The Children's Republic ( es, República de los Niños), is a theme park located in the city of Manuel B. Gonnet in La Plata,

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 ...

. With a surface of , and 35 scale buildings, it is regarded as the first theme park in Latin America. The Republic represents a city (proportionally sized for children) with all its institutions: parliament, government house, the courthouse, church, port, theater, airport, restaurants, hotels, etc.República de los Niños
at Fundación Valorar It was built by the "Investor Institute of the Province of Buenos Aires" on 53 hectares of land where the Swift Golf Club had its course. It was inaugurated on November 26, 1951, by President

Juan Domingo Perón ''Juan'' is a given name, the Spanish and Manx versions of ''John''. It is very common in Spain and in other Spanish-speaking communities around the world and in the Philippines, and also (pronounced differently) in the Isle of Man. In Spanish, ...

. Its architectural similarity to

Disneyland Disneyland is a 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 initially envision ...

allowed the emergence of an urban myth, which affirms that

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 ...

was inspired in this park to found several years later the one located in

California California is a state in the Western United States, located along the Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the most populous U.S. state and the 3rd largest by area. It is also the m ...

History

In the official project, the instigator of the idea, Colonel Domingo Mercante, governor and founder of the "Investor Institute of the Province of Buenos Aires", proposed: "we want to put the child in an environment of joyful recreation, in direct contact with the citizen responsibilities of the future, so that when he reaches manhood he will be an Argentine aware of his duties, rights and obligations. At the same time that he has for his first years a kind and imperishable memory, and thus form the best and most generous offspring of him". The Republic of Children was built by the Eva Perón Foundation on a land that was formerly a part of Swift Golf Club. On November 26, 1951, the park was officially opened by the then President

.La Ciudad de los Niños, un clásico
Página/12, 5 Aug 2006

Eva Perón María Eva Duarte de Perón (; ; 7 May 1919 – 26 July 1952), better known as just Eva Perón or by the nickname Evita (), was an Argentine politician, activist, actress, and philanthropist who served as First Lady of Argentina from June 19 ...

was unable to attend because she was already suffering from the cancer that would end her life several months later. President Perón signed the "Golden Book" of the inauguration with the slogan: "That in this Children's Republic the Argentines learn to be fair, free and sovereign, so that they can never accept the exploitation of brothers, economic submission and political vassalage".Un mundo ideal: se cumplen 68 años de la inauguración de la República de los Niños por Perón
on Diputados Bonaerenses, 26 Nov 2019 As part of its educational and recreational function, the institution housed more than 300 children. During this period "Children's Towns" of the same type were also built in Córdoba and Mendoza. After the Coup d'état of 1955 all democratic training programs were abandoned, and the Children's Republic was reduced to a recreational theme park with mechanical games. In 1968, inspired by Cándido Moneo Sánz, puppeteer and theater director, the "Museo Internacional de los Muñecos" (''International Doll Museum'') was inaugurated in the Palace of Culture building of the park, with one of the most important collections from Latin America, made up of dolls with typical clothing from different countries. After the democracy was reestablished in

1973 Events January * January 1 - The United Kingdom, the Republic of Ireland and Denmark 1973 enlargement of the European Communities, enter the European Economic Community, which later becomes the European Union. * January 15 – Vietnam War: ...

with

Héctor Cámpora Hector () is an English, French, Scottish, and Spanish given name. The name is derived from the name of Hektor, a legendary Trojan champion who was killed by the Greek Achilles. The name ''Hektor'' is probably derived from the Greek ''ékhein'', m ...

elected as president, the Peronist Youth held a great celebration and the symbolic takeover of the facility, considering it a symbol of Peronism. With the resignation of Cámpora a month later, the property was once again abandoned. During the National Reorganization Process, a decree (n° 1,294, promulgated in 1979) ceded the Children's Republic to the Municipality of La Plata.Decreto 1294/79
La Plata, 16 July 1979 - Text of the decree and suggested its privatization, pursuant to which, major of La Plata Alberto Tettamanti, awarded its operation to the company Zanón Hermanos, concessionaire of the amusement park Italpark, the only bidder. The Civic Center buildings were used for administrative tasks of the concessionaire.Un senador K quiere quitarle a La Plata el control de la República de los Niños y ponerle un nombre inclusivo
on Infobae, 6 Sep 2020 Only with the return to democracy in 1983, the Municipality of La Plata –which had took over administration of the property since 1979– undertook a policy more akin to the original values, generated educational programs and workshops for students of primary schools and special education. By law 25,550 promulgated on December 27, 2001, the

Congress of Argentina The Congress of the Argentine Nation ( es, Congreso de la Nación Argentina) is the legislative branch of the government of Argentina. Its composition is bicameral, constituted by a 72-seat Senate and a 257-seat Chamber of Deputies. The Senat ...

declared the Children's Republic "National Historical Monument". In August 2008, the government of the Province of Buenos Aires signed an agreement with the

National University of General San Martín The National University of General San Martín ( es, Universidad Nacional de General San Martín, link=no, UNSAM) is an Argentine public university whose main campus is located in the city of San Martín, Buenos Aires Province. The university ...

for a general restoration that included the investigation and historical reconstruction of the buildings. The objective was to reopen the complex in November 2010, as part of the celebration of the

Bicentennial __NOTOC__ A bicentennial or bicentenary is the two-hundredth anniversary of a part, or the celebrations thereof. It may refer to: Europe *French Revolution bicentennial, commemorating the 200th anniversary of 14 July 1789 uprising, celebrated ...

of the

May Revolution The May Revolution ( es, Revolución de Mayo) was a week-long series of events that took place from May 18 to 25, 1810, in Buenos Aires, capital of the Viceroyalty of the Río de la Plata. This Spanish colony included roughly the terri ...

Features

The Republic of Children is built on a plot of . Within, children can explore the various geographic features, natural landscapes, countryside and city. It includes a complete city with all its institutions and centers. Buildings mimic various architectural styles, such as Moorish or

neo-gothic 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 ...

. The Municipal Bank is a copy of the Child Doge's Palace in

Venice Venice ( ; it, Venezia ; vec, Venesia or ) is a city in northeastern Italy and the capital of the Veneto region. It is built on a group of 118 small islands that are separated by canals and linked by over 400 bridges. The isla ...

, while the Palace of Culture was inspired by the

Taj Mahal The Taj Mahal (; ) is an Islamic ivory-white marble mausoleum on the right bank of the river Yamuna in the Indian city of Agra. It was commissioned in 1631 by the Mughal emperor Shah Jahan () to house the tomb of his favourite wife, Mu ...

Agra Agra (, ) is a city on the banks of the Yamuna river in the Indian state of Uttar Pradesh, about south-east of the national capital New Delhi and 330 km west of the state capital Lucknow. With a population of roughly 1.6 million, Agra i ...

; among the well-known halls in the latter building the Carlos Moneo Sáenz Doll Museum. The chapel has large

Norman Norman or Normans may refer to: Ethnic and cultural identity * The Normans, a people partly descended from Norse Vikings who settled in the territory of Normandy in France in the 10th and 11th centuries ** People or things connected with the Norm ...

-inspired flat roofs, balcony and bell towers. An aquarium is also housed at the park. The park was designed both for children's recreation, and for their instruction in republican ethics. Around the Plaza de las Americas is the Legislature, inspired by the

British Parliament The Parliament of the United Kingdom is the supreme legislative body of the United Kingdom, the Crown Dependencies and the British Overseas Territories. It meets at the Palace of Westminster, London. It alone possesses legislative suprem ...

, which houses the precincts of the Chamber of Deputies and Senators of the Government of the Children's Republic; this body is elected from groups of local students. Once a year on the anniversary of the founding of the Republic, members of the City Council of the City engage in a special session. A narrow gauge railway runs through the park, with an extension of and 5 stations. The first locomotive used in the line was made by French company

Decauville Decauville () was a manufacturing company which was founded by Paul Decauville (1846–1922), a French pioneer in industrial railways. Decauville's major innovation was the use of ready-made sections of light, narrow gauge track fastened to stee ...

."Ferrocarril República de los Niños" on Horizonte Ferroviario, 30 Mar 2020

Gallery

Casa_de_Gobierno_desde_Plaza_San_Mart%C3%ADn.jpg, Government House Iglesia_Nuestra_Se%C3%B1ora_de_Lourdes_en_la_Rep%C3%BAblica_de_los_Ni%C3%B1os.jpg, Church La_Rep%C3%BAblica_de_los_Ni%C3%B1os_07_museo_mu%C3%B1ecas.jpg, Palace of Culture Puente del trencito de la República de los Niños.jpg, Railway bridge over the lake Centro_C%C3%ADvico_desde_Plaza_de_las_Am%C3%A9ricas.jpg, Park of the Americas La República de los Niños 12 educación vial.jpg, Road safety education La República de los Niños 22 Patoruzú.jpg, Statue of Patoruzú Lago y Castillo.jpg, Lake and castle Calle Principal del Centro Cívicol (al fondo Casa de Gobierno).jpg, Civic center República de los Niños - Estación de Trenes.JPG, Main train station Anfiteatro y lago en la República de los Niños.jpg, Amphitheatre

References

External links

*
República de los Niños: cómo llegar, horarios
on Buenos Aires 123 tourism

on Welcome Argentina

on All Buenos Aires blog (24 Aug 2008) {{DEFAULTSORT:Children's Republic, The 1951 establishments in Argentina Amusement parks opened in 1951 Amusement parks in Argentina Buildings and structures in La Plata Tourist attractions in Buenos Aires Province