and drama of the city, is a notable 20th-century artist associated with Medellín. He donated most of his works to the Museum of Antioquia, and the grateful city dedicated Botero Square to him. In the 1970s the artist Rodrigo Arenas Betancur erected monumental sculptures not only in Medellín but also in many other regions of Colombia. His famous work, the Monument to the Race in La Alpujarra Administrative Center, was homage to the Paisa culture.

Many cultural centers enrich the city, such as the Pablo Tobón Uribe Theatre (1967), the Modern Art Museum (1978), and the Metropolitan Theatre (1987). In 2000 the traditional Museum of Antioquia had a second official opening, in which it featured many works of Fernando Botero. New universities also opened in the city: University of Medellín (1950) and EAFIT University (1960).

Research

Medellín has the biggest research-dedicated building in Colombia called University Research Building (Spanish: Sede de Investigación Universitaria -SIU-) a facility that concentrates the top research groups of the University of Antioquia (Spanish: Universidad de Antioquia).

Today

The position of Medellín as the second industrial city in Colombia, after Bogotá, has been a main factor in overcoming its crisis of the 1980s and 1990s. The Metro de Medellín, a massive urban transport service, became the pride of the city, and so far the only sign of the Medellín Master Plan of the 1950s. The construction of the Plaza Mayor of Medellín, an international center for congresses and expositions, was designed to show the globalized economy of Colombia to the world.