Ciudad Vieja ( Spanish: Ciudad Vieja , Old Town ) is the name of the oldest part of the city of Montevideo , the capital of Uruguay . Currently, Ciudad Vieja is the barrio (district or quarter) of the city. The area has many government offices, banks, museums, cultural centers, nightclubs and restaurants. The main port of Uruguay also refers to Ciudad Vieja.
| Ciudad Vieja Ciudad vieja | |
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| Montevideo | |
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Content
History
Until 1829, the territory of the present Ciudad Vieja district was surrounded by a wall that protected it from possible attacks. From the former, only the Puerta de la Ciudadela, the gate of the fortress, which is the emblem of this part of the city, has survived. Some streets, such as Ciudadela ( Citadel ) or Brescia ( breach ), remind of the existence of a wall. The latter received its name, as it is located near the place where the British managed to break through the wall during their invasion of the viceroyalty of Rio de la Plata in 1807 . The old street Sarandi was turned into a pedestrian in 1992, which made it possible to increase its commercial and tourist attractiveness. In 2005, it was extended to Constitution Square .
Ciudad Vieja is notable for the buildings of the colonial era and the first decades of independence. The Cabildo (built in 1804–1812), the Solis Theater , the cathedral and a number of museums, such as the Torres Garcia Museum [1] , are among the most famous of them.
Literature
- Assunção, Fernando O. Ciudad Vieja. - Montevideo, 1991. - Vol. one.