Villa Dolores, Montevideo
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Parque Batlle (, ), formerly Parque de los Aliados (''Allied Park''), is a ''
barrio ''Barrio'' () is a Spanish language, Spanish word that means "Quarter (urban subdivision), quarter" or "neighborhood". In the modern Spanish language, it is generally defined as each area of a city delimited by functional (e.g. residential, comm ...
'' (neighbourhood or district) and a major public central park in
Uruguay Uruguay, officially the Oriental Republic of Uruguay, is a country in South America. It shares borders with Argentina to its west and southwest and Brazil to its north and northeast, while bordering the Río de la Plata to the south and the A ...
's capital city of
Montevideo Montevideo (, ; ) is the capital city, capital and List of cities in Uruguay, largest city of Uruguay. According to the 2023 census, the city proper has a population of 1,302,954 (about 37.2% of the country's total population) in an area of . M ...
. It is named in honour of
José Batlle y Ordóñez José Pablo Torcuato Batlle y Ordóñez ( or ; 23 May 1856 – 20 October 1929), nicknamed ''Don Pepe'', was a prominent Uruguayan politician who served two terms as President of Uruguay for the Colorado Party. The son of a former president, ...
,
President of Uruguay The president of Uruguay (), officially known as the president of the Oriental Republic of Uruguay (), is the head of state and head of government of Uruguay. The president presides over the Cabinet of Uruguay, Council of Ministers, directing ...
from 1903-1907 and 1911–1915.


Location

The barrio is located south of
Avenida Italia Italy Avenue (Spanish: ''Avenida Italia'') is a major thoroughfare in Montevideo, Uruguay. Its name honors the country from whose immigrants about 40% of Uruguayans descend. It runs almost parallel to Gral Rivera Avenue, the Rambla and Camino Carr ...
and north of Rivera Avenue and includes the districts Belgrano, Italiano, Villa Dolores and the park area. It borders the barrios
Tres Cruces Tres Cruces is a ''barrio'' (neighbourhood or district) of Uruguay's capital Montevideo. Its name means "three crossings", referring to the three major transportation routes which intersect in the area: Avenida 18 de Julio, Bulevar Artigas and ...
to the west and north,
La Blanqueada La Blanqueada is a ''barrio'' (neighbourhood or district) in Uruguay's capital Montevideo. Location It borders Tres Cruces to the west, Larrañaga to the northwest, Unión to the northeast and Parque Batlle to the south. It is home to the Mili ...
and Unión to the north,
Buceo Buceo is a ''barrio'' (neighbourhood or district) in Montevideo, Uruguay. Buceo borders Pocitos and Villa Dolores to the west, Parque Batlle, Unión and Malvín Norte to the north, Malvín to the east and the coastline to the south. Descript ...
to the east and
Pocitos :''Pocitos is also the colloquial name for the city of Salvador Mazza, Salta, Salvador Mazza, Salta Province, Argentina'' Pocitos is an upscale seaside Barrios of Montevideo, ''barrio'' of Montevideo, Uruguay. It borders Buceo to the east, Parque B ...
to the south. The park covers an area of and is considered the "lung" of Montevideo owing to the large variety of trees planted here. It is home to the
Estadio Centenario Centenario Stadium (, ; , named after the Constitution of Uruguay of 1830, centenary of Constitution of Uruguay, Uruguay's Constitution) is an association football stadium in Montevideo, Uruguay. Located in the Parque Batlle, Parque Battle neig ...
national football stadium, as well as the national monument "La Carreta".


History

In 1907, Pablo Nereo Gabriel Antonio Pereira (1838–1906) donated eleven acres of his land, which was then named after him as "Campo Pereira," for a building a park, to the Economic Management Board, and the idea of a park was created by an Act of March 1907 which also projected wide boulevards and avenues. The project's landscape French architect,
Carlos Thays Carlos Thays (August 20, 1849 – January 31, 1934)Biog ...
, began the plantings in 1911 and completed it with all the attendant embellishments required for a park. In 1918, the park was named "Allied Park," following the allied Army winning the
World War I World War I or the First World War (28 July 1914 – 11 November 1918), also known as the Great War, was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War I, Allies (or Entente) and the Central Powers. Fighting to ...
thus honouring the heroes of the Allied Forces. The park was further expanded to the present status, which covers an area of . This extension was made possible owing to an estate that Antonio Pereira in his "Will" had bequeathed partly to the municipality in May 1930. The Board then further acquired more land and created the Great Park Pereira seen in its present status. On 5 May 1930, it was again renamed as Parque Batlle y Ordóñez, in memory of the President of Uruguay, who had died in 1929. In the same year, the Estadio Centenario was opened. Between 1935 and 1938, the athletics track and the municipal
velodrome A velodrome is an arena for track cycling. Modern velodromes feature steeply banked oval tracks, consisting of two 180-degree circular bends connected by two straights. The straights transition to the circular turn through a moderate easement ...
were completed. It was designated a National Historic Monument Park in 1975.


The barrio

Parque Batlle is counted as one of the seven coastal barrios, along with
Punta Carretas Punta Carretas is a ''barrio'' (neighbourhood or district) of Montevideo, Uruguay. Politically located in the Municipality CH, it is an affluent neighborhood, with a high population density and a large number of high-rise apartment buildings. It i ...
,
Pocitos :''Pocitos is also the colloquial name for the city of Salvador Mazza, Salta, Salvador Mazza, Salta Province, Argentina'' Pocitos is an upscale seaside Barrios of Montevideo, ''barrio'' of Montevideo, Uruguay. It borders Buceo to the east, Parque B ...
,
Buceo Buceo is a ''barrio'' (neighbourhood or district) in Montevideo, Uruguay. Buceo borders Pocitos and Villa Dolores to the west, Parque Batlle, Unión and Malvín Norte to the north, Malvín to the east and the coastline to the south. Descript ...
,
Malvín Malvín is a ''barrio'' (neighbourhood or district) of Montevideo, Uruguay. Location Malvín borders Buceo to the west, Malvín Norte and Las Canteras to the north, Punta Gorda to the east and the coastline to the south. Economy The coastal a ...
, Punta Gorda and Carrasco. It is characterized as being of high population density and most of the households are of medium-high- or high-income. According to Administración Nacional de Educación Pública (ANEP) of Uruguay, the Parque Batlle school district, Villa Dolores, was ranked 55 of 60 for the period of 1990–1999.


The park

Along with
Parque Prado Parque Prado is the largest of Montevideo's six principal public parks. Established in 1873, it covers an area of 106 hectares and is located in the barrio of Prado The Museo del Prado ( ; ), officially known as Museo Nacional del Prado, is t ...
and
Parque Rodó Parque Rodó is both a ''barrio'' (neighbourhood or district) of Montevideo, Uruguay and a park which lies mostly outside the limits of the barrio itself and belongs to Punta Carretas. The name "Rodó" has been given in memory of José Enrique Rodà ...
, Batlle is one of three large parks that dominate Montevideo. The park contains the 70,000 seat Estadio Centenario, built for the first soccer world cup in 1930, which is both the national football stadium and it contains a football museum. There is also the Tabaré Athletic Club which is occasionally made over as a carnival theatre using impermanent materials. The Municipal Velodrome, two smaller stadiums (the
Parque Palermo Parque Palermo is a multi-use stadium in Montevideo, Uruguay. It is currently used primarily for football matches and is the home stadium of Central Español. The stadium holds 6,500 spectators. Parque Palermo is located within Parque Batlle, cl ...
and the
Parque Luis Méndez Piana Parque Luis Méndez Piana is a multi-use stadium in Montevideo, Uruguay. It is currently used primarily for football matches and is the home stadium of Miramar Misiones. The stadium holds 4,000 people. The stadium is the located in the Parque ...
), and a target shooting facility are additional attractions.Finzer, p. 103 It is an ideal place for walking, hiking or exercise and enjoy the fresh air provided by the wooded area.


Villa Dolores and the Zoo of Montevideo

Villa Dolores is a district of Parque Batlle. It took its name from the original Villa of Don Alejo Rossell y Rius and of Doña Dolores Pereira de Rossel who started there a private collection of animals which became a zoological garden. It was passed to the city in 1919, and in 1955 the Planetarium of Montevideo was built within its premises.


Monuments

In 1934, "La Carreta", a bronze monument on granite base by
José Belloni José Belloni (September 12, 1882 – November 28, 1965) was a Uruguayan sculptor of the Realist school. Biography José Belloni was born in Montevideo, in 1882; his father was Swiss from Ticino, and his mother Basque from Spain. His family r ...
was introduced. The monument, one of several statues in the park, is located on Avenida Lorenzo Merola near Estadio Centenario and depicts
yoke A yoke is a wooden beam used between a pair of oxen or other animals to enable them to pull together on a load when working in pairs, as oxen usually do; some yokes are fitted to individual animals. There are several types of yoke, used in dif ...
d oxen pulling a loaded wagon. It was designated a national monument in 1976. Another statue in the same side of the park is a bronze copy of the
Discobolus The ''Discobolus'' by Myron (" discus thrower", , ''Diskobólos'') is an ancient Greek sculpture completed at the start of the Classical period in around 460–450 BC that depicts an ancient Greek athlete throwing a discus. Though the origin ...
of Myron. On the West side of Parque Batlle, on
Artigas Boulevard Artigas Boulevard is a boulevard in Montevideo, Uruguay. It runs from the Rambla at Punta Carretas to the Rambla at Capurro- Bella Vista, going north for about 6.5 kilometers and turning 100° west. It is an important connection road in the Urug ...
, there is the
Obelisk of Montevideo The Obelisk of Montevideo, officially ''Obelisk to the Constituents of 1830'' () is a monument created by sculptor José Luis Zorrilla de San Martín (1891-1975). It is a three-sided obelisk made of granite, tall with three bronze statues on its ...
, a monument dedicated to those who created the first Constitution and inaugurated in 1938. It is a monumental work of the sculptor José Luis Zorrilla de San Martín (1891–1975). It is a three-sided obelisk made of granite, tall with 3 bronze statues on its sides, representing "Law", "Liberty" and "Force." It has a hexagonal water fountain around it with six spheres on its outer circumference. It is located at the intersection of 18 de Julio and Artigas Boulevard avenues, in Montevideo, at the entrance of the Parque Batlle area. It is a National Heritage Site since 1976.


Notable buildings

Apart from the stadium, the area around the park has many buildings notable for their architecture and style. Among them are several hospitals, the biggest of which is the
Hospital de Clínicas A hospital is a healthcare institution providing patient treatment with specialized health science and auxiliary healthcare staff and medical equipment. The best-known type of hospital is the general hospital, which typically has an emergency ...
of the Faculty of Medicine of the
University of the Republic The University of the Republic (, sometimes ''UdelaR'') is a public research university in Montevideo, Uruguay. It is the country's oldest and largest university, as well as one of the largest public universities in South America in terms of en ...
and a Site of Municipal Interest since 1995, the
Italian Hospital Cabrini Medical Center of New York City was created in 1973 by a merger of two Manhattan hospitals. It closed in 2008 due to financial difficulties cited by the Berger Commission, followed by a bankruptcy filing. In January 2010, the five build ...
and Pereira Rossell Hospital (next to the obelisk), the
Hospital Británico Hospital Británico (British Hospital) may refer to: *Hospital Británico de Buenos Aires A hospital is a healthcare institution providing patient treatment with specialized health science and auxiliary healthcare staff and medical equipment. ...
, a National Heritage Site since 1975, the Sanatorio Americano, Médica Uruguaya to the west of the northwest point of the park and others. Two other National Heritage Sites, both opposite the Estadio Centenario, are Conedor Universitario No. 2 (the Canteen of the University) and the Instituto de Higiene.


Places of worship

* Parish Church of St Ignatius of Loyola, Alejo Rossell y Rius 1613 (
Roman Catholic The Catholic Church (), also known as the Roman Catholic Church, is the largest Christian church, with 1.27 to 1.41 billion baptized Catholics worldwide as of 2025. It is among the world's oldest and largest international institut ...
, Jesuites)


References


External links


Intendencia de Montevideo / Parques y Plazas / Parque Batlle




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