- Address: Plaza San Martín, Av. Alem s / n, Buenos Aires, Argentina
- Phone: +54 11 2299 1249
- Date of creation: 1860
Plaza San Martín is the main square of Retiro, an area in the eastern part of Buenos Aires . This is one of the most famous sights of the Argentine capital. This place is sometimes called the Square of Bulls, due to the fact that in 1801 an arena was opened here on which battles of these animals were held. The arena worked until 1819, and in 1822 it was demolished, but the name remained.
The first project on improvement was developed and implemented in 1860. The author of the project was the engineer Jose Canale. The territory was named Glory Square in honor of the Argentine soldiers killed here during the English invasion. Then it was redesigned two more times - in 1874 and 1936. Since 1942, the square is considered a national historical monument of Argentina .
Park in the square
The idea to plant an area with trees belonged to José Canal, and the park was destroyed at the same time, when the first improvement of the square took place. It is not too big, but very cozy, it is loved not only by the residents of Retiro, but also by other areas of Buenos Aires. Here grows a lot of tropical trees, including palms, ombus, magnolias, araucaria, and even such familiar trees as pines, willows and limes.
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Monument to General San Martin
Monument to Jose San Martin, a companion of Simon Bolivar, is a large sculptural group that includes the equestrian statue of the general himself (the horse under the rider only rests on the hind legs), as well as images of soldiers and Argentine women who escort their husbands, sons and lovers to the battle with the enemy.
The statue of the general was created in 1862 by sculptor Louis Doma. The remaining figures later, in 1910, was created by the German sculptor Gustav Eberlein. The pedestal of the monument depicts scenes of important events that took place during the struggle for independence, and allegorical figures of Glory and Military Valor. Various ceremonial military actions often take place near the monument.
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Other monuments and sculptures
On the square there is a memorial dedicated to the soldiers who fell during the so-called "Falkland War" (in the Spanish-speaking countries it is called the Malvinas War, as the Falkland Islands are called Malvinas in Spanish). Near the memorial is a permanent post: sometimes it is guarded by guardsmen, sometimes by sailors or representatives of other arms of Argentina. On the special plates of black marble are carved the names of all 649 soldiers who died as a result of the conflict.
In honor of the victory over the English invaders during the war of 1806-1807, a memorial sign was erected on San Martín Square, which is called Hito de la Argentinidad.
In the square there is a sculpture "Doubt", which belongs to Charles Cordier's incisor. It was created by a sculptor in 1905 and depicts a young man who has doubts about religion, and an elderly who tries to help the young man cope with uncertainty.
Buildings around San Martin Square
Around the square are several famous buildings:
- hotel "Plaza" - the first skyscraper in Buenos Aires, built in 1909;
- the palace of San Martin (or Anchorena) - today the Ceremonial headquarters of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Argentina is located there;
- "Officers' Palace" of Argentina (or "Paz"), which houses the National Arms Museum ;
- The English Tower is a gift to the city from the British community of the city;
- The building of Kavan , one of the most famous in the world buildings in the Art Deco style, until the 30s of the last century - the world's tallest construction of concrete;
- The Haedo Palace , where the National Parks Administration is located.
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How to get to San Martin Square?
You can get there, for example, from the Argentine Museum of Natural Sciences: you should first walk to the Angel Gallardo, take the B bus, drive 10 stops (to Carlos Pellegrini, go to the Diagonal Norte line, and drive 2 blocks to General San Martín .
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