Monumento a los caídos en Malvinas
The Monumento a los caídos en Malvinas ( Monument to the Fallen on the Malvinas ) is a memorial in Plaza General San Martín , Buenos Aires , erected to commemorate the fallen of the Falklands War ( Guerra de las Malvinas ).
The memorial is located in the part of the square facing Avenida del Libertador and consists of 25 black marble slabs with the names of the 649 Argentine soldiers who were killed in the 1982 war. An Eternal Flame burns over a map of the Islas Malvinas (Falkland Islands) .
Every morning at eight o'clock there is a flag parade at the memorial . During the day, the guards change every two hours until 6 p.m. when the flag is lowered. The guard consists of members of the armed forces in historical uniforms.
history
President Carlos Saul Menem decided, by Decree No. 1405 of May 5, 1989, to erect a cenotaph in honor of those who fell in the Falklands War in San Martin Square in the Retiro district .
The chosen location aroused controversy: some said that the place should only serve to commemorate General San Martin, others that the monument directly on the Torre Monumental would not have the appropriate effect, others said that the place was unsuitable because of the noisy traffic for a memorial to the dead, and there was also a protest against the destruction of the green spaces in the square. But the resistance was useless and the memorial was officially opened on June 24, 1990.
particularities
The work was carried out by the architect Andres Moran , a former employee of the Argentine Ministry of Public Works and Services.
The monument is 263 m² and is located to the east of Plaza San Martin, on Avenida Leandro N. Alem.
The western part of the monument consists of a vertical semicircular wall with 25 black marble slabs bearing the names of the 649 fallen soldiers, without any indication of their military rank, the work of the engraver Edward Omar Urich. On the north side of the wall there is a prismatic structure with the silhouette of the Falkland Islands and a dedication. In front of the wall, a low platform with the Argentine provincial and national coats of arms was erected.
Two lower semicircles with seats symbolize two arms that surround a flagpole on which the Argentine flag flies. On a plaque is the inscription: La nación también rinde homenaje a los que guardan en su cuerpo o memoria las huellas del combate ( The nation also honors those who keep traces of the struggle on their bodies or in their memories ). Around the mast there are two circles in the pavement, which are supposed to represent the Argentine national cockade, between the flagpole and the Avenida Alem a cross is embedded in the pavement.
One soldier from each of the three armed forces constantly guards the monument.
See also: Tomb of the Unknown Soldier
literature
- Sonia Berjman: Plaza San Martín , Ed. NobuKo 2003, ISBN 987-20641-0-5 (span.)
Individual evidence
- ↑ Archived copy ( Memento of the original from March 25, 2011 in the Internet Archive ) Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
Coordinates: 34 ° 35 ′ 37.6 ″ S , 58 ° 22 ′ 30 ″ W.