La Plata () is the capital city of
Buenos Aires Province
Buenos Aires (), officially the Buenos Aires Province (''Provincia de Buenos Aires'' ), is the largest and most populous Argentine province. It takes its name from the city of Buenos Aires, the capital of the country, which used to be part of th ...
,
Argentina
Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...
. According to the , it has a population of 654,324 and its
metropolitan area
A metropolitan area or metro is a region that consists of a densely populated urban agglomeration and its surrounding territories sharing industries, commercial areas, transport network, infrastructures and housing. A metro area usually com ...
, the
Greater La Plata
Gran La Plata (Greater La Plata) is an urban agglomeration formed around the city of La Plata, in Buenos Aires Province, Argentina. It includes the La Plata, Berisso and Ensenada '' partidos'' (departments).
Location
Gran La Plata is located to ...
, has 787,294 inhabitants. It is located 9 kilometers (6 miles) inland from the southern shore of the
Río de la Plata estuary.
La Plata was
planned and developed to serve as the provincial capital after the city of
Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires ( or ; ), officially the Autonomous City of Buenos Aires ( es, link=no, Ciudad Autónoma de Buenos Aires), is the capital and primate city of Argentina. The city is located on the western shore of the Río de la Plata, on South ...
was
federalized in 1880. It was officially founded by Governor
Dardo Rocha
Dardo Rocha (September 1, 1838 – September 6, 1921) was an Argentine naval officer, lawyer and politician best known as the founder of the city of La Plata and of the University of La Plata.
Life and times
Juan José Dardo Rocha was born to ...
on 19 November 1882. Its construction is fully documented in photographs by Tomás Bradley Sutton. La Plata was briefly known as ''Ciudad Eva Perón'' (
Eva Perón City) between 1952 and 1955.
The city is home to two important
first division football
Football is a family of team sports that involve, to varying degrees, kicking a ball to score a goal. Unqualified, the word ''football'' normally means the form of football that is the most popular where the word is used. Sports commonly c ...
teams:
Estudiantes de La Plata
Club Estudiantes de La Plata ( lit. "Students from La Plata"), simply referred to as Estudiantes de La Plata , is an Argentine professional sports club based in La Plata. The club's football team currently competes in the Primera División, wh ...
and
Gimnasia y Esgrima La Plata
Club de Gimnasia y Esgrima La Plata (; ''La Plata Gymnastics and Fencing Club''), also known simply as Gimnasia, is an Argentine professional sports club based in the city of La Plata, Buenos Aires Province. Founded in 1887 as "Club de Gimnasia ...
.
History and description
![Crop of ISS067-E-176677 La Plata, Argentina and vicinity](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/b/be/Crop_of_ISS067-E-176677_La_Plata%2C_Argentina_and_vicinity.jpg)
After La Plata was designated the provincial capital, Rocha was placed in charge of creating the city. He hired urban planner
Pedro Benoit, who designed a city layout based on a
rationalist conception of urban centers. The city has the shape of a square with a central park and two main diagonal avenues, north to south and east to west. In addition, there are numerous other shorter diagonal streets. This design is copied in a
self-similar manner in small blocks of six by six blocks in length. For every six blocks, there is a small park or square. Other than the diagonal streets, all streets are on a rectangular grid and are numbered consecutively. Thus, La Plata is nicknamed "la ciudad de las diagonales" (city of diagonals). It is also called "la ciudad de los tilos" (city of
linden trees), because of the large number of linden trees lining the many streets and squares. The linden tree is one of a number of deciduous Northern Hemisphere tree species which dominate La Plata's parks and streets;
ash
Ash or ashes are the solid remnants of fires. Specifically, ''ash'' refers to all non-aqueous, non- gaseous residues that remain after something burns. In analytical chemistry, to analyse the mineral and metal content of chemical samples, ash ...
,
horsechestnut
The genus ''Aesculus'' ( or ), with species called buckeye and horse chestnut, comprises 13–19 species of flowering plants in the family Sapindaceae. They are trees and shrubs native to the temperate Northern Hemisphere, with six species n ...
,
plane
Plane(s) most often refers to:
* Aero- or airplane, a powered, fixed-wing aircraft
* Plane (geometry), a flat, 2-dimensional surface
Plane or planes may also refer to:
Biology
* Plane (tree) or ''Platanus'', wetland native plant
* Planes (gen ...
,
sweetgum
''Liquidambar'', commonly called sweetgum
(star gum in the UK),
gum, redgum, satin-walnut, or American storax, is the only genus in the flowering plant family Altingiaceae and has 15 species. They were formerly often treated in Hamamelidaceae ...
and
tulip tree
''Liriodendron'' () is a genus of two species of characteristically large trees, deciduous over most of their populations, in the magnolia family (Magnoliaceae).
These trees are widely known by the common name tulip tree or tuliptree for their ...
are among the other examples.
Palms and subtropical broadleaf evergreen trees thrive but are comparatively infrequent.
The city design and its buildings are noted to possess strong
Freemason
Freemasonry or Masonry refers to fraternal organisations that trace their origins to the local guilds of stonemasons that, from the end of the 13th century, regulated the qualifications of stonemasons and their interaction with authorities ...
symbolism as a consequence of both Rocha and Benoit being Freemasons.
The designs for the government buildings were chosen in an international architectural competition. Thus, the Governor Palace was designed by Italians, the City Hall by Germans, etc. Electric street lighting was installed in 1884 and was the first of its kind in Latin America.
Important landmarks
![Buenos Aires - La Plata1](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/0/03/Buenos_Aires_-_La_Plata1.jpg)
The neo-Gothic
cathedral of La Plata
:''To be distinguished from the Cathedral of Sucre, Bolivia, formerly La Plata''
The Cathedral of La Plata in La Plata, Argentina, dedicated to the Immaculate Conception, is the 58th List of tallest churches in the world, tallest church in the wor ...
is the largest church in Argentina. It is located on the central park, Plaza Moreno, and is the 58th tallest church in the world.
The
Teatro Argentino de La Plata
The Teatro Argentino de La Plata is the second most important lyric opera house in Argentina, after the Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires. The theatre is located in a central block of the city of La Plata, the capital of Buenos Aires Province. The ve ...
is one of the most important
opera house
An opera house is a theatre building used for performances of opera. It usually includes a stage, an orchestra pit, audience seating, and backstage facilities for costumes and building sets.
While some venues are constructed specifically for o ...
s in Argentina, second to the
Teatro Colón
The Teatro Colón (Spanish: ''Columbus Theatre'') is the main opera house in Buenos Aires, Argentina. It is considered one of the ten best opera houses in the world by National Geographic. According to a survey carried out by the acousti ...
in Buenos Aires. The construction was funded by the first inhabitants of La Plata, but as maintenance was very expensive it was later donated to the Province of Buenos Aires. On 18 October 1977 the building was almost completely destroyed by a fire. This has been noted as one of the largest losses to La Plata's historical heritage. It was later replaced by a new building, which houses the theatre's orchestra, choir and ballet, boasting several halls.
![PA280461](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/a/ad/PA280461.JPG)
The
Curutchet House
The Curutchet House, La Plata, Argentina, is a building by Le Corbusier. It was commissioned by Dr. Pedro Domingo Curutchet, a surgeon, in 1948 and included a small medical office on the ground floor. The house consists of four main levels wi ...
is one of the two buildings by
Le Corbusier
Charles-Édouard Jeanneret (6 October 188727 August 1965), known as Le Corbusier ( , , ), was a Swiss-French architect, designer, painter, urban planner, writer, and one of the pioneers of what is now regarded as modern architecture. He was ...
built in the Americas.
The
University of La Plata was founded in 1897 and nationalized in 1905. It is well known for its
observatory
An observatory is a location used for observing terrestrial, marine, or celestial events. Astronomy, climatology/meteorology, geophysical, oceanography and volcanology are examples of disciplines for which observatories have been constructed. His ...
and
natural history museum.
Ernesto Sabato graduated in Physics at this university; he went on to teach at the
Sorbonne and the
MIT before becoming a famed novelist. Doctor
René Favaloro
René Gerónimo Favaloro (July 12, 1923 – July 29, 2000) was an Argentine cardiac surgeon and educator best known for his pioneering work on coronary artery bypass surgery using the great saphenous vein.
Early life
Favaloro was born in 192 ...
was another famous alumnus. During its early years, the university attracted a number of renowned intellectuals from the Spanish-speaking world, such as Dominican
Pedro Henríquez Ureña
Pedro Henríquez Ureña (June 29, 1884 – May 11, 1946) was a Dominican essayist, philosopher, humanist, philologist and literary critic.
Biography
Early works
Pedro Henríquez Ureña was born in Santo Domingo, the third of four siblings. He ...
.
is on the corner of 48th and 5th Streets. It was the first chapel in La Plata and Pedro Benoit himself drew up the plans for the church. It was inaugurated on 19 November 1883, the first anniversary of the foundation of the city. Its
neo-Gothic style
Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic, neo-Gothic, or Gothick) is an architectural movement that began in the late 1740s in England. The movement gained momentum and expanded in the first half of the 19th century, as increasingly ...
has been well kept, and the inner paintings are now being restored. Then-governor Rocha was the one to name it "San Ponciano". This was both in memory of his son Ponciano and in honor of pope
St. Ponciano. Inside the church is the "Virgen de Luján" niche, which was moved here in 1904.
La Plata in the 20th century
Under
Alvear's administration (1922–1928),
Enrique Mosconi, the president of the state oil company ''
Yacimientos Petrolíferos Fiscales
YPF S.A. (, formerly ; English: "Fiscal Oilfields") is a vertically integrated, majority state-owned Argentine energy company, engaged in oil and gas exploration and production, and the transportation, refining, and marketing of gas and petr ...
'', created the La Plata
distillery
Distillation, or classical distillation, is the process of separating the components or substances from a liquid mixture by using selective boiling and condensation, usually inside an apparatus known as a still. Dry distillation is the heati ...
, at the time the tenth largest in the world.
Felipe Pigna
Felipe Pigna (born
29 May 1959) is an Argentine historian and writer. He is among the best-selling authors from Argentina.
Biography
Pigna teaches at the Escuela Superior de Comercio Carlos Pellegrini, directing the ''Ver la Historia'' proje ...
, ''Los Mitos de la historia argentina, 3'', ed. Planeta Historia y Sociedad 2006, p. 153.
![La Plata - Estación del Ferrocarril Roca](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/e6/La_Plata_-_Estaci%C3%B3n_del_Ferrocarril_Roca.jpg)
On 10 December 1945, in the Parish church of St. Francis of Assisi in this city,
Juan Domingo Perón and
Eva Duarte
Eva or EVA may refer to:
* Eva (name), a feminine given name
Arts, entertainment, and media Fictional characters
* Eva (Dynamite Entertainment), a comic book character by Dynamite Entertainment
* Eva (''Devil May Cry''), Dante's mother in t ...
were married.
In 1952 the city was renamed
Ciudad Eva Perón, though its original name was restored in 1955.
In March 1976 the Argentine military seized power following a
coup d'état
A coup d'état (; French for 'stroke of state'), also known as a coup or overthrow, is a seizure and removal of a government and its powers. Typically, it is an illegal seizure of power by a political faction, politician, cult, rebel group, m ...
, which involved the disappearing of a number of students from La Plata. The military junta had implemented what was called the
National Reorganization Process
The National Reorganization Process (Spanish: ''Proceso de Reorganización Nacional'', often simply ''el Proceso'', "the Process") was the military dictatorship that ruled Argentina from 1976 to 1983, in which it was supported by the United Sta ...
which was a set of policies used by the regime to destroy left-wing guerrilla forces and oppress resistance to its rule. The process included kidnappings, torture and murder. Meanwhile, the
Montoneros
Montoneros ( es, link=no, Movimiento Peronista Montonero-MPM) was an Argentine left-wing Peronist guerrilla organization, active throughout the 1970s and early 1980s. The name is an allusion to the 19th-century cavalry militias called Montoner ...
, a leftist guerilla group, responded violently to the junta and its actions as they enlisted other Argentines to join their campaign against the regime. Those enlisted included young, left-wing, politically active students from the organization named the ''Unión de Estudiantes Secundarios'' (Union of High School Students) of La Plata. The UES was committed to achieving school reforms and other political reforms through demonstrations and protests that irked the ruling regime. Many of these students were kidnapped and killed as part of this conflict.
In October 1998,
UNESCO
The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations (UN) aimed at promoting world peace and security through international cooperation in education, arts, sciences and culture. It ...
approved the city's bid to gain recognition as a
World Heritage
A World Heritage Site is a landmark or area with legal protection by an international convention administered by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO). World Heritage Sites are designated by UNESCO for h ...
site. The approval is still pending due to various objections to the criterion of maintaining architectural and landscape features during recent decades, which in the opinion of other specialists, has caused severe damage to the original design and contextual aesthetics.
Sports and stadiums
The
Estadio Ciudad de La Plata
The Estadio Único Diego Armando Maradona (''One-of-a kind Diego Armando Maradona Stadium'', formerly Estadio Ciudad de La Plata) is a multi-purpose stadium located in the city of La Plata, Argentina. It is also known popularly as the Estadio Ún ...
, also known as the "Estadio Único", opened on 7 June 2003, as one of the most modern football stadiums in Latin America. Various other construction and renovation projects have continued, including the addition of a roof structure.
Estudiantes has become a permanent tenant of the new stadium while their
own stadium is being modernized;
Gimnasia La Plata
Club de Gimnasia y Esgrima La Plata (; ''La Plata Gymnastics and Fencing Club''), also known simply as Gimnasia, is an Argentine professional sports club based in the city of La Plata, Buenos Aires Province. Founded in 1887 as "Club de Gimnasia ...
has only played occasional home games in this stadium. In 2011, the Estadio Ciudad de La Plata was one of the host sites for the
2011 Copa America
Eleven or 11 may refer to:
*11 (number), the natural number following 10 and preceding 12
* one of the years 11 BC, AD 11, 1911, 2011, or any year ending in 11
Literature
* ''Eleven'' (novel), a 2006 novel by British author David Llewellyn
*''El ...
including an opening-round match between
Argentina
Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...
and
Bolivia
, image_flag = Bandera de Bolivia (Estado).svg
, flag_alt = Horizontal tricolor (red, yellow, and green from top to bottom) with the coat of arms of Bolivia in the center
, flag_alt2 = 7 × 7 square p ...
, a semifinal game, and the third-place final. Now, the stadium is additionally used for concerts and
Puma
Puma or PUMA may refer to:
Animals
* ''Puma'' (genus), a genus in the family Felidae
** Puma (species) or cougar, a large cat
Businesses and organisations
* Puma (brand), a multinational shoe and sportswear company
* Puma Energy, a mid- and d ...
matches.
During 2009, following a series of agreements between the city municipality, the governor of the province and the nation's presidency, progress was made in the final transfer of the land of the Paseo del Bosque to
Estudiantes and
Gimnasia La Plata
Club de Gimnasia y Esgrima La Plata (; ''La Plata Gymnastics and Fencing Club''), also known simply as Gimnasia, is an Argentine professional sports club based in the city of La Plata, Buenos Aires Province. Founded in 1887 as "Club de Gimnasia ...
clubs. On 24 June 2009, the Deliberative Council adopted the convention and the ordinance for which Gimnasia and Estudiantes clubs received "grants" for the lands on which their home grounds are currently located within El Bosque (The Forest).
Elections and civic advances
On 28 October 2007,
Pablo Bruera
Pablo Oscar Bruera (born 1 October 1964) is an Argentinian politician, who was the mayor of La Plata, the capital of Buenos Aires province, from 2007 to 2015. On December 9, 2007, Bruera replaced incumbent Julio Alak
Julio César Alak (born 9 ...
was elected mayor with 26% of the votes, replacing
Julio Alak
Julio César Alak (born 9 January 1958) is an Argentine politician. From 1991 to 2007 he was ''intendente'' (mayor) of La Plata, the capital city of Buenos Aires Province. He served as Minister of Justice and Human Rights of Argentina from 2009 ...
, who had been mayor since 1991.
On 25 February 2009, La Plata debuted a parking system that uses text messaging (SMS), thus becoming the first city in Argentina to use technology applications to control parking.
Pasaje Rodrigo A traditional "galería" (the older version of shopping malls in Argentina), which had been opened in 1929 by Spanish immigrant Basilio Rodrigo and had been closed to the public for 10 years, reopened its doors in April 2009 as Pasaje Rodrigo shopping mall.
On 25 October 2015, Julio Garro was elected mayor with 41,35% of the votes, replacing
Pablo Bruera
Pablo Oscar Bruera (born 1 October 1964) is an Argentinian politician, who was the mayor of La Plata, the capital of Buenos Aires province, from 2007 to 2015. On December 9, 2007, Bruera replaced incumbent Julio Alak
Julio César Alak (born 9 ...
, who had been mayor since 2007.
Geography
Location
Located in the north-eastern area of the
province of Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires (), officially the Buenos Aires Province (''Provincia de Buenos Aires'' ), is the largest and most populous Argentine province. It takes its name from the city of Buenos Aires, the capital of the country, which used to be part of th ...
, La Plata is surrounded by
Ensenada and
Berisso
Berisso is a city and the head town of the '' partido'' of Berisso in Buenos Aires Province, Argentina. It forms part of the Greater La Plata urban area and has a population of approximately 95,021 as of 2001.
People
Berisso was founded by Italia ...
to the northeast,
Berazategui :''This article contains information about the town of Berazategui. See also Berazategui Partido for the wider neighbourhood.''
Berazategui is a city in Buenos Aires Province, Argentina, located to the south-east of Quilmes. It is the head town ...
and
Florencio Varela to the northwest,
San Vicente and
Coronel Brandsen to the southwest and south, and
Magdalena, to the southeast, occupying an area of 893 km
2.
The metropolitan area of La Plata includes the neighborhoods of Tolosa, Ringuelet, Manuel B. Gonnet, City Bell, Villa Elisa, Melchor Romero, Abasto, Gorina, José Hernández, Ángel Etcheverry, Arturo Seguí, Los Hornos, Lisandro Olmos, Villa Elvira and Altos de San Lorenzo, all of which have community centers that operate as local delegations.
Climate
![Clima La Plata (Argentina)](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/3/30/Clima_La_Plata_%28Argentina%29.PNG)
La Plata has a
humid subtropical climate
A humid subtropical climate is a zone of climate characterized by hot and humid summers, and cool to mild winters. These climates normally lie on the southeast side of all continents (except Antarctica), generally between latitudes 25° and 40° ...
(''Cfa'' under the
Köppen climate classification
The Köppen climate classification is one of the most widely used climate classification systems. It was first published by German-Russian climatologist Wladimir Köppen (1846–1940) in 1884, with several later modifications by Köppen, notabl ...
).
During winter, temperatures are cool during the day and cold during the night, even reaching below freezing.
The average temperature in the coldest month, July, is . Winters tend to be cloudier than summer, averaging around 10 overcast days from June to August, compared to 6 overcast days from December to February.
Summers are warm to hot with a January high of while nighttime temperatures are cooler, averaging . Spring and fall are transition seasons, featuring warm daytime temperatures and cool nighttime temperatures, highly variable with some days reaching above and below .
The city is fairly humid, owing to its coastal location, having an average monthly humidity higher than 75%. La Plata receives of precipitation annually, with winters being the drier months and summer the wetter months. On average, La Plata receives 2,285 hours of sunshine a year, or 51% of possible sunshine, ranging from a low of 41% in June and July to 62% in February.
The highest temperature recorded was on 18 December 1995 while the lowest temperature recorded was on 14 June 1967.
[
Snowfall is extremely rare in the city with only 5 major snowfall events: July 1912, 1928, 22 June 1981, 9 July 2007 during the ]July 2007 Argentine winter storm
The July 2007 Argentine winter storm resulted from the interaction of an area of low pressure systems across central Argentina and the entry of a massive polar cold snap during the 6–8 July 2007; it was the worst winter of Argentina in almost ...
, and on 6 June 2012.
Earthquakes
The region lies on the Punta del Este fault, and its latest event occurred on 30 November 2018 at 10:27 UTC−3 with a magnitude of 3.8 on the Richter scale. This earthquake was totally unusual in La Plata, a city where the last earthquake had been on 5 June 1888 (128 years before) with a magnitude of 5.5 on the Richter scale.
Government
Given the federal system of government in Argentina there are three orders or ranks: the National, Provincial and Municipal.
Power of the executive branch in La Plata is exercised by the municipal mayor, elected by popular vote every four years with the possibility of unlimited reelection. The town hall is known as the Palacio Municipal, and is located in the block surrounded by streets 51, 53, 11 and 12, in the city center. It is one of the important buildings that surround Plaza Moreno, and is opposite the cathedral.
The city government is divided into different areas. These are: Private Secretary, Secretary General, Ministry of Economy, Ministry of Public Management, Social Development Secretariat, Ministry of Culture, Ministry of Modernization and Economic Development, Ministry of Justice, Secretary of Health and Social Medicine, Chief of Staff, Regional Market La Plata, Management Consortium Puerto La Plata, Executive Unit Revenue Agency, Environment Agency Implementation Unit, Human Rights Department, Ministry of Government, Policy Planning Council, Regional Production and Employment, and the city council.
As it is the capital of the Province of Buenos Aires, La Plata is also home to the three provincial powers: the provincial executive (led at the moment by the Governor
A governor is an administrative leader and head of a polity or political region, ranking under the head of state and in some cases, such as governors-general, as the head of state's official representative. Depending on the type of political ...
) along with its ministries, the judiciary, and the provincial Legislature
In South Africa, a provincial legislature is the legislative branch of the government of a province.'' Chapter 6: Provinces'', Constitution of the Republic of South Africa, 1996. The provincial legislatures are unicameral and vary in size from 30 ...
.
Economy
According to the National Economic Survey 2004–2005, out of a total of 23,844 local listings 90% are dedicated to the production of goods and services, 4% belonged to the Civil Service, 2% are for semi sideshows or removable; 1% are for worship, political parties and unions, and the remaining 2% was in the process of classification.
Finance
La Plata has a Stock Market
Bolsa de Comercio
founded in 1960, a member of the Argentine stock market system.
In the city there are branches of major banks operating in the country, including Banco Nación, Banco Provincia, Banco Ciudad de Buenos Aires, Banco Hipotecario, HSBC
HSBC Holdings plc is a British multinational universal bank and financial services holding company. It is the largest bank in Europe by total assets ahead of BNP Paribas, with US$2.953 trillion as of December 2021. In 2021, HSBC had $10.8 tri ...
, Citigroup
Citigroup Inc. or Citi (Style (visual arts), stylized as citi) is an American multinational investment banking, investment bank and financial services corporation headquartered in New York City. The company was formed by the merger of banking ...
, Banco Itaú
Banco Itaú S.A. was a former Brazilian bank that merged with Unibanco on November 4, 2008, to form Banco Itaú Unibanco.
History
Banco Itaú began in 1945 under the name ''Banco Central de Crédito'' (Central Bank of Credit) and later changed ...
, Francés, Macro, Standard Bank, etc.
Transport
'' Trenes Argentinos'' operate a rail service (Roca Line
The Roca line is a gauge commuter rail service in the Buenos Aires Province, Argentina, part of General Roca Railway network. The service is currently operated by State-owned company Trenes Argentinos, from the city-centre terminus of Const ...
) between La Plata and Constitución station
Constitución is Spanish for "constitution" and may refer to:
Geography
Argentina
*Constitución, Buenos Aires, a neighborhood in central Buenos Aires, where the Estación Constitución railway station is located
*Constitución Department, Santa F ...
in Buenos Aires via Berazategui. It runs every 24 to 30 minutes Mondays to Saturdays and every 40 minutes on Sundays. In addition, there is a shuttle service '' Tren Universitario'' between La Plata station and Policlínico operating five to eight times a day.
The city's air transportation needs are served by La Plata Airport
La Plata Airport ( es, Aeropuerto de La Plata) is a small airport serving La Plata, the capital city of the Buenos Aires Province, Argentina. The airport is southeast of the centre of the city, and has a terminal.
The former Runway 14/32 is ...
.
Population
The greater metropolitan area, according to the National Census of Population and Housing 2010, has a population of 787,294 inhabitants.
Furthermore, the La Plata urban area's population since 1960 was developed as follows:
* 1960 Census: 337,060 inhabitants.
* 1970 Census: 391,247 inhabitants.[
* 1980 Census: 459,054 inhabitants.]
* 1991 Census: 521,759 inhabitants.[
* 2001 Census: 763,943 inhabitants.]
* 2010 Census: 799,523 inhabitants.
International communities
The Spanish community's contributions include the renowned Spanish Hospital. Spain has also acknowledged the community by installing a consulate in the city of La Plata.
The Arab community also has several institutions, including the Syriac Orthodox
, native_name_lang = syc
, image = St_George_Syriac_orthodox_church_in_Damascus.jpg
, imagewidth = 250
, alt = Cathedral of Saint George
, caption = Cathedral of Saint George, Damascu ...
Welfare Assoc, Assoc Islamic Argentino de La Plata, and the Lebanese Society of La Plata.
The Jewish community of La Plata has numerous institutions. These include AMIA La Plata (Asociación Mutual Israelita Argentina), which has under its orbit Hebrew School Chaim Nachman Bialik and the Jewish cemetery of the city, the Beit Chabad La Plata, part of Chabad Lubavitch Argentina.
Education
La Plata hosts one of the most renowned universities in Argentina, the National University of La Plata (Spanish: Universidad Nacional de La Plata, UNLP).
It has over 75,000 regular students, 8,000 teaching staff, 16 faculties and 106 available degrees.
UNLP students and professors include:
*Raúl Alfonsín
Raúl Ricardo Alfonsín (12 March 1927 – 31 March 2009) was an Argentine lawyer and statesman who served as President of Argentina from 10 December 1983 to 8 July 1989. He was the first democratically elected president after more than ...
(Law degree in 1950) President of Argentina (1983–1989)
* Néstor Kirchner (Law degree) President of Argentina (2003–2007)
* Cristina Fernández de Kirchner (Law degree) President of Argentina (terms 2007–2011, 2011–2015)
*René Favaloro
René Gerónimo Favaloro (July 12, 1923 – July 29, 2000) was an Argentine cardiac surgeon and educator best known for his pioneering work on coronary artery bypass surgery using the great saphenous vein.
Early life
Favaloro was born in 192 ...
(Medicine degree in 1949, creator of the technique for coronary bypass surgery)
*Carlos Saavedra Lamas
Carlos Saavedra Lamas (November 1, 1878–May 5, 1959) was an Argentine academic and politician, and in 1936, the first Latin American Nobel Peace Prize recipient.
Biography
Born in Buenos Aires, Saavedra Lamas was a descendant of an early Arge ...
(Law teacher, rector and Nobel Peace Prize
The Nobel Peace Prize is one of the five Nobel Prizes established by the will of Swedish industrialist, inventor and armaments (military weapons and equipment) manufacturer Alfred Nobel, along with the prizes in Nobel Prize in Chemistry, Chemi ...
)
* Ernesto Sabato (Physics PhD in 1937)
*Mario Bunge
Mario Augusto Bunge (; ; September 21, 1919 – February 24, 2020) was an Argentine-Canadian philosopher and physicist. His philosophical writings combined scientific realism, systemism, materialism, emergentism, and other principles.
He was ...
(Physics-Mathematics PhD in 1952)
*Florentino Ameghino
Florentino Ameghino (born Giovanni Battista Fiorino Giuseppe Ameghino September 19, 1853 – August 6, 1911) was an Argentine naturalist, paleontologist, anthropologist and zoologist, whose fossil discoveries on the Argentine Pampas, especially ...
(Professor of geology)
* Juan José Arévalo (Philosophy PhD in 1934, 24th President of Guatemala
The president of Guatemala ( es, Presidente de Guatemala), officially known as the President of the Republic of Guatemala ( es, Presidente de la República de Guatemala), is the head of state and head of government of Guatemala, elected to a ...
)
* Emilio Pettoruti (painter)
*Pedro Henríquez Ureña
Pedro Henríquez Ureña (June 29, 1884 – May 11, 1946) was a Dominican essayist, philosopher, humanist, philologist and literary critic.
Biography
Early works
Pedro Henríquez Ureña was born in Santo Domingo, the third of four siblings. He ...
(Dominican essayist, philosopher, humanist, philologist and literary critic)
Four high school institutes are under UNLP control and three of them are located in La Plata:
* Rafael Hernández National High School (Spanish: ''Colegio Nacional Rafael Hernández'')
* Víctor Mercante Lyceum (Spanish: ''Liceo Víctor Mercante'')
* Fine Arts High School (Spanish: ''Bachillerato de Bellas Artes'')
La Plata is also home of four other universities:
* '' Universidad Católica de La Plata''
* '' Universidad Notarial Argentina''
* '' Facultad Regional de la Universidad Tecnológica Nacional''.
* '' Universidad del Este - La Plata''
Students come to these four universities from every part of Argentina and other countries, giving the city a rich young multicultural lifestyle.
There is also an international school for translators, '' Traductorado''.
Architecture and the composition of the city
La Plata is a planned city
A planned community, planned city, planned town, or planned settlement is any community that was carefully planned from its inception and is typically constructed on previously undeveloped land. This contrasts with settlements that evolve ...
, characterized by a strict grid crossed with diagonal avenues. The two major diagonals, 73 and 74, cross the city from east to west and from north to south, respectively. They converge in Plaza Moreno at the center of the city. This square houses the foundation stone and is the main square of the city. To either side are the City Hall
In local government, a city hall, town hall, civic centre (in the UK or Australia), guildhall, or a municipal building (in the Philippines), is the chief administrative building of a city, town, or other municipality. It usually houses ...
and cathedral of La Plata
:''To be distinguished from the Cathedral of Sucre, Bolivia, formerly La Plata''
The Cathedral of La Plata in La Plata, Argentina, dedicated to the Immaculate Conception, is the 58th List of tallest churches in the world, tallest church in the wor ...
. Highlights of the city are the Museum of Natural Sciences, the building of the Interior, the Provincial Legislature, the new theater and the hippodrome. Many of these buildings were built at the time of the founding of the city, following an international call for proposals.
Another work is the parent company of ''Banco de la Provincia de Buenos Aires'', located between the streets 6, 7, 46 and 47. This building was designed by architects Juan A. Buschiazzo and Luis Viglione. It opened on 19 April 1886, being amended in 1913 and in the 1970s.
It is a very green city, with its largest park being the "''Paseo del Bosque''" (or simply 'the forest'). Twenty-two other parks and squares contain much of the city's trees and greenery. Other landmarks include the lake, the Martin Fierro amphitheater, the Parque Pereyra Iraola, the Zoo and Botanical Garden, the Victorian astronomical observatory, and the Natural History Museum. One notable attraction is the Children's Republic, which is said to have inspired Walt Disney
Walter Elias Disney (; December 5, 1901December 15, 1966) was an American animator, film producer and entrepreneur. A pioneer of the American animation industry, he introduced several developments in the production of cartoons. As a film p ...
to build Disneyland
Disneyland is a amusement park, theme park in Anaheim, California. Opened in 1955, it was the first theme park opened by The Walt Disney Company and the only one designed and constructed under the direct supervision of Walt Disney. Disney in ...
after he visited it during a trip to Argentina.
In 1977 the city lost one of its most valuable monuments to a fire: the Teatro Argentino de La Plata
The Teatro Argentino de La Plata is the second most important lyric opera house in Argentina, after the Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires. The theatre is located in a central block of the city of La Plata, the capital of Buenos Aires Province. The ve ...
, predominantly built in a neoclassic style. After the fire, a new brutalist style theater was built in its place. The city also has the Estadio Ciudad de La Plata
The Estadio Único Diego Armando Maradona (''One-of-a kind Diego Armando Maradona Stadium'', formerly Estadio Ciudad de La Plata) is a multi-purpose stadium located in the city of La Plata, Argentina. It is also known popularly as the Estadio Ún ...
, a stadium influenced by modern High-tech architecture, planned and built after a national competition during the 1970s. It was amended in a subsequent project to expand capacity and include a roof. The construction of a semitransaparent deck of kevlar and plastic resins was finished in January 2011.
La Plata has one commercial airport, Aeropuerto de La Plata, which is not served by any airlines.
Awards received by the city
The city was awarded at the Exposition Universelle in Paris in 1889, an event in which the new city was given the two gold medals awarded in the categories "City of the Future" and "Better performance built."
La Plata Cemetery
The municipal cemetery of La Plata was established in 1886 for the new capital of the province of Buenos Aires. It was designed by Pedro Benoit. It lies on the intersection of Avenue 31, 72 and diagonal 74 in the southern tip. It has some remarkable architectural features, both in its main entrance and in many of the family vaults, including neoclassical, Neo-Gothic, Art Nouveau
Art Nouveau (; ) is an international style of art, architecture, and applied art, especially the decorative arts. The style is known by different names in different languages: in German, in Italian, in Catalan, and also known as the Modern ...
(in its variant of Catalan Art Nouveau), Art Deco
Art Deco, short for the French ''Arts Décoratifs'', and sometimes just called Deco, is a style of visual arts, architecture, and product design, that first appeared in France in the 1910s (just before World War I), and flourished in the Unite ...
and Egyptian revival styles. The main entrance is an impressive neo-classical portico with Doric columns. The Catholic chapel, in Romanesque revival style, was finished in 1950.
Its annex, the Jewish Cemetery, belongs to the Asociación Mutual Israelita Argentina in La Plata and is located on Avenue 72.
Sports
The main soccer clubs in the city are Estudiantes de La Plata
Club Estudiantes de La Plata ( lit. "Students from La Plata"), simply referred to as Estudiantes de La Plata , is an Argentine professional sports club based in La Plata. The club's football team currently competes in the Primera División, wh ...
(known as "pinchas") and Gimnasia y Esgrima La Plata
Club de Gimnasia y Esgrima La Plata (; ''La Plata Gymnastics and Fencing Club''), also known simply as Gimnasia, is an Argentine professional sports club based in the city of La Plata, Buenos Aires Province. Founded in 1887 as "Club de Gimnasia ...
, both of which currently play in the Argentine Primera Division. Estudiantes is the sole team within the city to win a national or international title. La Plata has Liga Amateur Platense de fútbol that encompasses various clubs in the region, such as Club Atlético Estrella de Berisso, La Plata FC
LA most frequently refers to Los Angeles, the second largest city in the United States.
La, LA, or L.A. may also refer to:
Arts and entertainment Music
* La (musical note), or A, the sixth note
* "L.A.", a song by Elliott Smith on ''Figure ...
, Asociación Nueva Alianza, and Club Everton.
Basketball has a place in the Torneo Nacional de Ascenso (National Ascent Tournament), through Gimnasia y Esgrima La Plata
Club de Gimnasia y Esgrima La Plata (; ''La Plata Gymnastics and Fencing Club''), also known simply as Gimnasia, is an Argentine professional sports club based in the city of La Plata, Buenos Aires Province. Founded in 1887 as "Club de Gimnasia ...
. In addition, through the Asociación Platense de Basquetbol, La Plata has leagues and tournaments for all levels and categories, including Gimnasia y Esgrima La Plata, Estudiantes, Centro Fomento de Los Hornos Club Atenas, Unión Vecinal Unión may refer to:
Places
* Unión, Paraguay
* Unión Municipality, Falcón, Venezuela
* Unión, Montevideo
Unión is a ''neighbourhood'' of Montevideo, Uruguay.
Location
Unión shares borders with Mercado Modelo and Villa Española to the nort ...
, Centro de Fomento Meridiano V, and Club Cultural y Deportivo Juventud
Club may refer to:
Arts, entertainment, and media
* Club (magazine), ''Club'' (magazine)
* Club, a ''Yie Ar Kung-Fu'' character
* Clubs (suit), a suit of playing cards
* Club music
* "Club", by Kelsea Ballerini from the album ''kelsea''
Brands a ...
.
Auto racing
Auto racing (also known as car racing, motor racing, or automobile racing) is a motorsport involving the racing of automobiles for competition.
Auto racing has existed since the invention of the automobile. Races of various sorts were organise ...
also has its importance in the city in the form of the Turismo Carretera
Turismo Carretera (Road racing, lit., ''Road Touring'') is a popular stock car racing series in Argentina, and the oldest auto racing series still active in the world. The series is organized by Asociación Corredores de Turismo Carretera.
The ...
. There is also a race track named Autódromo Roberto José Mouras in honor of the historic Chevrolet
Chevrolet ( ), colloquially referred to as Chevy and formally the Chevrolet Motor Division of General Motors Company, is an American automobile division of the American manufacturer General Motors (GM). Louis Chevrolet (1878–1941) and ous ...
driver died in Lobos
Lobos is the headquarters city of the Lobos Partido in Buenos Aires Province, Argentina. It was founded on 2 June 1802 by José Salgado.
Background
Located 100 km from Buenos Aires, Lobos is currently a fertile agricultural area known ma ...
in 1992. Gastón Mazzacane
Gastón Hugo Mazzacane (born 8 May 1975) is an Argentine racing driver. He participated in 21 Formula One Grands Prix, debuting on 12 March 2000. He scored no championship points. His father, Hugo Mazzacane named him after Argentine touring car r ...
is from the city as well. After 21 races in Formula 1
Formula One (also known as Formula 1 or F1) is the highest class of international racing for open-wheel single-seater formula racing cars sanctioned by the Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA). The World Drivers' Championship, ...
, he also competed in the Champ Car
Champ Car World Series (CCWS) was the series sanctioned by Open-Wheel Racing Series Inc., or Champ Car, a sanctioning body for American open-wheel car racing that operated from 2004 to 2008. It was the successor to Championship Auto Racing Teams ( ...
and Top Race V6 series.
Culture
Culture has a major role in the city of La Plata. This is reflected in the large amount of cultural centers, theaters, museums, cinemas and libraries that are in the city, as well as the Universidad Nacional de La Plata
The La Plata National University ( es, Universidad Nacional de La Plata, UNLP) is one of the most important Argentine national universities and the biggest one situated in the city of La Plata, capital of Buenos Aires Province. It has over 90, ...
and the observatory
An observatory is a location used for observing terrestrial, marine, or celestial events. Astronomy, climatology/meteorology, geophysical, oceanography and volcanology are examples of disciplines for which observatories have been constructed. His ...
.
*Cultural centers: Centro Cultural Pasaje Dardo Rocha
Centro may refer to:
Places Brazil
*Centro, Santa Maria, a neighborhood in Santa Maria, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil
* Centro, Porto Alegre, a neighborhood of Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil
* Centro (Duque de Caxias), a neighborhood of Du ...
, Centro Cultural Islas Malvinas
Centro may refer to:
Places Brazil
*Centro, Santa Maria, a neighborhood in Santa Maria, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil
* Centro, Porto Alegre, a neighborhood of Porto Alegre, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil
*Centro (Duque de Caxias), a neighborhood of Duq ...
, Centro Cultural Estación Provincial, Centro Cultural Viejo Almacén El Obrero, Centro de Cultura & Comunicación, Centro Cultural El Núcleo, Centro Actividades Artísticas CRISOLES, Centro Cultural Los Hornos, Centro Cultural y Social El Galpón de Tolosa.
*Theaters: Teatro Argentino de La Plata
The Teatro Argentino de La Plata is the second most important lyric opera house in Argentina, after the Teatro Colón in Buenos Aires. The theatre is located in a central block of the city of La Plata, the capital of Buenos Aires Province. The ve ...
, Teatro Municipal Coliseo Podestá, Anfiteatro Martín Fierro, Teatro La Nonna, Teatro La Hermandad del Princesa, Sala 420, Taller de Teatro de la UNLP, Complejo El Teatro, Teatro La Lechuza.
*Museums: Museo de Ciencias Naturales, , Museo Provincial de Bellas Artes, Museo Municipal de Bellas Artes, Museo de Arte Fra. Angélico, Museo de Instrumentos Musicales Colección Dr. Emilio Azzarini, Museo Histórico del Fuerte de la Ensenada de Barragán, Museo y Archivo Dardo Rocha, Museo Almafuerte, Museo del Teatro Argentino, Museo José Juan Podestá, Museo de la Catedral, Museo Indigenista Yana Kúntur, Museo Internacional de Muñecos, Museo del Automóvil Colección Rau, Museo del Tango Platense, Museo Policial Inspector Mayor Vesiroglos, Museo Histórico Contralmirante Chalier (Escuela Naval de Río Santiago), Museo Histórico Militar Tte. Julio A. Roca, Museo de Anatomía Veterinaria Dr. Víctor M. Arroyo, Museo de Artesanía Tradicional Juan Alfonso Carrizo, Museo de Astronomía y Geofísica, Museo de Botánica y Farmacognosia Dr. Carlos Spegazzini, Museo y Casa de Descanso Samay Huasi, Museo de Física, Museo de Historia de la Medicina Dr. Santiago Gorostiague, Museo Biblioteca de Química y Farmacia Prof. Dr. Carlos Sagastume, Museo de Odontología, Museo de Ciencias Agrarias y Forestales Prof. Julio Ocampo.
*Libraries: Biblioteca Central General José de San Martín, Biblioteca Municipal Francisco López Merino, Biblioteca de la Universidad Nacional de La Plata, Biblioteca de la Legislatura de la Provincia.
*Cinemas: Cinema San Martín, Cinema 8, Cinema City, Cinema Paradiso, Cinema Rocha, Cine Select, Espacio INCAA
The National Institute of Cinema and Audiovisual Arts ( es, Instituto Nacional de Cine y Artes Audiovisuales, INCAA; also referred to as the Argentine National Film Board) is an agency of the Government of Argentina. It promotes the Argentine ...
km. 60.
There were big personalities in the cultural sphere from the city: Paula Almerares
Paula or PAULA may refer to:
Arts and entertainment Fictional characters
* Paula, in video game ''EarthBound''
* Paula, List of The Larry Sanders Show characters, in ''The Larry Sanders Show''
* Paula Campbell (EastEnders), Paula Campbell (''East ...
(opera singer, soprano); Dante Anzolini (conductor); Efraín U. Bischoff (historian), José Walter Gavito (sculptor), Osvaldo Golijov (classical composer), Robert Noble
Robert Laing Noble (February 3, 1910 – December 11, 1990) was a Canadian physician who was involved in the discovery of vinblastine.
Born in Toronto, Ontario, he received his M.D. from the University of Toronto in 1934 and a Ph.D. in 1937 ...
(journalist and socialist politician, founder and first editor of the newspaper Clarín), Emilio Pettoruti (painter), Ernesto Tenenbaum (Reporter), María Dhialma Tiberti
María Dhialma Tiberti ( La Plata, Argentina, 25 October 1928 – San Isidro, Argentina, 16 January 1987) was an Argentine writer. Married to the well known scientist Gregorio Baro, she studied at the ''Escuela Normal Nº1 Mary O’Graham'', ...
(writer), Iñaki Urlezaga
Iñaki Urlezaga is an Argentine ballet dancer.
He trained in his hometown of La Plata. She studied at the Instituto Superior de Arte del Columbus Theatre in Buenos Aires, where she received a scholarship to study at the American Ballet, where ...
(classical dancer), Álvaro Yunque (writer), Jorge and Federico D'Elia (actors); Adabel Guerrero
Adabel Anahí Guerrero Melachenko (; born July 18, 1978), better known simply as Adabel Guerrero, is an Argentine professional theater and burlesque dancer, actress, and supervedette, who has also dabbled as a model and as a singer in severa ...
(dancer, actress), Alejo García Pintos (film and television actor), Benjamín Rojas (actor and musician), Freddy Villarreal (comedian, actor), Héctor Bidonde
Héctor Pastor Bidonde (born March 3, 1937 in La Plata) is a noted Argentine theatre, film and television actor.
He was a shift worker in a tool & dye factory when, in 1954, he was offered a part in Carlos P. Cabral's play ''Amarretes''. He was ...
(actor), Juan Palomino (actor), Oscar Alberto "Lito" Cruz (actor), Maxi Ghione (actor), Pablo Andrés Martínez (actor), Carlos Mancinelli (musician), among others.
It is worth mentioning other important personalities, not being natives of La Plata, influenced the city's cultural life as Raúl Amaral (writer, poet and journalist. It was part of Ediciones del Bosque), Joaquin V. Gonzalez (historian, educator, writer and politician) and Rafael Hernández (politician and journalist), both founders of the UNLP, Pedro Bonifacio Palacios "Almafuerte" (Poet); Josefina Passadori (writer) Ernesto Sabato (writer and artist), Carlos "Indio" Solari (musician and band member platense Redonditos Patricio Rey and Ricotta), among others.
The city has a great attraction to music, whereas all festival concerts are organized. In addition, this is formed big band music and folklore of Argentina such as Los Redondos
Patricio Rey y sus Redonditos de Ricota, also known simply as Patricio Rey, Los Redondos or Los Redonditos de Ricota, was a rock band formed in La Plata, Argentina. The group was active from the mid 70s up to the early 2000s. They are known for ...
, Virus
A virus is a submicroscopic infectious agent that replicates only inside the living cells of an organism. Viruses infect all life forms, from animals and plants to microorganisms, including bacteria and archaea.
Since Dmitri Ivanovsky's 1 ...
, Guasones, Opus Cuatro
Opus Cuatro are an Argentine folk vocal quartet founded in La Plata in 1968. The group debuted on 10 July 1968 and become one of the most important vocal groups in Latin America, staying active since then without interruption. At the beginning of 2 ...
, Infonoise, among others.
Festivals, celebrations and events scheduled
The city of La Plata has the particularity of being the only place (with Berisso
Berisso is a city and the head town of the '' partido'' of Berisso in Buenos Aires Province, Argentina. It forms part of the Greater La Plata urban area and has a population of approximately 95,021 as of 2001.
People
Berisso was founded by Italia ...
and Ensenada) in the country where the burning of Momos (Dolls similar to those cremated at the Fallas festival in Valencia
Valencia ( va, València) is the capital of the Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Valencian Community, Valencia and the Municipalities of Spain, third-most populated municipality in Spain, with 791,413 inhabitants. It is ...
, Spain) is held every New Year's Eve. Hundreds of dolls are burnt to celebrate the end of the year and the beginning of a new year. Competitions for the best doll is awarded by the La Plata municipality and media.
Every 18 April is International Day For Monuments and Sites
The International Day for Monuments and Sites also known as World Heritage Day is an international observance held on 18 April each year around the world with different types of activities, including visits to monuments and heritage sites, conf ...
. That day, buses with tour guides leave from the Centro Cultural Pasaje Dardo Rocha to the various historical monuments of La Plata, Berisso and Ensenada, being the activity free.
In addition, every year on 19 November
Events Pre-1600
* 461 – Libius Severus is declared emperor of the Western Roman Empire. The real power is in the hands of the ''magister militum'' Ricimer.
* 636 – The Rashidun Caliphate defeats the Sasanian Empire at the Battle o ...
, the anniversary of the city is held with recitals and a fireworks show at the Plaza Moreno.
In La Plata, as well as in all of Argentina, the first day of spring is celebrated along with National Student's Day on 21 September
Events Pre-1600
* 455 – Emperor Avitus enters Rome with a Gallic army and consolidates his power.
*1170 – The Kingdom of Dublin falls to Norman invaders.
*1217 – Livonian Crusade: The Estonian leader Lembitu and Livonian lea ...
. On this date, the municipality organizes concerts both in the Paseo del Bosque and Plaza Moreno.
Carnival
Carnival
Carnival is a Catholic Christian festive season that occurs before the liturgical season of Lent. The main events typically occur during February or early March, during the period historically known as Shrovetide (or Pre-Lent). Carnival typi ...
is one of the major popular celebrations in the history of mankind. This celebration has its origins in the pagan rituals of Bacchus
In ancient Greek religion and myth, Dionysus (; grc, Διόνυσος ) is the god of the grape-harvest, winemaking, orchards and fruit, vegetation, fertility, insanity, ritual madness, religious ecstasy, festivity, and theatre. The Romans ...
, the God of wine. The first Carnival goes back more than five thousand years to one of the ancient civilizations and historical regions in southern Mesopotamia, modern-day southern Iraq, then it passed on to Egypt and finally to the Roman Empire. From there it was celebrated throughout Europe and it was brought to America by the Spanish and Portuguese sailors. The term carnival comes from the Latin expression "meat Levarium", which means to remove the flesh, referring to the prohibition of eating meat during forty days after
this celebration takes place. In recent times Carnival is one of the most popular celebrations, with shows, parades in costumes; however, the original sense it had at the beginning has changed nowadays. Among the most widely known carnival celebrations, we have the one in Gualeguaychu, province of Entre Rìos, Argentina. Up to now Carnival is celebrated most of all in the northern provinces in our
country.
Patron saint
The patron saint of the city and the party of La Plata is Saint Ponciano, the 18th pope of the Catholic Church, who died in Sardinia
Sardinia ( ; it, Sardegna, label=Italian, Corsican and Tabarchino ; sc, Sardigna , sdc, Sardhigna; french: Sardaigne; sdn, Saldigna; ca, Sardenya, label=Algherese and Catalan) is the second-largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, after ...
on 19 November 235. On 19 November is the feast of the Catholic parish of St. Pontian, pope and martyr.[ Basílica de San Ponciano. Historia.]
Tourism
The most important tourist sites are located in the heart of the city's founding, between Streets 51 and 53, being the center of the city's Plaza Moreno. The square separates two great works of the city: the Metropolitan Cathedral of La Plata "Immaculate Conception" and the Palacio Municipal Palacio Municipal may refer to:
City government headquarters
* Palacio Municipal de la Ciudad de Buenos Aires, Argentina
* Palacio Municipal de Zapopan, Jalisco, Mexico
* Palacio Municipal in San Miguel de Cozumel, Quintana Roo, Mexico
* Palaci ...
.
The city of La Plata has many monuments and historical sites. Among them are: the Banco Provincia de Buenos Aires headquarters, the Curutchet House
The Curutchet House, La Plata, Argentina, is a building by Le Corbusier. It was commissioned by Dr. Pedro Domingo Curutchet, a surgeon, in 1948 and included a small medical office on the ground floor. The house consists of four main levels wi ...
, Casa de Gobierno Provincial, Casa Mariani – Teruggi, Centro Cultural Islas Malvinas, Centro Cultural Meridiano V, Centro Cultural Pasaje Dardo Rocha, Iglesia San Benjamín, la Legislatura Provincial, Museo de Ciencias Naturales, the Quinta Oreste Santospago, the Rectorado de la UNLP, Museo Ferroviario of Tolosa, the Teatro Municipal Coliseo Podestá, the Anfiteatro Martín Fierro, the Estadio Ciudad de La Plata
The Estadio Único Diego Armando Maradona (''One-of-a kind Diego Armando Maradona Stadium'', formerly Estadio Ciudad de La Plata) is a multi-purpose stadium located in the city of La Plata, Argentina. It is also known popularly as the Estadio Ún ...
, entre otros.
Moreover, staying at the city of La Plata the visitors can tour the monuments of the neighboring cities of Berisso and Ensenada (formerly part of La Plata), finding among these to the Street New York, the Swift Refrigerator, Ukrainian Catholic Ukrainian Catholic Church may refer to:
* Latin Church in Ukraine
* Greek Catholic Churches (Eastern Catholic communities of the Byzantine Rite, centered in Ukraine, in communion with the Church of Rome)
** Ruthenian Greek Catholic Church
**Ukrai ...
Parish Our Lady of the Assumption, Old Station Cultural Centre, Fort Barragán and Historical Museum, the Ensenada Rotary Bridge, among others.
Quema de Muñecos is a traditional celebration every New Year. Young people create giant figures stuffed with fireworks. People vote for the best giant figure. After midnight all the figures are burnt in different parts of the city. The most voted get a prize.
Notable people
*
*Mauro Colagreco
Mauro Colagreco (born 5 October 1976 in La Plata, Argentina) is an Argentine chef at the three-Michelin stars restaurant Mirazur in Menton, France.
Career
As a newly qualified chef, Colagreco headed to France and worked with Bernard Loiseau unti ...
, Argentine
Argentines (mistakenly translated Argentineans in the past; in Spanish (masculine) or (feminine)) are people identified with the country of Argentina. This connection may be residential, legal, historical or cultural. For most Argentines, s ...
chef
A chef is a trained professional cook and tradesman who is proficient in all aspects of food preparation, often focusing on a particular cuisine. The word "chef" is derived from the term ''chef de cuisine'' (), the director or head of a kitche ...
*Irene Bernasconi
Irene Bernasconi (29 September 1896 – 7 July 1989) was an Argentine marine biologist specializing in echinoderm research and best known for her work in the Antarctic. She was the first echinoderm specialist in Argentina and spent 55 years condu ...
, Antarctic researcher
*Facundo Cabral
Facundo Cabral (birth name Rodolfo Enrique Cabral Camiñas) (May 22, 1937 – July 9, 2011) was an Argentine singer, songwriter and philosopher.
He was best known as the composer of ''"No soy de aquí ni soy de allá"'' ("I'm not from here nor ...
* Ángel Cabrera
*Agustín Creevy
Agustín Creevy (born 15 March 1985 in La Plata) is an Argentine rugby union player. He currently plays for the national Argentina team '' The Pumas'' and for London Irish in the Gallagher Premiership. Creevy is the most-capped Argentine rugby ...
*René Favaloro
René Gerónimo Favaloro (July 12, 1923 – July 29, 2000) was an Argentine cardiac surgeon and educator best known for his pioneering work on coronary artery bypass surgery using the great saphenous vein.
Early life
Favaloro was born in 192 ...
*Sergio Karakachoff
Sergio Karakachoff (June 27, 1939 - September 10, 1976) was an Argentinian journalist, human rights lawyer and politician. He was abducted, tortured and murdered for his opposition to the military dictatorship in Argentina (1976-1983).
Biograph ...
* Cristina Fernández de Kirchner
*Mercedes Lambre
Mercedes Rodríguez "Mechi" Lambre (; born 5 October 1992) is an Argentine actress, singer, dancer and model. She is known to international audiences for playing the debut role of Ludmilla in the Disney Channel original series '' Violetta''.
...
*Salvadora Medina Onrubia
Salvadora Medina Onrubia (pen name: Dr. Brea; March 23, 1894July 21, 1972) was an Argentine storyteller, poet, anarchist and feminist.
Biography
Salvadora Medina Onrubia was born March 23, 1894, in La Plata, Buenos Aires Province. At the age of ...
(1894-1972), writer, poet, anarchist, feminist
* Martín Palermo
* Emilio Pettoruti
* Benjamín Rojas
* Marcos Rojo (born 1990), footballer
*Guillermo Barros Schelotto
Guillermo Barros Schelotto (; born 4 May 1973) is an Argentine football manager and former forward who currently manages the Paraguay national team.
Barros Schelotto played 16 years of his professional career in the Argentine Primera Divis ...
* Gustavo Barros Schelotto
*Santiago Sosa
Santiago Sosa (born 3 May 1999) is an Argentine professional footballer who plays as a midfielder for Major League Soccer club Atlanta United.
Club career
Sosa's career began with Mercedes, before River Plate signed him in 2018. The 2018 ...
(born 1999), footballer for Atlanta United
* Roberto Themis Speroni (1922–1967), writer
*Nicolás Tauber
Nicolás Tauber ( he, ניקולאס טאובר; born August 20, 1980) is an Argentine-Israeli footballer currently playing for Villa San Carlos.
He was born in La Plata, Argentina.
Playing career
During 2003 the former Maccabi Netanya manage ...
(born 1980), Argentine-Israeli footballer
* Joaquín Tuculet
*Iñaki Urlezaga
Iñaki Urlezaga is an Argentine ballet dancer.
He trained in his hometown of La Plata. She studied at the Instituto Superior de Arte del Columbus Theatre in Buenos Aires, where she received a scholarship to study at the American Ballet, where ...
* Francisco Varallo
* Juan Sebastián Verón (born 1975), footballer
Sister cities
* , Porto Alegre
Porto Alegre (, , Brazilian ; ) is the capital and largest city of the Brazilian state of Rio Grande do Sul. Its population of 1,488,252 inhabitants (2020) makes it the List of largest cities in Brazil, twelfth most populous city in the country ...
, 1982
* , Bologna
Bologna (, , ; egl, label= Emilian, Bulåggna ; lat, Bononia) is the capital and largest city of the Emilia-Romagna region in Northern Italy. It is the seventh most populous city in Italy with about 400,000 inhabitants and 150 different nat ...
, 1988
* , Beersheba
Beersheba or Beer Sheva, officially Be'er-Sheva ( he, בְּאֵר שֶׁבַע, ''Bəʾēr Ševaʿ'', ; ar, بئر السبع, Biʾr as-Sabʿ, Well of the Oath or Well of the Seven), is the largest city in the Negev desert of southern Israel. ...
, 1989
* , Zaragoza
Zaragoza, also known in English as Saragossa,''Encyclopædia Britannica'"Zaragoza (conventional Saragossa)" is the capital city of the Zaragoza Province and of the autonomous community of Aragon, Spain. It lies by the Ebro river and its tributari ...
, 1990
* , Asunción
Asunción (, , , Guarani: Paraguay) is the capital and the largest city of Paraguay.
The city stands on the eastern bank of the Paraguay River, almost at the confluence of this river with the Pilcomayo River. The Paraguay River and the Bay of ...
, 1993
* , Concepción, 1993
* , Barquisimeto, 2012
* , Louisville, 1994
* , Maldonado, 1994
* , Montevideo
Montevideo () is the Capital city, capital and List of cities in Uruguay, largest city of Uruguay. According to the 2011 census, the city proper has a population of 1,319,108 (about one-third of the country's total population) in an area of . M ...
, 1994
* , Santa Cruz de la Sierra
Santa Cruz de la Sierra (; "Holy Cross of the Mountain Range"), commonly known as Santa Cruz, is the largest city in Bolivia and the capital of the Santa Cruz Department (Bolivia), Santa Cruz department.
Situated on the Pirai River (Bolivia), P ...
, 1994
* , Sucre
Sucre () is the Capital city, capital of Bolivia, the capital of the Chuquisaca Department and the List of cities in Bolivia, 6th most populated city in Bolivia. Located in the south-central part of the country, Sucre lies at an elevation of . T ...
, 1994
* , Anghiari, 1998
* , Boulogne-sur-Mer
Boulogne-sur-Mer (; pcd, Boulonne-su-Mér; nl, Bonen; la, Gesoriacum or ''Bononia''), often called just Boulogne (, ), is a coastal city in Northern France. It is a sub-prefecture of the department of Pas-de-Calais. Boulogne lies on the ...
, 2000
* , Liverpool
Liverpool is a city and metropolitan borough in Merseyside, England. With a population of in 2019, it is the 10th largest English district by population and its metropolitan area is the fifth largest in the United Kingdom, with a popul ...
, 2005
* , Santa Ana de Coro
Coro, historically known as Neu-Augsburg, is the capital of Falcón State and the second oldest city of Venezuela (after Cumaná). It was founded on July 26, 1527, by Juan de Ampíes as Santa Ana de Coro. It is established at the south of the Par ...
, 2007
* , Jiujiang
Jiujiang (), formerly transliterated Kiukiang or Kew Keang, is a prefecture-level city located on the southern shores of the Yangtze River in northwest Jiangxi Province, People's Republic of China. It is the second-largest prefecture-level city ...
, 2008
* Toluca
Toluca , officially Toluca de Lerdo , is the States of Mexico, state capital of the State of Mexico as well as the seat of the Municipality of Toluca. With a population of 910,608 as of the 2020 census, Toluca is the fifth most populous city in M ...
, 2010
* , Bivongi, 2012
* , Mar del Plata
Mar del Plata is a city on the coast of the Atlantic Ocean, in Buenos Aires Province, Argentina. It is the seat of General Pueyrredón district. Mar del Plata is the second largest city in Buenos Aires Province. The name "Mar del Plata" is a s ...
, 2012
See also
* List of twin towns and sister cities in Argentina
This is a list of municipalities in Argentina which have standing links to local communities in other countries known as "town twinning" (usually in Europe) or "sister cities" (usually in the rest of the world).
A
Aldea Valle María
* Meinha ...
Footnotes
References
*
External links
*
*
Official government website
* https://web.archive.org/web/20080704110338/http://www.mapa.laplata.gov.ar/ Interactive map of La Plata
*
La Plata's web guides
LaGuiaX
Cualbondi (Buses on/from/to La Plata)
{{Authority control
Capitals of Argentine provinces
Planned cities
Populated places in Buenos Aires Province
Populated places established in 1882
Urban planning in Argentina