Sarmiento Park is the largest public park in Córdoba, Argentina.

Overview

The development of a suburb south of the rapidly growing Córdoba of the late nineteenth century created the need for an extensive new green space for the area. The new neighborhood's chief developer,

Miguel Crisol --> Miguel is a given name and surname, the Portuguese and Spanish form of the Hebrew name Michael. It may refer to: Places *Pedro Miguel, a parish in the municipality of Horta and the island of Faial in the Azores Islands * São Miguel (disamb ...

, commissioned a French urbanist for the task in 1889, Carlos Thays. Newly arrived, Thays planned the new park on a plateau overlooking the Cañada Brook to the west and the

National University of Córdoba The National University of Córdoba ( es, Universidad Nacional de Córdoba,) is an institution of higher education in the city of Córdoba, Argentina. Founded in 1613, the university is the oldest in Argentina, the third oldest university of t ...

's colonial campus to the south. This would be the first of over a dozen ambitious urban design projects Thays would undertake across Argentina until his death in 1934. Work began in 1890 on the 17 hectare (43 acre) park and, upon its opening in 1911, it was named ''Parque Sarmiento'' in honor of former President

Domingo Sarmiento Domingo Faustino Sarmiento (; born Domingo Faustino Fidel Valentín Sarmiento y Albarracín; 15 February 1811 – 11 September 1888) was an Argentine activist, intellectual, writer, statesman and the second President of Argentina. His writing s ...

, the noted promoter of the national educational system born one hundred years earlier. The park and its

rose garden A rose garden or rosarium is a garden or park, often open to the public, used to present and grow various types of garden roses, and sometimes rose species. Most often it is a section of a larger garden. Designs vary tremendously and roses m ...

quickly became the preferred surroundings for many in Córdoba high society and, in 1912, Dr. Juan Ferreyra bought adjacent land for his Beaux Arts mansion, completed in 1916. Civic projects soon joined upscale residential ones. An initiative by

German Argentine German Argentines (german: Deutschargentinier, es, germano-argentinos) are Argentines of German ancestry as well as German citizens living in Argentina. They are descendants of Germans who immigrated to Argentina from Germany and elsewhere in E ...

immigrant José Scherer led to the creation of a city zoo at the park in 1915. The city's arts patrons had the Provincial Museum of Fine Arts (later renamed for painter

Emilio Caraffa Emilio Caraffa (1862–1939) was an Argentine painter of the post-impressionist school. Life and work Emilio Caraffa was born in San Fernando del Valle de Catamarca, Catamarca, Argentina, in 1862. His family relocated to Rosario, where he atten ...

) built facing the park the same year and, in 1918, the city opened a

natatorium A swimming pool, swimming bath, wading pool, paddling pool, or simply pool, is a structure designed to hold water to enable swimming or other leisure activities. Pools can be built into the ground (in-ground pools) or built above ground (as ...

and an

amphitheatre An amphitheatre (British English) or amphitheater (American English; both ) is an open-air venue used for entertainment, performances, and sports. The term derives from the ancient Greek ('), from ('), meaning "on both sides" or "around" and ...

. The surrounding neighborhood grew to over 25,000 by the year 2000, by which time Sarmiento Park suffered from the twin problems of overuse and budgetary constraints. The recent nationwide economic recovery, however, translated into a dramatic reversal of this trend for the park. The zoo was reopened in 2006 following extensive refurbishment, the Ferreyra palace was adapted for the creation of the

Evita Fine Arts Museum The Evita Fine Arts Museum (''Museo Superior de Bellas Artes Evita'') is an art museum in Córdoba, Argentina. Overview The museum is housed in the Ferreyra Palace, a Beaux-Arts mansion designed by French architect Ernest Sanson and built between ...

in 2007 and the existing

Caraffa Fine Arts Museum The Emilio Caraffa Provincial Fine Arts Museum is an art museum in Córdoba, Argentina. Overview The institution was established as the Provincial Fine Arts Museum by the Province of Córdoba. In 1915, the museum's design was commissioned to Ge ...

was given a new wing. The city also welcomed the new Museum of Natural Sciences at the park in 2007. In tune with the city's new humor, Mayor

Daniel Giacomino Daniel Oscar Giacomino (born June 28, 1964) is an Argentine politician elected Mayor of Córdoba in 2007. He was elected National Deputy for Córdoba Province for second non-sequent term in 2011. Life and times Giacomino was born in San Franci ...

reinaugurated the restored park natatorium with a belly flop in 2008.''La Voz del Interior: El Parque Sarmiento recuperó su pileta''
/ref> Located within the park is the

Bicentennial Lighthouse The Bicentennial Lighthouse or Faro del Bicentenario is a lighthouse-like monument located in Sarmiento Park, Córdoba, Argentina. It stands 335 feet (102 m). The opening was attended by Cordoba Governor Juan Schiaretti who said that it was inten ...

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Sarmiento Park Urban public parks Protected areas of Córdoba Province, Argentina Parks in Argentina Protected areas established in 1911 1911 establishments in Argentina