It was founded on April 8, 1843, by a group of 390 immigrants[1] from the then independent state of the Grand Duchy of Baden (later incorporated into Germany).

Colonia Tovar is known for its temperate crops (peaches, strawberries, beets, cauliflower, carrots, cabbage, chard, broccoli, lettuce, onions and potatoes) and their derivatives.

Between 1806 and 1918, a state called the Grand Duchy of Baden occupied much of the eastern bank of the Rhine River in the southwest corner of the mountainous wine-producing area Kaiserstuhl.

Codazzi contacted residents of Kaiserstuhl and selected an area for the colony, choosing a site with geographic and climatic similarities to the German region.

According to Alexander Benitz, the immigrants who embarked the Havre ship to Venezuela numbered 389: 239 men and 150 women,[2] most from Kaiserstuhl.

They travelled along the Rhine, embarked at the port of Le Havre (France) on January 19, 1843, and arrived at the La Guaira on 4 March aboard the French ship Clemence piloted by Captain Malverin.

This path was also designed by Codazzi and opened by engineer Inder Pellegrini, leaving La Victoria to the place assigned for the new population.

On March 31, they headed to the city of Maracay and La Victoria where they were received by President of Venezuela Carlos Soublette.

The first residents included scientists, naturalists, writers and painters, such as Carl Ferdinand Appun, Hermann Karsten, Karl Moritz, Friedrich Gerstäcker, Anton Goering, Augustus Fendler, Ferdinand Bellermann (a painter who was sponsored by Humboldt), some buried in the city cemetery.

As "los colonieros" were thriving, production spread to new lands and activities such as growing vegetables and fruits, sent to markets in Caracas or La Victoria.

That trend reversed in the 1960s, when Colonia Tovar took up tourism, which led to significant economic development and population growth.

The descendants of early settlers fully integrated into the country and the town natively speaks Spanish, although German fluency is common.

Colonia Tovar is located between 1,600 and 2,200 meters above sea level, in the central part of the Venezuelan Coastal Range.

Its climate is temperate (Cwb) mountain with a daily temperature range of about 8 °C (46 °F), with a mean of 16.8 °C (62.2 °F), and frequent mists, especially at dawn and evening.

Ceramic craft workshops, sausage factories, cookies and candy, breweries, canned foods (jams, peaches, etc..) are present.

The local fauna is characteristic of cloud forests; a habitat for many endemic species due to its unique climate and peatland environment.

Among the wildlife present, species most commonly referred to are the classic golden-headed quetzal and the toucan beak emerald bottle, also known as "tiátaro."

The Estación Biológica de Rancho Grande hosts a zoological museum that showcases area species.

Los colonieros produce other crops and goods originating in German culture, such as peaches, tree tomato, passion fruit, strawberries, blackberries, figs, vegetables, bread, sausages, pastry, sauces and pasta, beer, wood, ceramics, wrought iron and crafts.

Although the official language of Venezuela is Spanish, some people in Colonia Tovar speak alemannisch: Alemannic, Alemán Coloniero precisely.

The houses, buildings, and shops are made according to the Kaiserstuhl style, giving Colonia Tovar an unmistakable peculiar identity.

The Church of St. Martin de Tours in the center of town is a copy of the Endingen in Germany, origin of most of the founders.

The Academic Center of Violin is a local school that prepares students in the art of manufacturing, maintenance and repair of symphonic instruments.

Their dress consists of a red suit with a fringed collar, sleeves, waist and legs, which reveal bells.

A carved wooden stick, which carries a knotted rope and a pig's bladder, a globe, is the instrument that usually hits bystanders.