In this guide
Filadelfia's sights are almost all on Avenida Hindenburg and can be walked in a morning: the Gran Chaco Interpretation Centre at the town entrance, the Jakob Unger Museum and its memorial garden, the Knelsen-Haus, the Parque de las Memorias and, a few blocks on, an industrial museum in an old peanut silo and the Ruedas Pioneras park. There is no central square like in other Paraguayan towns: Hindenburg itself, with its monuments and parks, is the centre (Wikivoyage (opens in a new tab)).
Before you start: tourist office and hours
- Cooperativa Fernheim tourist office, Hindenburg 131-S (Wikivoyage (opens in a new tab)). It runs the museum circuit (La Nación, 2025 (opens in a new tab)): all museums are free, but only the Jakob Unger is open on a regular schedule; the rest are opened by arrangement there (Wikivoyage (opens in a new tab)). Stop in first and ask them to open the ones you want.
- Town hours: almost everything closes 12:00-14:00 on weekdays, on Saturday afternoon and on Sunday, and few shops take cards (Wikivoyage (opens in a new tab)). Bring cash.
- Heat: summer tops 40 °C (Wikipedia (opens in a new tab)). On 35-40 °C days, Paraguay's health ministry advises being active between 6:00 and 10:00 or after 18:00 (La Nación, 2022 (opens in a new tab)). Walk early and rest at midday.
Walking route along Avenida Hindenburg
This order puts the Interpretation Centre first, so the rest makes sense:
- Gran Chaco Interpretation Centre. At the town entrance; covers Indigenous peoples, wildlife, plants and the Chaco War (InfoNegocios (opens in a new tab)). Open Wednesday to Sunday 9:00-17:00, free (La Nación, 2025 (opens in a new tab)). The best introduction before anything else.
- Jakob Unger Museum, Hindenburg at Unruh, opposite Hotel Florida. Mennonite history, Chaco War relics, natural history and Indigenous artefacts. Monday-Saturday 7:00-11:30 and Monday-Friday 14:00-16:00 (Wikivoyage (opens in a new tab)). Its garden, the Plaza de los Recuerdos, holds the colony's first monument, a 1955 obelisk.
- Knelsen-Haus, next to Hotel Florida: a restored 1948 settler home showing daily life in the early years (Wikivoyage (opens in a new tab); InfoNegocios (opens in a new tab)).
- Parque de las Memorias, between the museums, remembers the first settlers' hardships (Wikivoyage (opens in a new tab)). In front of the old administration building stands the "Gatter", the colony's first sawmill (Wikipedia (opens in a new tab)).
- School Museum, on Calle Unruh around the corner from the supermarket: the first school, opened in 1936 (Wikivoyage (opens in a new tab)).
Museums and monuments a little further out
Still walkable in a flat town, but in the heat a car helps:
- Industrial and Agricultural Museum, Hindenburg and Calle Industrial, 100 m south of the co-op supermarket: old machinery inside the 1957 peanut silo (Wikivoyage (opens in a new tab); ABC Color, 2022 (opens in a new tab)).
- Dr. Wilhelm Käthler Hospital Museum, Hindenburg and Avenida Trébol, on the hospital grounds, in a 1932 building (Wikivoyage (opens in a new tab); ABC Color, 2022 (opens in a new tab)).
- Ruedas Pioneras Park, Avenida Trébol and Calle Carlos Casado at the east entrance: an open-air museum of the early settlers' transport (Wikivoyage (opens in a new tab); ABC Color, 2022 (opens in a new tab)).
- Monuments: the one on the Hindenburg-Trébol roundabout dates from 1980; the one at the town entrance, Hindenburg and Carayá, from 2005, and it is floodlit at night, a good sunset photo stop (Wikivoyage (opens in a new tab)).
Churches, communities and shopping
- Mennonite churches: the central ones welcome visitors; the tourist office can arrange a visit (Wikivoyage (opens in a new tab)).
- Indigenous communities: Enlhet, Nivaclé, Ayoreo and Guaraní communities live around town, such as the Enlhet barrio Cacique Mayeto and the Nivaclé community Uj'e Lhavos (Wikipedia (opens in a new tab)). Visit only with an accredited guide arranged by the tourist office (Wikivoyage (opens in a new tab)).
- Cooperativa Fernheim supermarket: worth a look for the colony's own products (Wikivoyage (opens in a new tab)); the newer central building has a 3,500 m² sales floor and a food court (ABC Color, 2018 (opens in a new tab)).
What next?
If you have more time, the Chaco War forts and salt lagoons are tens of kilometres out: see things to do in Filadelfia. For an hour-by-hour day plan, read the Filadelfia day trip, and if you continue to Loma Plata, 21 km away, there's our Loma Plata guide.
Filadelfia is about 467 km from Asunción, roughly 7 hours on the Transchaco (Wikivoyage (opens in a new tab)): it is not a same-day return trip, so plan at least one night.
FAQ
What are the main tourist sights in Filadelfia, Paraguay?
The Gran Chaco Interpretation Centre, the Jakob Unger Museum with the Plaza de los Recuerdos, the Knelsen-Haus, the Parque de las Memorias, the Industrial Museum in an old peanut silo, the Hospital Museum and Ruedas Pioneras park, mostly along Avenida Hindenburg.
Do Filadelfia's museums charge admission?
The co-op museums are free. The Jakob Unger opens Monday-Saturday 7:00-11:30 and Monday-Friday 14:00-16:00; the others are opened by arrangement at the tourist office.
Does Filadelfia have a main square?
Not in the usual sense. The centre is Avenida Hindenburg, with the Parque de las Memorias, the Jakob Unger Museum's Plaza de los Recuerdos and the colony monuments.
Can I visit Filadelfia as a day trip from Asunción?
No: it is about 467 km and some 7 hours each way on the Transchaco. Plan at least one night there.
