Perhaps La Plata is a city you have not yet considered. It is only an hour south of Buenos Aires. Yet it offers a unique experience. La Plata is worth the trip to see its stunning architecture. You will also find lovely green spaces. There is a vibrant university scene here.
La Plata proudly calls itself the city for everyone. Its residents want you to know they are different from Buenos Aires. They are not hurried or unfriendly. La Plata has three universities. Students cycle everywhere. This gives the city a youthful vibe. It feels a bit like Oxford or Princeton with a South American twist.
In 1882, La Plata was chosen as the capital of Buenos Aires province. The city looked to Europe for its design. Urban planner Pedro Benoit designed a perfect grid system. Diagonal avenues cross the city. Governor Dardo Rocha, a Freemason, founded La Plata on November 19, 1882. Freemasonry influenced the city’s art and architecture. This created synchronicity and symmetry.
The original plan included 23 parks. Paseo del Bosque is a large in-city forest. The streets feature lime trees, jacarandas, and orange trees. These trees help people with visual disabilities to find their way. La Plata was called the City of the Future at the 1889 World’s Fair in Paris. The Eiffel Tower was also unveiled that year.
The many plazas in La Plata are surrounded by bars and restaurants. Many are open 24 hours a day. Every six blocks, there is a plaza. This creates an open feeling. It also provides a huge amount of green space.
La Plata is known as the City of Diagonals. It is easy to explore on foot. The main sights are along Avenidas 51 and 53. Plaza Moreno is at the city’s center.
The neo-Gothic La Plata Cathedral is on one side of Plaza Moreno. It is one of South America’s largest churches. Construction began in 1885. The cathedral was not consecrated until 1932. On the opposite side is the Palacio Municipal or City Hall. It is built in the German Renaissance style. These buildings show what was important when the city was developed. That was religion and politics.
Avenida 51 leads to Teatro Argentino. This is Argentina’s second most important opera house. Only Buenos Aires’ Teatro Colón is more important. The original opera house was destroyed by fire in 1977. It was rebuilt in a modern style with concrete. However, it still has excellent acoustics.
Plaza San Martin is a few blocks away. It is the governmental center of La Plata. The Palacio de la Legislatura or Provincial Legislature is on one side. It is also in the German Renaissance style. The Casa de Gobierno or Government House is on the other side. It was designed by Jules Dormal in Neo Renaissance style.
Paseo del Bosque is at the end of Avenida 51. It is the city’s largest green space. You can find botanical gardens here. There is also an open-air theater and an observatory. The Museo de La Plata or La Plata Museum is also within the park. It has a beautiful neoclassical design from 1888. It is one of the world’s most important natural history museums. The museum has three million fossils and relics. It also features an amphitheater and a large library.
Casa Curutchet is another interesting building. It was the home of Dr. Pedro Curutchet. The design is unique because it incorporates a tree. The tree grows from the first-floor garden to the terrace. The house became a National Historic Monument in 1987. Today, it houses the Province of Buenos Aires’ Association of Architects.
La República de los Niños or City of Children is a theme park built around 1951. It is west of the city. Eva Perón supported the project. The park has miniature replicas of government buildings. There is a petting zoo and a kid’s radio station. You can even find a mini Taj Mahal. The City of Children claims it inspired Walt Disney to build Disneyland.
Rocha wanted La Plata to be a perfect square with diagonal streets as shortcuts. The streets are numbered instead of named. North-to-south streets have even numbers. East-to-west streets have odd numbers. There is no 52 street. Some believe there is an underground tunnel instead. It connects the main public buildings. But no one has verified the tunnel’s existence.