Manuel B. Gonnet
Encyclopedia
Manuel B. Gonnet is a town in Buenos Aires Province
, Argentina
, in La Plata Partido
, 6 km (3.7 mi) from La Plata
, the provincial capital. It is part of a group of towns developed around the then Buenos Aires Great Southern Railway
(later Ferrocarril General Roca
) connecting La Plata
with Buenos Aires
, and Tolosa, Ringuelet, City Bell
and Villa Elisa.
It is named after Manuel Benito Gonnet, first provincial minister of Public Works (after the Federalization of Buenos Aires) and provincial legislator.
According to the 2001 Census INDEC, Manuel B. Gonnet has a population of 22,963 in 2.335 ha (5.8 acre).
On 13 July 1882 the provincial government started construction of new railroad branches to connect the new provincial capital with the Buenos Aires Western Railway
and the Buenos Aires Great Southern Railway
. The La Plata - Empalme Pereyra (Villa Elisa) line was opened on 1 January 1889.
In 1889 at the inauguration of the Adolfo Alsina
train station, the local landowners decided to start a partnership, subdivide part of the land into lots and found a town. The train station opened on 15 February and on 24 February they announced the establishment of Villa Máximo Paz, named after the then governor. However, the enterprise did not immediately succeed and it took many years to attain a stable population. Initially, the first houses were used as weekend retreats for the rich people of La Plata.
When the population started to become established in 1909, Luis Castells, owner of the land on the north side of the railway decided to fraction hand sell his land and started the town of Villa Castells. In 1931 it was renamed as Manuel B. Gonnet, joining Villa Máximo Paz and Villa Castells.
In this area, a theme park the Republic of the Children
, was built in 53 ha (131 acre) in 1951 inspired by the tales and characters of the Brothers Grimm
.
It is also the site of the science campus of the Buenos Aires Province, Science Investigation Commission, the Acoustics and Light Technology Lab, CIOP - Optics Labs and LINTA. The 9 ha (22 acre) is delimited by Camino Centenario and 505th street, 508th street and 16th street.
Buenos Aires Province
The Province of Buenos Aires is the largest and most populous province of Argentina. It takes the name from the city of Buenos Aires, which used to be the provincial capital until it was federalized in 1880...
, Argentina
Argentina
Argentina , officially the Argentine Republic , is the second largest country in South America by land area, after Brazil. It is constituted as a federation of 23 provinces and an autonomous city, Buenos Aires...
, in La Plata Partido
La Plata Partido
La Plata is a partido in Buenos Aires Province, Argentina, located some 60 kilometers south-east of the city of Buenos Aires.It has an area of , and a population of 574,369 . Its capital is La Plata, which also serves as the capital of the province...
, 6 km (3.7 mi) from La Plata
La Plata
La Plata is the capital city of the Province of Buenos Aires, Argentina, and of La Plata partido. According to the , the city proper has a population of 574,369 and its metropolitan area has 694,253 inhabitants....
, the provincial capital. It is part of a group of towns developed around the then Buenos Aires Great Southern Railway
Buenos Aires Great Southern Railway
The Buenos Aires Great Southern Railway was one of the Big Four broad gauge, , British-owned companies that built and operated railway networks in Argentina...
(later Ferrocarril General Roca
Ferrocarril General Roca
Ferrocarril General Roca , named after the former Argentine president Julio Argentino Roca, was one of the six state-owned Argentine railway companies formed after President Juan Perón's nationalisation of the railway network in 1948...
) connecting La Plata
La Plata
La Plata is the capital city of the Province of Buenos Aires, Argentina, and of La Plata partido. According to the , the city proper has a population of 574,369 and its metropolitan area has 694,253 inhabitants....
with Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires
Buenos Aires is the capital and largest city of Argentina, and the second-largest metropolitan area in South America, after São Paulo. It is located on the western shore of the estuary of the Río de la Plata, on the southeastern coast of the South American continent...
, and Tolosa, Ringuelet, City Bell
City Bell
City Bell is a small town located in the partido of La Plata, Buenos Aires, Argentina. It is located some 50 kilometers from Buenos Aires and 10 from La Plata. It forms part of the Greater La Plata urban agglomeration....
and Villa Elisa.
It is named after Manuel Benito Gonnet, first provincial minister of Public Works (after the Federalization of Buenos Aires) and provincial legislator.
According to the 2001 Census INDEC, Manuel B. Gonnet has a population of 22,963 in 2.335 ha (5.8 acre).
History
Buenos Aires Western Railway
The Buenos Aires Western Railway was one of the Big Four broad gauge British-owned companies that built and operated railway networks in Argentina...
and the Buenos Aires Great Southern Railway
Buenos Aires Great Southern Railway
The Buenos Aires Great Southern Railway was one of the Big Four broad gauge, , British-owned companies that built and operated railway networks in Argentina...
. The La Plata - Empalme Pereyra (Villa Elisa) line was opened on 1 January 1889.
In 1889 at the inauguration of the Adolfo Alsina
Adolfo Alsina
Adolfo Alsina Maza was an Argentine lawyer and Unitarian politician, and one of the founders of the Partido Autonomista and the National Autonomist Party.-Biography:...
train station, the local landowners decided to start a partnership, subdivide part of the land into lots and found a town. The train station opened on 15 February and on 24 February they announced the establishment of Villa Máximo Paz, named after the then governor. However, the enterprise did not immediately succeed and it took many years to attain a stable population. Initially, the first houses were used as weekend retreats for the rich people of La Plata.
When the population started to become established in 1909, Luis Castells, owner of the land on the north side of the railway decided to fraction hand sell his land and started the town of Villa Castells. In 1931 it was renamed as Manuel B. Gonnet, joining Villa Máximo Paz and Villa Castells.
In this area, a theme park the Republic of the Children
Republic of the Children
The Republic of Children also known as the City of Children, is a theme park located in Manuel B. Gonnet, a suburb west of La Plata, Argentina...
, was built in 53 ha (131 acre) in 1951 inspired by the tales and characters of the Brothers Grimm
Brothers Grimm
The Brothers Grimm , Jacob Grimm and Wilhelm Grimm , were German academics, linguists, cultural researchers, and authors who collected folklore and published several collections of it as Grimm's Fairy Tales, which became very popular...
.
Sports
The area is also known for its sports fields and clubs, such as Club Universitario de La Plata, Rugby Club La Plata and Santa Bárbara Hockey Club.It is also the site of the science campus of the Buenos Aires Province, Science Investigation Commission, the Acoustics and Light Technology Lab, CIOP - Optics Labs and LINTA. The 9 ha (22 acre) is delimited by Camino Centenario and 505th street, 508th street and 16th street.