Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
colonial catacombs of Fuerte
Viejo, which can be seen from
the pedestrian mall outside.
2
Banco de la
Nación
Ave Rivadavia 325.
City Map
3 E5.
Te l
(011) 4347-6000.
Plaza de Mayo,
Catedral.
24, 28, 29, 74, 111, 140,
152.
Closed
currently closed to the
public - call ahead to check for details.
7
@
Museo Histórico y Numismático
del Banco de la Nación, Mitre 326.
Te l
(011) 4347-6277.
Open
10am-3pm
Mon-Fri.
7
^
The striking Neo-Classical façade of the Casa Rosada
1
Casa Rosada
Balcarce 50.
City Map
3 E5.
Te l
(011)
4344-3802.
Once the country's central
bank, the Banco de la Nación
is a grand example of the
characteristically fortresslike
edifices that house Buenos
Aires's older banks. Today, it
is the headquarters of the
country's largest high-street
bank, which is still managed by
the state, and is open to clients
and to the public. Wide marble-
floored corridors and ornate
decor hark back to the 1940s
and 1950s, when the building
was erected and when
Argentina was enjoying a
postwar export boom. The
bank's famous architect,
Alejandro Bustillo, gave the city
many of its most prominent
Neo-Classical buildings; these
include the elegant Museo
Nacional de Bellas Artes and the
Palais de Glace
(see p106)
. The
Banco de la Nación also houses
Museo Histórico y Numismático
del Banco de la Nación
on the
used in construction at that
time. Over the years presidents,
elected and otherwise, as
well as the soccer star Diego
Maradona, have used these
famous balconies to stir national
passions and to demonstrate
public support.
The Casa Rosada can be
entered from the south side,
on Hipólito Yrigoyen, via the
Museo de la Casa Rosada
,
which features an interesting
collection of photographs and
memorabilia documenting the
history of the building and
the country. The museum has
a 17,000-volume library, an
archive, and a newspaper and
magazine collection. Visitors can
also stroll among the exposed
@
24, 28, 29, 152.
Plaza de Mayo, Catedral.
Open
10am-6pm Sat, Sun, & hols.
8
7
∑
casarosada.gov.ar
Famous as the building from
which Eva Perón addressed
her adoring supporters, the
Casa Rosada (Pink House)
has occupied a key role in
Argentinian history. Also
known as the Presidential
Palace, it was built between
1862 and 1885 on the site of
the Fuerte Viejo, the city's
main fort. The building owes
its distinctive pink hue to
the blending of lime with
oxblood, materials commonly
Plaza de Mayo: A flash point of history
As the site of the main colonial fort, a battleground during the
English invasions, and a meeting place for pro-Independence leaders,
Buenos Aires's most important
plaza has long been a stage for
turbulent events. The Peróns (
see
pp56-7
) were perhaps the most
adept users of Plaza de Mayo as
a popular gathering place: in
October 1945 a huge crowd led
by Evita gathered to call for the
release of her husband Juan
Perón from prison. During the
Dirty War of 1976-83 military
dictators made their pronounce-
ments from the plaza, and in 1982 President Leopoldo Galtieri
announced his decision to claim the Falkland Islands (Islas Malvinas).
In 2001, following the collapse of the currency, the middle classes
joined unions and student protesters at the plaza. Since the late
1970s, the Madres de la Plaza de Mayo march there every Thursday to
protest the “disappearance” of their relatives during the Dirty War.
Mothers of the Disappeared who
gather in protest
The grand sweep of the Banco de la
Nación ceiling
For hotels and restaurants see pp278-83 and pp288-99
