Plaza Independencia (Montevideo)
The Plaza Independencia is a place in the Uruguayan capital Montevideo .
The Plaza Independencia, laid out in 1836 by the military engineer José M. Reyes and designed the following year by the Italian architect Carlo Zucchi , forms the central and largest square in Montevideo. It is located at the eastern end of Ciudad Vieja and is on the border with Barrio Centro . One of the most important streets in the capital, Avenida 18 de Julio , leads from the plaza towards the east and thus into the Centro district . In 1860 the facade on the Plaza Independencia was systematized by the architect Bernardo Poncini , and in 1905 the square was designed by Carlos Thays .
Numerous historical and formative buildings of Montevideo are located around the Plaza Independencia. While in the west, the last remnant of the old city wall, the isolated city gate, the Puerta de la Ciudadela , opens the way into the pedestrian zone of Calle Sarandí and thus the actual old town, with a view from Plaza Independencia is to the left of it and thus to the south Edificio Ciudadela to the west of the square . The Teatro Solís is within sight, but no longer directly adjacent to the square .
The south side of the plaza is flanked by the presidential seat Torre Ejecutiva and the former seat of government Palacio Estévez , while in the north, for example, the Radisson Montevideo Victoria Plaza Hotel is located. On the eastern edge of the square, the Palacio Salvo to the south and the Palacio Rinaldi to the north offer a view of Avenida 18 de Julio .
In the middle of the square, which is partly planted with palm trees, there has been a 17-meter-high and 30-ton Artigas statue that towers over the plaza and was designed by Angel Zanelli and shows the Uruguayan national hero José Gervasio Artigas riding in an easterly direction. This monument towers above the underground Artigas Mausoleum , which is guarded by two soldiers and contains the remains of the pioneer of Uruguayan independence.
Plaza Independencia has been classified as a Monumento Histórico Nacional since 1975 .
literature
- Guía Arquitectónica y Urbanística de Montevideo. 3. Edition. Intendencia Municipal de Montevideo u. a., Montevideo et al. a. 2008, ISBN 978-9974-600-26-3 , pp. 62, 136.
Web links
- Plaza Independencia on the City Council's website (Spanish); Retrieved February 28, 2012
- 360 ° view over Plaza Independencia and information about the square (Spanish); Retrieved February 28, 2012
Coordinates: 34 ° 54'23.4 " S , 56 ° 11'59.1" W.