La Plata: A Planned, Cultural, and Lively City
July 11, 2025 Hour: 2:38 pm
Just over 50 kilometers from Buenos Aires lies La Plata, the capital of the province of the same name and one of Argentina’s most unique cities. Founded on November 19, 1882, by then-governor Dardo Rocha, La Plata was designed from the ground up as a planned city, with a geometric layout that still stands out today: a grid of streets, diagonals crossing from end to end, and plazas distributed every six blocks.
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Engineer Pedro Benoit, the mastermind behind the original design, envisioned a modern city for its time, with green spaces, wide avenues, and organized public buildings. This layout not only improved transit and ventilation but also gave La Plata its nickname: the “City of Diagonals.”
Among its main landmarks is the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, one of the tallest in the Americas, begun in 1884 and completed in 1999. Across from it stands the City Hall, a European-style building that houses the city’s administrative offices. Another notable site is the Curutchet House, the only work in Latin America by Swiss architect Le Corbusier, declared a World Heritage Site by UNESCO.
La Plata is also a hub for education and science. The National University of La Plata, founded in 1905, attracts thousands of students from across the country and abroad. Around it thrives a vibrant cultural scene with museums, theaters, and independent art spaces. The La Plata Museum, for example, is one of the most important natural science museums in South America, while the Dardo Rocha Passage, a former railway building, hosts exhibitions, concerts, and independent film screenings.
Green spaces are part of La Plata’s identity. The Paseo del Bosque is one of the city’s main parks, featuring lakes, walking paths, and the Planetarium. Another highlight is the República de los Niños, an educational park that recreates a miniature city for children and is said to have inspired Walt Disney.
The city is easily accessible from Buenos Aires by highway, train, or bus, offering a calm, organized, and historically rich experience. With a blend of planned architecture, academic life, and a steady cultural offering, La Plata remains an attractive destination for visitors and for those who choose it as a place to live or study.