ARGENTINA REGION BY REGION - Argentina - page 138

1 La Plata

(14,000 sq m), including the
gardens. The star attraction is
the Salón Dorado (Gold Room)
on the first floor, reached via a
marble staircase. The floor is
made from Slavonic oak and the
outstanding bronze chandeliers
have 78 lamps apiece.
Temporary art exhibitions as
well as various civic functions
are held here.

Founded in 1882, the well-organized city of La Plata is the
seat of government for Buenos Aires province. Built in under
two decades, it is the country's first entirely planned city,
earning it the nickname Ciudad Milagro (Miracle City).
La Plata boasts several spectacular buildings, world-class
museums, and two top-league soccer teams. The city center,
planned in detail by French architect Pierre Benoit, consists of
23 plazas connected by broad Parisian-style boulevards lined
with trees and impressive public buildings. The city has a rich
and vibrant cultural life, mainly due to the three major
universities that attract students from all over Argentina.

P Teatro Argentino
Ave 51, between Calles 9 & 10.
Te l [phone]. Open 10am−
8pm Tue−Sun. 8 7 ^ - =
∑ teatroargentino.gba.gov.ar
Built in 1890, Teatro Argentino is
considered the second-greatest
opera venue in the country after
Teatro Colón (see pp76-7) . It
became a reputed stage for
singers from both home and
abroad during the “golden age”
of theater in the 1930s and 40s.
The curtain fell in 1977 after the
building was razed by a fire. It
finally reopened in 2000 with an
excellent production of Puccini's
Tosca. There are now two
auditoria: one is dedicated to
the classical composer Alberto
Ginastera, with a capacity of
2,200; and the other, with space
for 300 spectators, is named
after tango maestro Ástor
Piazzolla, and devoted to
chamber music recitals.

View of the sparkling white Neo-Classical Palacio de la Legislatura

P Plaza Mariano Moreno
Bounded by Calles 12, 14, 54, & 50.
Catedral de la Inmaculada
Concepción Te l [phone].
Open 9am-7pm Mon-Sat, 9am-8pm
Sun & hols. 8 7 Palacio Municipal
Te l [phone] ext. 291.
Open 9am-5pm Mon-Fri. 8-
Covering four blocks and
located towards the southern
side of the city, Plaza Mariano
Moreno is a popular public
space. It was here that La Plata's
foundation stones were laid in
1882, along with a time capsule
containing documents that
record the event.
The square is lined with
remarkable buildings, and
foremost among these is the
Catedral de la Inmaculada
Concepción . Located on the
southern edge of the plaza, it
was inspired by the great Gothic
cathedrals of Amiens and
Cologne. The cathedral, with its
unmistakable reddish brick
façade and soaring 370-ft-
(112-m-) high twin towers, is
deservedly La Plata's most
famous landmark. The corner-
stone was laid in 1884, and the

church was inaugurated in
1932 to mark La Plata's 50th
anniversary. It is the largest
structure built in this style in the
Americas, with a surface area of
75,350 sq ft (7,000 sq m) and a
capacity of 14,000.
Facing the cathedral at the
northern end of the square is
Palacio Municipal . Built in the
1880s in German Renaissance
style, the ivory-white complex
covers over 150,700 sq ft

P Palacio de la Legislatura
Plaza San Martín. Te l [phone].
Open 10am−6pm daily. & 7 -
Built in the 1880s, the
Neo-Classical Palacio de la
Legislatura has three principal
points of entry, comprising
porticoes held up by four Ionic
columns and crowned with
sculptural groups. Both the
sculptural elements and the
reliefs on the façade are
allegorical representations of
various events from Argentina's
history, including the abolition
of slavery, the May Revolution,
and the Declaration of
Independence. The ceiling of
the grand Representative's
Chamber was decorated by
the well-known Argentinian
painter Grazziano
Mendilaharzu. It depicts a
blazing sun, echoing the
design of the national flag.

The red-brick façade of Catedral de la
Inmaculada Concepción

For hotels and restaurants see pp278-83 and pp288-99