Retiro (Buenos Aires)

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Location of Retiro in Buenos Aires
The Edificio Bencich on Calle Esmeralda

Retiro is a district in the northeast of Buenos Aires . It has 45,002 inhabitants (as of 2001) on an area of ​​2.9 km² . The population density corresponds to 15,518 inhabitants per km².

character

Retiro is known for its affluent residents, the shopping areas Avenida Santa Fe , Calle Florida , Patio Bullrich and the eastern end of Avenida Alvear , the Plaza General San Martín and as a traffic junction: the district is home to the three train stations of the Mítre, Belgrano Norte and San networks Martín for trains going north and west and the main bus station next to each other, plus the Retiro station of the subway and stops of various local bus companies. The number of commuters is correspondingly high on working days.

The main transport axis of Retiro is the Avenida del Libertador , which changes its name to Avenida Leandro N. Alem after passing the Retiro bus station. To the east of the street is the Catalinas Norte business district and the northern end of the Puerto Madero district , where the port's old warehouses have been converted into loft apartments and entertainment venues. Furthermore, in the square between Plaza General San Martín , Avenida 9 de Julio , Avenida del Libertador and Avenida Santa Fe, there are numerous art galleries of all styles and the British Arts Center (BAC).

Retiro, along with Recoleta and parts of Palermo and Belgrano, is now a popular place to live for foreign executives. But the district was also popular in the past with the upper class of Buenos Aires, who had magnificent houses built around Plaza San Martín: the Palacio San Martín and the Palacio Paz have been preserved to this day . However, behind the Retiro bus station is also the city's largest slum, Villa 31 .

history

On November 8, 1958, a serious railway accident occurred near Retiro : a suburban train to Tigre had stopped due to a signal interference . A second train hit him, heading for Pergamino . 22 people died, 100 were also injured.

The Israeli embassy on Arroyo Street was bombed on March 17, 1992, leaving 29 dead and 242 injured. Next to the Museo Fernández Blanco is a small green area, the former location of the embassy, ​​the outlines of which can still be seen on a house wall.

Monuments

The Retiro Plains used to be the training ground for the José de San Martins Granaderos unit. That is why there is now an equestrian statue of the independence hero on the Plaza General San Martín , as well as a memorial for the dead of the Falklands War in 1982.

On the other side of Retiro train station is a park where the Torre Monumental stands, a gift from Great Britain with the coat of arms of the United Kingdom on the base. Before the Falklands War in 1982, the tower was called Torre de los Ingleses (Tower of the English) before it was officially renamed. This object was and is still a popular target of vandalism because of the conflict with the British.

Web links

Commons : Retiro  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ^ Peter WB Semmens: Catastrophes on rails. A worldwide documentation. Transpress, Stuttgart 1996, ISBN 3-344-71030-3 , p. 162.

Coordinates: 34 ° 36 ′  S , 58 ° 23 ′  W