Valparaíso - in German Paradiestal, is a port city in Chile with approximately 280,000 inhabitants, which is located on the bay Bahia de Valparaíso open to the north on the Pacific Ocean. Curiously, the group of Desventuradas Islands, more than 1,000 kilometers from the city center, also belongs to the urban area of Valparaíso. The city was founded in 1544 by Juan Bautista Pastene. During the colonial period, Valparaíso initially developed only slowly and remained for a long time an insignificant fishing village, which is also due to the numerous attacks by pirates and buccaneers. Thus, on December 5, 1578 Francis Drake attacked the city on his circumnavigation of the globe, captured a ship and plundered the houses. It was not until the decision of the Chilean congress of February 21, 1811, to open the port of Valparaíso "to free trade with the alien powers, friends and allies of Spain as well as the neutral powers", was the economic development of Valparaíso increasingly accelerated. The city is now the seat of the Chilean National Congress and the port is one of the most important in the country - in the 19th century Valparaíso was for decades the largest port in the entire Pacific, after the opening of the Panama Canal in 1914, however, its importance declined rapidly. The character of Valparaíso is world-famous and contains numerous literary, musical and artistic interpretations. Valparaíso is also considered the cultural capital of Chile. In July 2003, the historic center with its 19th and 20th century architecture was declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.