The Parque de la Independencia (Independence Park) is a large public park

Park

A park is a protected area, in its natural or semi-natural state, or planted, and set aside for human recreation and enjoyment, or for the protection of wildlife or natural habitats. It may consist of rocks, soil, water, flora and fauna and grass areas. Many parks are legally protected by...

 in Rosario

Rosario

Rosario is the largest city in the province of Santa Fe, Argentina. It is located northwest of Buenos Aires, on the western shore of the Paraná River and has 1,159,004 residents as of the ....

, province

Provinces of Argentina

Argentina is subdivided into twenty-three provinces and one autonomous city...

 of Santa Fe

Santa Fe Province

The Invincible Province of Santa Fe, in Spanish Provincia Invencible de Santa Fe , is a province of Argentina, located in the center-east of the country. Neighboring provinces are from the north clockwise Chaco , Corrientes, Entre Ríos, Buenos Aires, Córdoba, and Santiago del Estero...

, 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...

. It is located near the geographical center of the city, its limits defined by Moreno Street and three important avenues: Pellegrini Avenue

Pellegrini Avenue (Rosario)

Pellegrini Avenue is a street in Rosario, Santa Fe Province, Argentina. It is a two-way avenue that runs east–west through the center-south of the city, from the coastal avenue by the Paraná River to the western limit of the urbanized area...

, Ovidio Lagos Avenue

Ovidio Lagos Avenue

Ovidio Lagos Avenue is a street in Rosario, Santa Fe Province, Argentina. It is a one-way avenue that runs north–south through the center of the city, from the coastal Avenida del Valle by the Paraná River to the southern limit of the urbanized area.Ovidio Lagos is the main street in Barrio...

, and 27 de Febrero Boulevard. It has a surface area of 1.26 km² and includes a number of attractions:

• The Rosedal (Rose Garden), finished in 1915, with several species of rose
  Rose
  A rose is a woody perennial of the genus Rosa, within the family Rosaceae. There are over 100 species. They form a group of erect shrubs, and climbing or trailing plants, with stems that are often armed with sharp prickles. Flowers are large and showy, in colours ranging from white through yellows...
  
  s, as well as sculptures and fountains.
• The French Garden, built in 1942, with many flower arrangements and a large marble fountain.
• The Calendar, where every evening since 1946 gardeners re-arrange the flowers to show the date written on the ground.
• An area reserved for fairs, initially intended for agricultural expositions, then also industry and commerce.
• The former Rosario Jockey Club's horsetrack.
• The Museum of the City
  Municipal Museum of the City (Rosario)
  The Museum of the City is a museum in Rosario, Argentina. It is located on 2300 Oroño Boulevard, on a corner of the Parque de la Independencia, and administered by the municipal government of the city...
  
  , opened in 1902, initially the School of Gardener Apprentices.
• The Jorge Newbery Municipal Stadium, started in 1925, the first state-funded sports venue for public use in the country.
• The Juan B. Castagnino Fine Arts Museum
  Juan B. Castagnino Fine Arts Museum
  The Juan B. Castagnino Fine Arts Museum is an art museum in the city of Rosario, , considered the most important of the interior of the country and the second in national terms. It is administered by the municipal government...
  
  , opened in 1937.
• The Dr. Julio Marc Provincial Historical Museum
  Dr. Julio Marc Provincial Historical Museum
  The Dr. Julio Marc Provincial Historical Museum is a museum in Rosario, Argentina...
  
  , opened in 1939.
• The Children's Garden, an area of 35,000 m² with amusement and educational facilities.

The park also hosts three sports clubs:

• Club Gimnasia y Esgrima.
• Club Atlético Newell's Old Boys
  Newell's Old Boys
  Club Atlético Newell's Old Boys is an Argentine sports club based in Rosario. The club was founded on November 3, 1903, and is named after Isaac Newell, one of the pioneers of Argentine football...
  
  (one of the main football
  Football (soccer)
  Association football, more commonly known as football or soccer, is a sport played between two teams of eleven players with a spherical ball...
  
   teams in the city).
• Club Atlético Provincial.

History

The Parque de la Independencia was the first park in the city. Its origin lies in four public squares at the intersection of two then newly opened large boulevards, Santafesino and Argentino (today Oroño Boulevard

Oroño Boulevard

Oroño Boulevard is a street in Rosario, Santa Fe Province, Argentina. It is a two-way boulevard that runs north–south through the center-east of the city, from the coastal avenue by the Paraná River to the southern limit of the urbanized area...

 and Pellegrini Avenue). The four-part plaza was named Independencia.

In 1900 the provincial government authorized the municipality, presided by mayor Luis Lamas

Luis Lamas

Luis Lamas was the mayor of the Argentine city of Rosario, Santa Fe Province, from 21 February 1898 to 19 February 1904.During the Lamas administration the city grew considerably in population and gained infrastructure and luxury. New streets were opened and older ones were paved...

, to expropriate

Eminent domain

Eminent domain , compulsory purchase , resumption/compulsory acquisition , or expropriation is an action of the state to seize a citizen's private property, expropriate property, or seize a citizen's rights in property with due monetary compensation, but without the owner's consent...

 the lands to create a new park. The plans for the park were drawn by landscape architect

Landscape architecture

Landscape architecture is the design of outdoor and public spaces to achieve environmental, socio-behavioral, or aesthetic outcomes. It involves the systematic investigation of existing social, ecological, and geological conditions and processes in the landscape, and the design of interventions...

 Carlos Thays

Carlos Thays

Carlos Thays was a French-Argentine landscape architect, and a student of French landscape architect Édouard André.-Biography:...

 (famous for his work in the Buenos Aires Botanical Garden

Buenos Aires Botanical Garden

The Buenos Aires Botanical Garden is located in the Palermo neighborhood of Buenos Aires in Argentina. The garden is triangular in shape, and is bounded by Sante Fé Avenue, Las Heras Avenue and República Árabe Siria Street...

, among many others). In 1901 the municipality built the internal avenues and roads, an artificial lake and, with the earth removed for the lake, a small artificial hill (even today known as La Montañita, the Little Mountain). That year, also, the First Festival of the Tree took place, and 6,000 trees were planted by students in the park, which was inaugurated on 1 January 1902.

External links

Municipality of Rosario