This itinerary intimately links the past with the present and the future of Mar del Plata. The very heart of Mar del Plata beats around Plaza San Martín and the city’s civic, financial and commercial center.
Nearby, the history of the city began to be written with the salting plant that gave rise to the primitive Puerto de Laguna de los Padres in the vicinity of Punta Iglesia. The management of a visionary, Don Patricio Peralta Ramos, allowed the foundation of the town of Mar del Plata on February 10, 1874. Other promoters, such as Pedro Luro, made it grow with work and determination.
The arrival of the railway in 1886, the Bristol Hotel and the beach opposite that took its name gave rise to the spa and tourist activity. The same bay of golden sands, to the south, was the cradle of the current fishing activity.
Pedestrian Route
Duration: 2 hours 30 minutes approximately: Due to its characteristics, it is advisable to carry out this itinerary on foot, with comfortable shoes. If you are far from the center, you can reach it by almost all bus lines in the city.
The corner of Peatonal San Martín and San Luis is the suggested starting point for this tour. On the pedestrian streets of San Martín, Rivadavia and its adjoining streets, commercial galleries, countless businesses of all kinds, movie theaters and theaters, cafes and restaurants with exquisite specialties, and the main banks -the city of Mar del Plata- are concentrated, reflecting the dynamic activity from Mar del Plata.
For those who like to appreciate architecture, pay attention to the buildings at Av. Luro 2460 (Correo Central, by the architects Rossi, Malter and Villamil, with Le Corbusian influences), Córdoba 1681 (Palacio Árabe, by the architect V. Brodsky) and Rivadavia corner San Luis (Gallery Rivadavia building, by the architect Antonio Bonnet).
The Plaza San Martín – the main square in the city – has important sculptural works such as “Venus in the Bathroom”, “La Verdad”, “India Encadenada” or “Raza”, “Figure”, “Perdiceros Dogs”, the fountain “ Triumph of Light”, among others, some of them centuries old. Also, the monument “to Cooperativism”, and in the central roundabout, the Monument to General José de San Martín, one of the few in the Argentine Republic that represents him in the last years of his life.
In front of the Cathedral, on the Peatonal San Martín, a picturesque calendar indicates the exact date each day, next to a sundial. In the same block you can see the Musicians’ Box, the original stage, where every Sunday in 1887 the municipal band performed its music for the community.
Two ciboriums also adorn the Plaza, which were part of the Rambla Bristol in 1913.
The Cathedral of Saints Pedro and Cecilia (Peatonal San Martín 2776) was designed by the architect Pedro Benoit and built between 1892 and 1905 with donations from vacationing families. It is a Basilica and seat of the Diocese of Mar del Plata.
Of neo-Gothic style, the magnificent central Baccarat crystal and bronze chandelier stands out in its interior –which presided over the dining room of the Bristol Hotel–, the very fine stained glass brought from France, the organ of Italian origin, and the exquisite replica of “The Pietà” by Michelangelo in the atrium. The crypt below the main altar, keeps a relic of the Holy Cross and the remains of several Holy Martyrs and the first Bishop of the city.
Diagonal Pueyrredón extends between San Martín and Independencia Avenue. Known by the people of Mar del Plata as Diagonal de los Tilos, artisans and artists work under its canopies at the fair called Diagonal de los Artesanos. In the same diagonal, the malls have a varied commercial and recreational offer, and are meeting points for people from Mar del Plata and tourists.
The old Buenos Aires Warehouse (Rivadavia corner H. Yrigoyen) contrasts with the surrounding modern building. On Yrigoyen Street between San Martín and Luro Avenue, there are two buildings of unique architecture.
The Colón Theater with its typical neo-colonial facade and its interior richly ornamented with Moorish motifs, has a vast and varied cultural program.
It shares the property with the Spanish Club and the Vice Consulate of Spain. The Municipal Palace is the political-administrative seat of the Municipality of General Pueyrredón. Designed by the architect Alejandro Bustillo, its exterior appearance is that of an Italian Renaissance Florentine palace with a four-sided clock tower.
Pedro Luro Avenue is named after the great promoter of Mar del Plata. An intensely commercial expressway, it joins National Route 226 with the sea.
Already on 25 de Mayo Street are the Faculty of Law of the National University of Mar del Plata and Provincial School No. 1 Pascuala Mogaburu (one of the first schools in the city).
Diagonal Alberdi extends between Plaza San Martín and Punta Iglesia and, like Diagonal Pueyrredón, is intimately related to the history of Mar del Plata through the Las Chacras stream –which runs tubed below– and the salting pond located on its banks. On it we currently find the Monument to the Fallen in Malvinas born in Mar del Plata and the Walk of Sculptures, among others.
At its intersection with Calle San Luis is the seat of the Rector’s Office of the National University of Mar del Plata, which has nine faculties and more than forty careers.
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We suggest taking Córdoba Street to the height of 1300 to see the Santa Cecilia Chapel belonging to the College of the same name. Erected by the founder of Mar del Plata in 1873 as a posthumous tribute to his wife, it is a National Historical Monument. Being located on a hill, the top of its tower could be seen from far away and indicated the proximity of the pier of the primitive Puerto de Laguna de los Padres. From there comes the name of Punta Iglesia.
On this artery and its parallel Santiago del Estero between Diagonal Alberdi and Boulevard Marítimo Peralta Ramos, Loma Santa Cecilia preserves some picturesque residences of different ages that reflect brilliant moments of Mar del Plata architecture. Already on the coast – passing through the Plazoleta
Capitoline with the Monument to the Fallen for Italy-contemplate from Paseo Alfonsina Storni (at the top of Loma Santa Cecilia) a perspective of 30 maritime kilometers to the beaches of Mar Chiquita, to the North. To the south, three hundred meters further on, a gigantic postcard shows Punta Iglesia, the Plaza de las Américas with the Monument to Dr. René Favaloro, the Dr. Arturo Illía Pedestrian Bridge, the central beaches, the Torreón del Monje, up to Cabo Currents.
Following the same course, the Punta Iglesia Breakwaters–on the beach of the same name–and the Fishermen’s Club–as an extension of Luro Avenue into the sea–, bring together fishing lovers all year round.
The walk continues with the magnificent view of the bay made up of Playas Popular, Bristol, de los Pescadores and Las Toscas up to Torreón del Monje.
Bristol Beach bears the name of the first tourist hotel that, in front of it, transformed the primitive town of Mar del Plata into a spa: the Bristol Hotel, opened in 1888.
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At this point on the Boulevard Marítimo, the San Martín pedestrian street begins. La Rambla is the traditional promenade of Mar del Plata. Its extensive paths run through the Casino-Provincial Hotel Complex, and the Plazoleta Armada Argentina with the Monuments to Admiral Guillermo Brown and to the Sea Wolves, the latter presiding over the steps that go down to the sand. It was designed by the architect Alejandro Bustillo following guidelines of monumental eclectic style.
The traditional building of the Central Casino houses a game room of exceptional dimensions with roulette, Punto Banco, black jack, poker, dice and slot machines, in turn divided into sectors according to the amount of the bets. Also the Provincial Center for Physical Education No. 1–where people of all ages practice sports, including swimming in the Covered Pool located on Paseo Hermitage–, and the Auditorium Theater -Provincial Center for the Arts with the Astor Piazzolla, Gregorio Nachman, Roberto Payró and the Bodega, the Nave Space, for exhibitions Espacio de la Imagen I and II, and the Emilio Alfaro Theater Café.
The Provincial Hotel is another icon of Mar del Plata’s tourist activity. On the Boulevard Marítimo, in front of the Complex, there is the Plazoleta de las Provincias Argentinas–between Rivadavia and Belgrano–; the Plaza del Milenio–between Belgrano and Moreno–with the Fuente de Aguas Danzantes, both in commemoration of the beginning of the new millennium; and the Plaza Colón with the Monuments to Christopher Columbus and the founder of Mar del Plata, Don Patricio Peralta Ramos, and notable statues such as “Bathing Woman” and “Venus de Milo”.
The tour of the Rambla continues with the Paseo Hermitage that offers spas, shops and the Casino del Mar.
Source: Ambito
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