Puerto Varas is a city located in southern Chile a territory of northern Patagonia in the Los Lagos Region, located in the southern Chilean province of Llanquihue, in the Los Lagos Region. The city is well known for its German traditions, its food, its fish and seafood, the natural environment, its casino and 5 star hotels. The city of Puerto Varas, also known as ‘La ciudad de las rosas’ or ‘the city of roses’, was founded in 1854 by Vicente Pérez Rosales and is named after Antonio Varas, minister of the interior during the presidency of Manuel Montt, when the city was founded. The Montt administration offered lands around Lake Llanquihue for mostly German speaking Europeans (Germans, Swiss, Austrians, Silesians, Alsatians, etc.) to settle and farm those lands. Puerto Varas was founded as the main port on the lake, connected by road to the nearest seaport, Puerto Montt.