El Bosque Tallado

On the slopes of Mount Piltriquitrón, above the Patagonian paradise city of El Bolsón, lies the curious forest known as el Bosque Tallado, or the Carved Forest in English. The park was opened in 1998 by the Argentinian artist Marcelo Lopez.

The pre-cordillera mountains are known for their falling rocks, and the dry climate of the region makes it prone to fires. This combination shapes forests all around, and Cerro Piltriquitrón is no exception: fallen, dry, and even burned trees can be found everywhere. After a massive forest fire in the 1980s, there were even more burned logs dotting the mountainside.

Here comes the genius of this open-air museum: it gives a second life to fallen trees by carving them into beautiful wooden sculptures. When the initiative began, a group of artists came together and produced the first 13 sculptures in a little more than a week. In the years since, artists from all over the world have been invited to take a part in this initiative, creating a total of more than 60 pieces to be enjoyed.