Durazno is the capital city of the department of Durazno in Uruguay.

Geography

The city is located at the intersection of Routes 5 and 41, in the south of the department, close to the borders with the departments of Flores to the southwest and Florida to the southeast. It is only 40 km northeast of the city of Trinidad, capital of Flores department. Durazno is situated on the south banks of the Yi River, a tributary to the Río Negro River.

Climate

Transportation

The Santa Bernardina International Airport is located just across the Río Negro river. While a commercial airport, as of 2021 it lacked passenger or cargo airline services.

History

The town was founded on 12 October 1821, under the name of San Pedro del Durazno, as a homage to Brazilian Emperor Pedro I, at a time when the territory of present-day Uruguay had been annexed to Brazil as the Cisplatine Province. It had acquired the status of villa (town) before the independence of Uruguay. On 13 July 1906, its status was elevated to ciudad (city) by Act No. 3041. In May 2015, Diego Traibel was elected Mayor for the period 2015–2020.

Population

According to the 2011 census, Durazno had a population of 34,368. Source: Instituto Nacional de Estadística de Uruguay

Culture

The church of San Pedro de Durazno is a landmark in the city. After a fire it was redesigned by engineer Eladio Dieste using reinforced brick.

Notable people