Palermo | |
|---|---|
 Clockwise from top left: thePolo Stadium, theGalileo Galilei planetarium, thePalermo Woods and theBotanical Garden. | |
 Emblem[1] | |
 Location of Palermo in Buenos Aires. | |
| Country | Argentina |
| Autonomous city | Buenos Aires |
| Comuna | C14 |
| Important sites | National Museum of Decorative Arts,Latin American Art Museum of Buenos Aires,Palermo Racetrack,Argentine Polo Field,Palermo Woods,Buenos Aires Botanical Garden,Buenos Aires Eco-Park,Jorge Newbery Airport |
| Government | |
| • President | Martín Cantera (PRO-JxC) |
| Area | |
• Total | 15.9 km2 (6.1 sq mi) |
| Population (2022)[2] | |
• Total | 249,016 |
| • Density | 15,700/km2 (40,600/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC-3 (ART) |
Palermo is abarrio or neighborhood ofBuenos Aires, Argentina. It is located in the north of the city, near theRío de la Plata.
It has a total land area of 17.4 km2 and a population of 249,016.[2] It is the onlybarrio within the administrative division of Comuna 14.
Palermo is perhaps best known as thepolo capital of the world. Each year, in November, the city hosts theArgentine Polo Open, commonly known as the Palermo Open.[3]
The name of the area is derived from the still-existingFranciscanabbey of "Saint Benedict of Palermo", an alternative name forSaint Benedict the Moor. Saint Benedict the Moor lived from 1526 to 1589 and is a complementary patron saint ofPalermo, the capital city ofSicily.[4]
In an alternative history of the name, a folk story supported by journalists, the land would have been originally purchased by anItalian immigrant namedJuan Domingo Palermo in the late 16th century, shortly after the foundation of Buenos Aires in 1580.Juan Manuel de Rosas built a country residence there which was confiscated after his fall in 1852.
The area grew rapidly during the last third of the 19th century, particularly during the presidency ofDomingo Faustino Sarmiento, who was responsible for the creation of theBuenos Aires Zoological Gardens and theParque Tres de Febrero in 1874, andPlaza Italia and thePalermo Race Track in 1876, all on the grounds of what had been Rosas' pleasure villa.
During the 20th century, theBuenos Aires Botanical Gardens (1902),Jorge Newbery Airport (1948), the water purification plant, several sport clubs, theGalileo Galilei planetarium (1966), and theBuenos Aires Japanese Gardens (1967) were developed.
Although appearing as one big swath on the official map, Palermo can be subdivided into several contrasting and acutely individual parts, the most clearly delimited of which may be considered furtherde facto neighborhoods of Buenos Aires.
The most upmarket part of Palermo, "Palermo Chico" ("Small" or "Exclusive" Palermo), is on Palermo's north-eastern edge, across Figueroa Alcorta Avenue and between San Martín de Tours and Tagle streets. Neighboring "Barrio Parque" is strictly a residential area, laid out in winding streets byCarlos Thays; many of the wealthy and famous own homes in this section, which also includes numerous embassies and theSan Martín National Institute. It was once an area full of splendid mansions set in broad private parks; many have been demolished by developers. The quarter nevertheless remains one of the wealthiest in the city, home to luxury condominium and apartment developments, the largest of which is currently theLe Parc Figueroa Alcorta towers.MALBA, the Museum of Latin American Art in Buenos Aires, is located next door between Barrio Parque and thePaseo Alcorta shopping center.
Alto Palermo is downtown Palermo, the main shopping area and transport hub aroundSanta Fe Avenue. Centered onLas Heras Park and theAlto Palermo Shopping Center, this section is the easternmost edge of Palermo and borders theRecoleta section known asBarrio Norte. Palermo Norte is located alongLibertador Avenue to the northwest of Palermo Chico, and the site of landmarks such as theArgentine Automobile Club and theNational Museum of Decorative Arts.
Villa Freud, based around Plaza Güemes, is a residential area known for its high concentration of psychoanalysts and psychiatrists, hence its name.
This area borders Palermo Norte further northwest along Libertador Avenue centered on the Monument to the Four Regions of Argentina; raised by the Spanish community in 1910, this landmark is commonly referred to as the "Spanish Monument". TheBuenos Aires Zoo, theBuenos Aires Botanical Gardens,La Rural expo grounds, the U.S. Embassy andAmbassador's Residence, theBuenos Aires Japanese Gardens, andParque Tres de Febrero (commonly known asBosques de Palermo, or "Palermo Woods") are located in this area. Inspired by the "Bois de Boulogne" in Paris and thePrater (or Vienna Meadow) in Vienna, the Palermo Woods are the largest green area in the city of Buenos Aires and itself includes landmarks such as the Rose Garden, theEduardo Sívori Museum, and theGalileo Galilei planetarium.
Las Cañitas, further northwest along Libertador, was a tenement district early in the twentieth century; but it has since become an upmarket area of high-rises, restaurants and bars, particularly in the vicinity of thePalermo Racetrack and theCampo Argentino de Polo. TheKing Fahd Islamic Cultural Center was built in 2000 just east of the Polo fields. TheRegiment of Mounted Grenadiers headquarters and other military installations, such as theCentral Military Hospital and the Military Geographic Institute, are located to the south.
La Imprenta, west of Las Cañitas, borders theBelgrano ward. One of its best-known landmarks is the Parish of San Benito Abad and the neighboringSolar de la Abadía shopping gallery.
Palermo Viejo (Old Palermo) is, as its name implies, the oldest part. It runs from Santa Fe Avenue south toCórdoba Avenue, and from Avenida Dorrego east toCoronel Díaz Street. The neighborhood is centered on Plaza Palermo Viejo, and reflects an olderSpanish Colonial Revival style in architecture, often "recycled" with modern elements. The new headquarters of theNational Research Council, opened in 2011 in the refurbished former GIOL winery, is a notable recent example of this trend.
Such well-known figures asJorge Luis Borges andChe Guevara once lived in thisward and indeed Borges first wrote poetry in the then quiet barrio. Borges's poem "Fundacion mitica de Buenos Aires" names a typical square (bordered by Guatemala, Serrano,Paraguay, and Gurruchaga streets) adjacent to his childhood home, a popular tourist landmark. It was historically a residential area, popular withimmigrant communities fromPoland,Armenia,Ukraine, andLebanon; as well as old Spanish and Italian families, whose traditions are reflected in local restaurants, churches, schools and cultural centres.
Palermo Soho is a small area of Palermo Viejo around Plaza Serrano (officially Plazoleta Cortázar) near Palermo's south-western edge. It is a newly fashionable area for fashion, design, restaurants, bars, and street culture. The atmosphere in many cafés and restaurants strives to be "alternative", which makes this area of the city especially popular with young, upper-middle-class Argentines as well as foreign tourists looking for a "hipster" neighborhood. The traditional low houses have been adapted into boutiques and bars, creating abohemian feel. The square has a crafts fair.
In the mid-nineties a number of TV and radio producers installed themselves in the area between Córdoba, Santa Fe, Dorrego, andJuan B. Justo Avenues in Palermo Viejo. For that reason, this part of the neighborhood began to be called "Palermo Hollywood". Currently,[when?] it is best known for the concentration of restaurants, sports clubs (such asClub Atlético Palermo, the oldest one[5]), cafés, and an active nightlife.
This area is centered on Santa Fe Avenue, a few blocks both north and south from Pacífico bridge, so-called because of the Mitre railway line—previously called the "Buenos Aires to Pacific Railway"—bridge which spans the avenue and is an urban landmark and reference point. Pacifico is a mid-market commercial area and an important transport hub, for the train, metro and many bus lines connect here.
Buenos Aires UndergroundLine D has several stations within Palermo's boundaries under Santa Fe and Cabildo avenues:Bulnes,Scalabrini Ortiz,Plaza Italia,Palermo,Ministro Carranza, andOlleros (at the limit with Colegiales). Currently, no other Underground line serves the area, but eventuallyLine F andLine I will pass through it once completed.
Four commuter railway lines go through the neighborhood: Retiro - José León Suárez (Mitre Line),Retiro -Tigre (Mitre Line), Retiro -Pilar (San Martín Line), and Retiro - Villa Rosa (Belgrano Norte Line). A total of five railway stations are located in Palermo. Inaugurated in 2011, theMetrobus Juan B. Justo also goes through Palermo, though there are no other planned Metrobus lines there.
Media related toPalermo, Buenos Aires at Wikimedia Commons
Palermo, Buenos Aires travel guide from Wikivoyage| National | |
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