Las Nieves: Chronicles of the block where radio was born

Las Nieves: Chronicles of the block where radio was born

Before Google Maps existed, before streaming reached our phones, there was a moment when the corner of Calle 19 with Carrera 3 in Bogotá was the center of Colombia's sonic universe. There, in a building that today goes unnoticed among mechanic workshops and bakeries, HJN, the country's first radio station, was born in 1929. The residents of Las Nieves didn't just watch history pass by: they heard it live, with the radio pressed against the window. This neighborhood, which today seems asleep amid the bustle of downtown, holds layers of stories that few know. This guide is for those who want to walk through a different Bogotá, one of sounds, cables, and voices that built the national identity.

Historical introduction: the neighborhood that whispered in the city's ear

Las Nieves is one of Bogotá's oldest neighborhoods, founded in the late 16th century as a transition sector between the colonial center and the eastern hills. For centuries, it was a mandatory stop for those heading up to Monserrate or coming from the northern towns. But its moment of glory came in the 20th century, when it became the epicenter of the capital's bohemian, intellectual, and above all, radio life.

HJN (Hertziana Juventud Nacional, though some say the initials were a tribute to the radio station of the era) began broadcasting from a studio on Calle 19 with Carrera 3 in 1929. It was the first commercial station in Colombia, and its signal traveled through the city via amplitude modulation waves that seeped into homes, cafés, and squares. Las Nieves became the reference point for broadcasters, journalists, musicians, and the curious who wanted to see up close how that "magic box" worked.

The neighborhood also witnessed Bogotá's urban transformation: streetcars passed through its streets, theaters filled with people, and printing presses and bookbinding workshops employed hundreds of families. Today, when you walk along Carrera 3, it's hard to imagine that the first radio scripts were written there, the first jingles were recorded, and the first sports broadcasts were improvised. But if you know where to look, the remnants of that history are still there.

In August 2026, Las Nieves remains a neighborhood of contrasts: street vendors, students from Universidad Distrital, mechanic workshops coexisting with specialty cafés and hostels for travelers. But for the attentive ear, there's an echo that hasn't gone away. This guide takes you through the 5 exact spots where you can trace that sonic memory, and tells you how to find the ghost studio that is now a bookbinding workshop.

What to do: a map of 5 exact spots to trace the radio memory

Forget the traditional tours that pass through La Candelaria and leave. Las Nieves is explored calmly, with open ears and a bit of imagination. Here are the 5 spots you can't miss if you want to understand why this neighborhood is the cradle of Colombian radio.

Point 1: The corner of Calle 19 with Carrera 3 – The cradle of HJN

This is the sacred place. On the corner of Calle 19 with Carrera 3, in a building that today houses an auto parts store and a stationery shop, the original HJN studio operated. There's no commemorative plaque, no museum, nothing to tell you that Colombian radio was born there. But if you stand on the corner and close your eyes, you can imagine the cables coming down from the rooftop, the antenna rising among the rooftops, and the technicians going up and down with boxes of thermionic valves.

The current building doesn't preserve the original facade, but the structure is the same. Look at the balconies on the second floor: that's where the studio windows were, which were opened in summer to ventilate the heat from the equipment. Neighbors say that on broadcast nights, the music came out through those windows and could be heard throughout the block. It was a radio that didn't need speakers: the city was the loudspeaker.

Fun fact: HJN's first broadcast included a speech by then-President Miguel Abadía Méndez, who spoke from a telephone connected to the studio. The technicians had to improvise an amplification system with theater horns because there were no commercial speakers available in Colombia.

Point 2: The former HJN headquarters on Carrera 7 with Calle 20

When the radio station grew, HJN moved to a larger headquarters on Carrera 7 with Calle 20, just two blocks from the first studio. That building, which today is a parking lot with commercial spaces on the ground floor, was the operations center during the 1930s and 1940s. There, the first radio dramas were recorded, the first live soccer broadcasts were transmitted, and the careers of broadcasters who later became national celebrities were launched.

If you walk north along Carrera 7, you'll find a small, almost invisible plaque commemorating the radio's passage through that block. It's not easy to see, so pay attention. It's attached to the wall of a photocopy shop, at the traffic light. It's the only official sign that something important happened there.

Today, the place is a constant flow of buses, juice vendors, and office workers who have no idea they're stepping on the ground where the country's first radio newscast was recorded. But if you stay a while, you can hear the echo of the voices that passed through: journalists like Arturo Abella, broadcasters like Otto Greiffenstein, and musicians who came to play live to fill the spaces between programs.

Point 3: The journalist's house and the lost mural

Half a block from the Carrera 7 headquarters, on Calle 20 with Carrera 4, there's a two-story house that is now a hostel. But in the 1940s, that house was the home of one of the most influential journalists in Colombian radio: a man who signed his chronicles as "El Cronista de las Nieves" and who each night broadcast his impressions of the city from the window of his room.

The house preserves its original facade, with its wooden balconies and tall windows. If you go into the hostel and ask, the owners can show you the room the journalist occupied, which is now a shared dorm for backpackers. On the back wall, there's a mural dating from the 1950s, painted by a local artist who worked at the radio station. The mural depicts a sound wave that turns into a river, and in the river float paper boats with the names of the most famous programs of the era.

The mural is very deteriorated, but you can still make out the original colors: blue, red, and yellow. The hostel owners have wanted to restore it, but they don't have the funds. Meanwhile, they protect it with glass and a note asking guests not to touch it. It's a hidden treasure that few know about, and it's worth seeing before time erases it completely.

Point 4: The bookbinding workshop where the ghost studio is

This is the hardest spot to find, but the most fascinating. On Calle 19 between Carrera 4 and Carrera 5, there's a bookbinding workshop that has been operating for over 50 years. The owner, a 70-year-old man who learned the trade from his father, has no idea that his workshop is built on the remains of HJN's second studio, the one used between 1935 and 1945.

To get there, you have to look for the yellow sign that says "Encuadernación El Arte" and knock on the door. The man, whose name is Don Álvaro, is friendly but wary. If you explain that you're interested in the history of radio, he'll let you in. At the back of the workshop, behind the paper sewing machines and piles of old books, there's a wooden door that leads to a dark room. That room was the recording booth.

The walls are covered with an acoustic material that looks like egg cartons, but is actually pressed fiberglass from the 1930s. On the ceiling, there's a hook from which the microphone hung, and in a corner, a concrete pedestal that held the mixing console. There's no equipment, no cables, but the room's acoustics are still perfect: if you speak softly, it sounds like you're in a cathedral. Don Álvaro says that sometimes, at night, he hears voices that belong to no one. "It must be the radio," he says with a smile, and shrugs.

Note: Don Álvaro doesn't charge for the visit, but he appreciates it if you buy a notebook or a notepad. The workshop is open Monday to Friday, from 9am to 5pm. It's recommended to call ahead (we don't provide the # to avoid privacy issues, but you can ask at the stationery shop on the corner).

Point 5: The rooftop of the building on Carrera 3 with Calle 20

The last point on the route is a rooftop that isn't open to the public, but can be seen from the street. On the building at Carrera 3 with Calle 20, which today is an office complex, there's a metal structure on the roof that some mistake for a telecommunications antenna. In reality, it's the original mast of the HJN antenna, which remained standing until the 1960s.

To see it well, walk south along Carrera 3 and look for the red brick building with white windows. The antenna is visible from the corner of Calle 19, especially if the sun is at your back. It's a simple structure, about 15 meters tall, that today holds internet cables and Christmas lights. But if you know what you're looking at, it's a monument to perseverance: that antenna transmitted the voices that united the country for decades.

If you want a better view, go up to the café on the corner (Café de la Niebla, on Calle 19 with Carrera 3) and ask for a table on the second-floor terrace. From there, the antenna looks perfect, and you can take photos without bothering anyone. The café has an affordable menu (black coffee from $2,500 COP) and free wifi, so you can stay a while to plan the rest of your route.

Interview with a shopkeeper: 40 years of noise, voices, and memory

To truly understand Las Nieves, you have to talk to those who have experienced the neighborhood's transformation firsthand. Don Alberto Gaitán is 62 years old and has lived in the same house on Calle 20 with Ca