Retiro neighbourhood was, for a long time, the north border of the small village Buenos Aires was until well advanced the XIX century. The low lands where now are the port and the railroads were covered by the Río de la Plata, and, when the water was high, the boats brought goods and travellers to the foot of the ravine that rises next to the current Avenida del Libertador.

The neighbourhood’s name was that of a huge building, mixture of mansion and fortress, which the Buenos Aires governor ordered to build in 1700. The house was then bought by an English company in the slaves trade. In 1726, the company left and Retiro was almost abandoned until 1801, when the opening of a bullring attracted the porteño public back to the neighbourhood. In the late XIX century and early XX, three train stations were built in Retiro, and in the decade of 1980 the biggest bus station of Buenos Aires was finished.

Nowadays, the neighbourhood is a mixture of urban movement –it being one of the main transport hubs of the city– and elegant streets, luxury buildings, night clubs and bars, international hotels and beautiful parks.
Among Retiro many attractions are the Kavanagh Building, one of the first skyscrapers in Buenos Aires when it was inaugurated in 1936 (Florida 1065); San Martín square (Santa Fe and Florida); pedestrian street Florida, one of the most important shopping circuits in the city; Fernández Blanco Museum; and, almost hidden, a Canadian totem 20 meters tall.

On August 17th, Retiro day is celebrated. Do you know this neighbourhood? Have you got a good story to share, or questions to ask, or places to recommend?

*info

Fernández Blanco Museum — Listen to Retiro’s voices — Retiro pictures — Retiro in the map — Neighbourhoods search (in Spanish)

Esta entrada fue escrita el Viernes, Agosto 17, 2007 a las 16:59 y esta en la categoría General, Neighbourhoods. Puede seguir los comentarios de esta entrada mediante RSS 2.0. Puede escribir un comentario, o trackback desde su sitio.