Plaza de Cagancha

Peace Column in the Plaza de Cagancha.

The Plaza de Cagancha (also known as Plaza Cagancha or Plaza Libertad ) is one of the characteristic squares in the Uruguayan capital, Montevideo .

Location and description

The square, the history of which began in 1836, is located on Avenida 18 de Julio , which plays a central role in the cityscape , and on Avenida Gral. Rondeau and the Pasaje de los Derechos Humanos in the Barrio Centro and forms the fundamental point of the national roads. There are many important Montevideo's buildings in Plaza Cagancha. These include the Edificio El Ateneo , the Edificio Cines Plaza y Central , the Palacio Montero , the Palacio Piria and the Palacio Chiarino .

history

Military engineer José M. Reyes was responsible for its construction. According to his plans, the Plaza de Cagancha should form the central point of the new town (Ciudad Nueva) as an octagonal square. The architect Carlos Zucchi finally transformed it into its current rectangular shape, but retained its position that broke through the arrangement of the manzanas . The square was given its current name on February 7, 1840, based on the battle of the previous year in which General Fructuoso Rivera Pascual Echagüe defeated Cagancha on the banks of the Arroyo . During the civil war, the name of the square was changed to Plaza 25 de Mayo on May 24, 1864 . After the Paz de la Unión on February 20, 1865, they returned to their current name in December of that year. In 1867, the Columna de la Paz was erected in the middle of the square , with a female statue created by José Livi . The square has been classified as the Monumento Histórico Nacional since 1975 .

literature

• Guía Arquitectónica y Urbanística de Montevideo. 3. Edition. Intendencia Municipal de Montevideo et al., Montevideo et al. 2008, ISBN 978-9974-600-26-3 , pp. 68, 143.

Web links

Commons : Plaza Cagancha, Montevideo  - Collection of images, videos and audio files

• La Columna de la Paz a través del tiempo incl. Picture of the Plaza Cagancha around 1865 (Spanish)
• La Columna de la Paz a través del tiempo (Spanish), accessed July 1, 2012

Coordinates: 34 ° 54 ′ 20.5 ″  S , 56 ° 11 ′ 29.4 ″  W.