La Plata

La Plata

La Plata was built from scratch as the capital of the province of Buenos Aires in the late 19th century. It is known mainly for its urban planning.

The geometric network of streets is intersected at an angle of 45 ° by diagonal alleys starting in the corners of the city and crossing in its very center. According to Benoit’s plans, there is a square there, which has become the nucleus of civic life. It is here that one of the most characteristic points of the city is located – the cathedral, which was to be crowned with high gothic towers. In addition to the complexity of its construction, the implementation of the project was slowed down by the recession and political upheavals of 1884. Eventually, the cathedral was opened in 1932, but it lacked towers. Works related to the completion of the cathedral began in 1997 and were completed two years later. The provincial administration buildings are located on the opposite side of the square. In the 1880s there was optimism that started to decline shortly thereafter. Although the construction of an infrastructure for electricity and running water was considered a technological marvel, the lack of permanent residents made La Plata a reputation as a ghost town. In 1890, the French Thèodore Childe stated that “the city has everything but its inhabitants and a reason to exist.” Despite subsequent efforts to revitalize the city, such as the new university campus built in 1905, it took much of the 20th century for La Plata to build a positive reputation.

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