2008 Year of Agustín de Betancourt in Tenerife

Agustín de Betancourt y Molina (1758-1824), whose 250th Anniversary is being celebrated throughout the year in Puerto de la Cruz.You don't need to spend very long in the Canary Islands before you'll, undoubtedly, see or hear a reference to the name of Betancourt.

There's Tenerife and Guatemala's shared Saint, Hermano Pedro de San José Betancurt who was born in Vilaflor, back in 1626, while prominent engineer, Agustín de Betancourt (Biografía), was born in Puerto de la Cruz, on the north of the island, 250 years ago, on February 1st, 1758.

Both of these famous men, among other folk of Canary Island descent, still bearing the surname, can trace their ancestry to the French explorer and conqueror of the islands of Fuerteventura and Hierro, Jean de Béthencourt, who had first landed on the island of Lanzarote in 1402.

Anniversary to be marked by King's visit

The King of Spain, Juan Carlos I, who has accepted the Presidency of the Committee of Honour for the commemoration of the 250th Anniversary of Betancourt's birth, is to visit Puerto de la Cruz for the celebrations, it has been confirmed, in a letter from the head of the King's household, Alberto Aza, to Puerto de la Cruz' mayoress, Lola Padrón.

For Puerto de la Cruz, where 2008 has been declared the Year of Agustín de Betancourt, the King's visit will also be an opportunity to rekindle old ties between the monarch and the city, to which he presented a Gold Medal in 1985, as well giving as just recognition to such an important, local figure.

Meanwhile, among the various events to mark the occasion in St Petersburg, was the issuing of a Russian postage stamp dedicated to the Tenerife born engineer.

Father of Modern Engineering

Agustín de Betancourt y Molina is considered to be "the father of modern engineering" in both Spain and Russia, with work that ranged from steam engines and balloons to structural engineering and urban planning. (An Iberian Isambard Kingdom Brunel if you will (and indeed their life spans partially overlap.)

Betancourt, who supervised planning and construction in Saint Petersburg and was involved in other significant projects, including the Moscow Manege and The Saviour Cathedral in Nizhny Novgorod and, works in other Russian cities, reached the rank of General in the Russian army of Tsar Alexander I and was the first director of the Madrid School of Civil Engineering, also visited England where he met Scottish steam engine pioneer, James Watt.

Curious then, that whilst Puerto de la Cruz and Betancourt are good enough for a King and, the engineer was also good enough for one of Russia's Tsars, that there seems to have been some bickering at Puerto town hall when opposition Coalición Canaria party didn't want to see Betancourt's name replacing that of former dictator, Franco, for one of the town's main streets.

Holidays for Modern Engineers

Bust of Agustín de Betancourt outside the church of Nuestra Señora de la Peña de Francia, in Puerto de la Cruz.On the north side of the Plaza de la Iglesia (church square) alongside the church of Nuestra Señora de la Peña de Francia , is a bust of Agustín de Betancourt .

You can actually stay on the spot where Agustín de Betancourt was born, because the Hotel Monopol, opposite the bust, is built on the site of his birthplace.

(The hotel is in the Calle Quintana, which runs at right angles to the Calle Agustín de Betancourt. Both are pedestrianized streets in the center of the town.)

As well as being in this delightful setting and offering a superb family style service, the Hotel Monopol has "typical Canarian style wooden balconies and an internal glass atrium", it is said, "filled with palms and other exotic plants"!

And if you want to know more about Puerto de la Cruz, start with the Visitors' guide to Puerto de la Cruz, written by people who actually live in the town.