14. Obelisk
Technical Data:
Location: De la República square, at the intersection of avenues Corrientes and 9 de Julio.
Inauguration: May 23rd, 1936
Architect: Alberto Prebisch
Height: 67,5 metros
Each face of the obelisk evokes a historical event of Buenos Aires city: the first foundation in 1536; the second and final foundation in 1580; the first time the Argentine flag was raised in the city in 1812 (at San Nicolás church, just where the obelisk is today located); and the establishment of Buenos Aires as the capital city of Argentina in 1880.
The work was directed by Alberto Prebisch, one of the main architects of the Argentine modernism who also directed the construction of the nearby Gran Rex theatre, at the intersection of Corrientes and Suipacha.
In order to build the Obelisk, white stone from Córdoba province was used. The only entrance takes you to the four windows of the obelisk peak point through a staircase of 206 steps and seven resting areas.
The monument is one of the meeting points in the city used for political manifestations and celebrations of sports achievements.
Although rejected at the beginning, the Obelisk is today one of the architectonical symbols of Buenos Aires city. |
