Montevideo is the capital and primate city of Uruguay. The
metropolis at the mouth of the Río de la Plata has around 1.3
million inhabitants and is the economic, administrative and cultural
center of the country.
Montevideo is one of the ten safest
cities in Latin America and, according to a study, is also the South
American city with the highest quality of life. Mercer ranks
Montevideo first among Latin American cities and 78th in the world
for quality of life in its 2019 study.
By plane
Carrasco International Airport (IATA: MVD)
is Montevideo's international airport, located about 20 km from the
center and has a state-of-the-art terminal. From Europe there are
currently direct flights with Iberia from Madrid or as a connecting
flight via Miami with American Airlines. In addition, the city is very
well connected to both Buenos Aires airports! Flights with Aerolineas
Argentinas are available here. Ururuguey's largest airline is called
Pluna and has a modern fleet of Canadair Regional Jets. However, it has
more of the character of a low-cost airline and you have to pay extra
for drinks and food on board. Pluna has a good offer to neighboring
countries from Montevideo, while the airline BQB Líneas Aéreas operates
more domestic flights.
Attention - the liquid restrictions of
100ml apply here too!
A taxi ride between the city and the
airport is offered by all official taxis at a fixed rate of around
U$730. Buses go directly from the arrivals level exit to "Terminal Rio
Blanco" downtown (six blocks north of Av. 18 de Julio) and cost U.S.32.
They are safe, although be careful to catch an express bus that goes
through to Montevideo. The best way to find out which buses you can take
is to ask at the information desk on the arrivals level. However, buses
700, 701, 710 and 711 appear to serve this route. You buy the ticket
from the driver.
By train
With the exception of some suburban
lines to the suburbs of Montevideo, there is no passenger train service
in Uruguay. A journey to Montevideo by train can therefore only be made
from the commuter area.
By bus
As in many other Latin American
countries, the bus network is very well developed. There are many lines
and a dense frequency to the main places. The central terminal is called
"Tres cruces". From here you can reach practically every corner of
Uruguay by bus. Buquebus also offers ferries to Colonia and Buenos
Aires. The journey from Montevideo to Colonia takes about three hours
with the COT line (first class only), all the latest buses, and costs
€10 (as of January 2013). Bus lines 180 and 188 go from there to the old
town for about 50 cents . By taxi it costs around €3.
There is an
excellent and very informative tourist office in the terminal. It
provides information and maps for all of Uruguay.
By boat
Ships sail between Buenos Aires and Montevideo several times a day.
The city is home to the Teatro Solís, the most
important state theater and the second largest theater in South America.
The Teatro El Galpón is also located in the capital. Other theaters
based in Montevideo include:
the Teatro Anglo
the Teatro Agadu
the Teatro Alianza Cultural Uruguay-Estados Unidos English-language
plays are often performed here
the Gran Teatro Metro
the Teatro
Ramón Collazo, a semi-circular steep arena where musical and carnival
performances take place
the Circular Theatre
the Teatro Florencio
Sanchez
There are numerous museums, important collections and
exhibitions in Montevideo. The history of the country and the city is
dealt with by:
the National Museum of History (Museo Histórico
Nacional) housed in the Ciudad Vieja in the Cabildo
the military
history museum (Museo Militar General Artigas) located in the Barrio
Villa del Cerro on the Cerro de Montevideo in the local fortress
the
Museo del Gaucho y la Moneda in the Palacio Heber Jackson on Avenida 18
de Julio
the city history museum (Museo Historico de Ciudad)
the
national library
Provide insights into the development of art:
the Museum of Fine Arts (Museo Municipal de Bellas Artes "Juan Manuel
Blanes")
the Museo de Artes Decorativas, housed in the Palacio
Taranco in Ciudad Vieja
the Museo Romantico
the Museo Torres
García, where the works of the artist Joaquín Torres García (1874-1949)
are on display
the Museum of Modern and Contemporary Art (Museo de
Arte Contemporáneo)
the Museum of Pre-Columbian Art (Museo de Arte
Precolombino e Indígena MAPI)
the National Museum of Arts (Museo
Nacional de Artes Visuales)
Natural history, botanical and
zoological collections:
the Natural History Museum (Museo Nacional de
Historia)
the Zoological Museum (Museo Zoológico Dámaso Antonio
Larrañaga)
the Municipal Botanical Museum (Museo Botánico Municipal)
the botanical collections and gardens (Jardín Botánico Profesor Atilio
Lombardo|Museo y Jardín Botánico Prof. Atilio Lombardo)
Other
specialty museums:
the Museo del Azulejo, which sheds light on the
history of decorative wall tiles and tiles
the Museum of the History
of Carnival in Uruguay (Museo de Carnaval)
the Crime Museum (Museo
Policial)
the Aviation Museum (Museo Aeronáutico)
the Numismatic
Museum (Museo Numismático)
Museum of Migrations
the mausoleum of the national hero José Gervasio
Artigas
the Bank of the Plata
the Banco Ingles de Rio de Janeiro
the Banco Popular del Uruguay
the Cabildo de Montevideo
the Casa
Barth
the Casa Augustin de Castro
the Casa de Oribe
the Casa
Rodríguez
the Catedral Metropolitana, built between 1790 and 1804
the Centro Militar (Montevideo)
the Comercio Merlinsky y Syrowicz
the Edificio Cafe Montevideo
the Edificios Lincoln y Vogar
the
Edificio Sorocabana
the Edificio San Jose
the Estadio Centenario
the Church of San Francisco
Junta Departamental de Montevideo
(structure)
the Mercado de la Abundancia
the Mercado del Puerto
the Obelisco a los Constituyentes de 1830, the Obelisk of Montevideo
the Palacio Chiarino
the Palacio Estévez, built in the 18th century,
served as 'Casa de Gobierno' until 1985
the Palacio Legislative
the Palacio Piria
the Palacio Rinaldi
the Palacio Salvo
the
Palacio Taranco
the Plaza Fuerte Hotel
the Puerta de la Ciudadela,
the gateway to the old town, the 'Ciudad Vieja'
the Torre de las
Telecomunicaciones
the Torre Ejecutiva, the seat of the President of
Uruguay
the Solar de Burgues
Important streets and squares
Starting from the original city center of the old town, Montevideo is
traversed almost in a kind of chessboard pattern by streets mostly
running at right angles to each other, which thus form the
characteristic blocks of houses. In addition to the Rambla, which
encompasses the city on the coast line, several other streets take on
the function of the core axes of Montevideo. These are primarily the
Avenida 18 de Julio, which runs through the city center in the south of
the Montevidean department from west to east to north-east, which
finally meets the Bulevar Artigas, which starts in Punta Carretas on the
Rambla and runs from south to north, which later follows bends west.
There are several important squares in the Uruguayan metropolis on
Avenida 18 de Julio, which is the city's main shopping street. For
example, the Plaza de los Treinta y Tres, the Plaza de Cagancha or the
Plaza Fabini can be found here. The Avenida finally flows into what is
probably the most important square in Montevideo, the Plaza
Independencia, at its western end.
Other important streets and
squares:
Avenida Libertador
Plaza de la Constitucion
Plaza de
la Contraescarpa
Plaza Zabala
The inner city of Montevideo is very densely built up,
which means that there is a great need for green spaces and "urban open
spaces" in order to counteract social tensions and preserve the quality
of life in this city. The parks and green areas were primarily created
on the waterfront and in the outskirts of the city. The parks often bear
the name of the donors - mostly wealthy citizens or politicians: Parque
Arq. Eugenio Baroffio, Parque Bernardina Fragoso de Rivera, Parque Brig.
Gral. Frucoso Rivera, Parque Brig. Gral. Jaúan Antonio Lavalleja,
Central Park, Cesar Diaz Park, Golf Park, Las Instucciones Park, Dr.
Carlos Vaz Ferreira, Park Dr. Juan Zorilla de San Martin, Férnando
Garcia Park, José Batlle y Ordoñez Park, José Enrique Rodó Park,
Municipal Park, National Park F.D. Roosevelt, Pedro Bellán Park and the
Prado Park. Cemeteries - such as the Cementerio del Buceo - and the
animal park Jardin Zoológia are also used as green areas.
sport
and freetime
Every Sunday there is a large flea market in the Cordón
barrio, the so-called Feria de Tristán Narvaja. Other markets regularly
held in Montevideo include the Saturday Feria Villa Biarritz in the
Pocitos district and the Sunday market in Parque Rodó.
In Montevideo
there are the Estadio Alfredo Victor Viera, Estadio Luis Tróccoli,
Estadio Gran Parque Central, Estadio Contador José Pedro Damiani,
Estadio Luis Franzini and Estadio Belvedere.
Other sports
facilities are
the Velodrome (Velódromo)
the horse racing track
(Hipódromo de Maroñas)
the golf courses and marinas of the
prestigious Yacht Club Nautilus and Yacht Club Uruguayo.
There is a
marina in the Buceo district.
With the Roman Catholic Archdiocese of Montevideo, Montevideo is also a center of church life. Montevideo is also the episcopal seat of the Anglican Diocese of Uruguay, the Iglesia Anglicana del Cono Sur de América. Its center is the Templo Inglés. The Methodist Church has also had a church in the city since 1903, the Iglesia Evangélica Metodista.
Those who would like to treat themselves to a large piece of beef should go to the "Mercado del Puerto" in the old town. There are a number of dining options and restaurants in and around the Mercado. In the restaurants, however, cutlery ("cubiertos") is often required.
There are practically no old cinemas left in Montevideo. They have been converted into churches in recent years. On the other hand, there are good cinemas with the latest films in the shopping centers. All foreign films are shown in the original language and with Spanish subtitles
If you are traveling with small luggage or with a
backpack, you are advised to look for small, mostly family-run hostels
in addition to the hotels. The people are helpful, friendly and happy if
the guest speaks a little Spanish. In this way you can also learn
something from the people about what makes life here special and perhaps
different from that in the western (r)easterly world.
1 Hotel
Sofitel Montevideo Carrasco, Rambla Republica de México 6451. Tel: +598
2604 6060.
2 Hotel Cottage Carrasco, Miraflores 1360 esq. Rbla. Rep.
de México, Miraflores,. Phone: +598 2600 1111.
Montevideo is divided into 62 barrios. The division of the barrios has changed over the decades; new barrios emerged, while others merged or were combined. Many of today's districts of Montevideo, whose areas do not necessarily correspond to those of the barrios, were geographically independent settlements at the time they were created, which were absorbed as the city grew, for example Pocitos or Sayago. Others developed around industrial poles, such as the Villa del Cerro salt meat factory or the Nuevo París tanneries. Finally, there were those that grew out of large apartment complexes; these include Euskal Erría in Malvín Norte and Parque Posadas in Barrio Aires Puros.
According to Köppen's definition, Montevideo has an always humid, subtropical climate, which is also referred to as subtropical east side climates. It is characterized by rainfall that is evenly distributed throughout the year, as well as mild winters and warm summers. In summer, the whole of Montevideo lies in the area of the subtropical high pressure cell of the Atlantic, which brings humid air and thus precipitation over Uruguay. In winter, on the other hand, the migrating low pressure areas of the westerly wind zones can advance up to the 32nd degree of latitude and thus also to Montevideo. In addition, winters are uncomfortably damp and windy. A special feature of the climate are the stormy cold air rushes from the south (Pamperos), which can lead to extreme temperature drops at any time of the year due to the lack of weather barriers (mountains). These penetrate particularly frequently in winter and spring as far as Montevideo. On the other hand, warm winds from the northeast can also bring summer temperatures of up to a maximum of 30 °C. This phenomenon is particularly common at the beginning of winter and is called "Veranito de San Juan" by the locals. The average annual temperature is 16.3 °C.
According to most theories, Montevideo got its name
from the 132 m high city hill (Spanish monte "mountain"), the Cerro de
Montevideo, located opposite the port. It is said to have been called
Yvyty (“rock”) by the Guaraní. In the logbook of Magellan's boatswain
Francisco Albo, the spelling Monte Vidi is first documented (1520).
In the realm of folk etymology are the legend of the exclamation
"Monte vi eu" or "Monte vide eu" ("I saw/see a mountain") by an unknown
sailor, the baptism of the mountain as Monte de San Ovidio by Magellan's
expedition and the alleged inscription Monte VI D[e] E[ste a] O[este]
(“Mountain 6 from East to West”) on old nautical charts.
In 1724, the process of founding Montevideo on what is
now the Ciudad Vieja was initiated by the Spanish crown. Originally it
was called San Felipe y Santiago de Montevideo. The founding of
Montevideo primarily served to ward off the Portuguese, who kept
invading the Banda Oriental from Brazil, and thus for military purposes.
Securing shipping in the southern Atlantic and the Río de la Plata
estuary located there also played a role in the founding of the city. In
addition, since the final change on the Spanish throne from the
Habsburgs to the Bourbons in 1714, their greater economic interest was a
motive. Previously, as early as 1717, royal orders addressed to the
governor of Buenos Aires Zabala for the installation and fortification
of the settlement of Montevideo y Maldonado had not been followed, since
resistance developed in Buenos Aires because of a competitor that
developed with it on the Río de la Plata. Further royal requests in the
years 1718 and 1723 were finally complied with.
Montevideo was
then officially founded as a city on December 24, 1726 by Bruno Mauricio
de Zabala - governor of Buenos Aires. A fort was built on the site of
today's Plaza Zabala. Taking into account the Leyes de Indias, the first
six grid squares (cuadras/manzanas) were staked out according to
Petrarch's plan, each with a width of 100 varas (equivalent to 83.5 m)
on the side of the peninsula facing the bay of Montevideo. An area
located in the area of today's Bartolomé Mitré and Solís streets,
respectively Cerrito and Piedras streets, north of Ciudad Vieja. In
1726, Pedro Millán subdivided another 26 manzanas while retaining this
unit of measurement. The system was completed in 1741 based on the
established urban planning design.
With regard to the building
fabric of that time, it should be noted that apart from the
fortifications and buildings serving sacred purposes, there were no
structures made of stone or wood, with a few exceptions. The reason for
this was that the military administration, which was dependent on Buenos
Aires, had forbidden the use of any durable materials as building
fabric. As a result, the buildings consisted mainly of air-dried bricks
and skins.
In 1739, due to looming conflicts with the Portuguese
and English, the Spanish crown decided to enclose the city both with a
fortification wall and to secure it with a citadel by land. This led to
restrictions on further urban development. Contrary to a plan originally
drawn up by Petarca and the interests of the Montevidean city
administration, the location of the citadel was chosen within the
already developed and populated Manzanas. As a result, with the
completion of the citadel around 1750 and the construction of the
east-facing boundary systems, the water supply was outside the city. On
the other hand, the spatial limitation of the urban area was in contrast
to the population development of Montevideo.
The second half of
the century saw the completion of both the fort in the north-west of the
peninsula and the parapet facing the open sea, the Cubo del Sur, and,
from 1798 to 1804, the 34 casemates along the port used as ammunition
stores, the Las Bovedas. The erection of the fortifications meant that,
in addition to the settlement of the Indian population outside the city
walls, preferred residential areas now developed. In the north of the
peninsula, sheltered from the wind, in the area of calle 25 de Mayo,
lived the socially better off residents, such as large landowners in the
immediate vicinity of Montevideo. Trading posts could also be found
here. Solid building materials now prevailed in construction, which was
also due to the increasing economic independence through the Gobernación
de Montevideo set up by Spain. The sparsely populated south, on the
other hand, continued to consist of huts of the simplest building
fabric. Furthermore, because of the lack of space within the
fortifications, the Manzanas were now more subdivided. The construction
method also changed insofar as the development began directly on the
street and the gardens, which were mostly located inside the manzanas,
made further structural extensions possible.
In the second half
of this century, Montevideo's original military importance receded more
and more into the background in favor of commercial and economic
activities, combined with the expansion of the port. For example, in
1771 it is reported that a convoy of 25 ships exported 432,000 cattle
hides. From 1777 Montevideo's economic rise accelerated, after the
conquest of Colonia del Sacramento by the Rio-Platensian viceroy had led
to the loss of Portuguese competition in the region. A customs facility
in operation from 1778 was created with the Aduana Vieja in calle
Zabala. In addition, trade was stimulated by the Spanish royal family in
the course of further economic liberalization through the Reglamento de
Libre Comercio and the subsequent appointment of Montevideo as Puerto
Mayor de las Indias.
The port of Montevideo, which in 1781
received a quay wall that was soon too small, now played an increasingly
important role in the development of the city, and all the more so when
Montevideo was granted the slave trade import monopoly within the South
American colonies in 1791.
The main church on the Plaza de la
Constitución was built from brick between 1790 and 1804.
In the new century, in 1802, the Montevideo lighthouse
was built on the Cerro.
Since the beginning of the 19th century,
the city has suffered repeated sieges and bombardments from England,
Spain, Portugal, Brazil and Argentina. This led to a weakening of growth
and as a result of the political turmoil that now set in, the economic
situation of the Montevideans deteriorated. While England's attempts to
conquer Buenos Aires from Montevideo in 1806 and 1807 failed, the
situation in Montevideo only calmed down to a certain extent after the
successful occupation of the city by the Brazilians in 1817. The
following uprising, which ultimately led to independence in 1829 and was
initiated by the 33 Orientals, determined the next few years.
The
economic boom towards the end of the 18th century had also brought about
a change in the cityscape to the effect that, in addition to the changes
in building materials already mentioned, the architectural style was
also subject to change. The development of the originally existing
gardens and open spaces followed with progressive subdivision, whereby
patio houses were mainly built here. The Casa de los Ximénez and the
Casa de Tomás Toribio, for example, still exist today from the buildings
that were built during this period. During this time, the new Cabildo
was built in 1804 on the Plaza Mayor (Plaza Matriz/ Plaza Constitución),
which was at the highest point in the city at the time, and before that
the cathedral, built in 1790. Another building from this period is the
Hospital Maciel.
After Uruguay's independence, a new phase in
urban development was heralded by the demolition of the Montevidean
fortifications ordered on August 25, 1829 as a result of the resulting
expansion opportunities. The city became the center of independent
Uruguay, both economically and administratively. José Maria Reyes was
commissioned with the urban development, which should now extend from
the former city walls to the area of calle Ejido. The Avenida 18 de
Julio then formed the central axis of the expansion, oriented towards
the crest of the peninsula on which Montevideo is located. However, the
development of the newly developed area was initially sluggish due to
the political unrest.
From 1843 Montevideo was then subjected to
a siege as a result of the Guerra Grande (1839-1851), which had lasted
since 1839. Even after the end of the war, the ongoing conflicts
paralyzed development, but improvements in infrastructure gradually took
place. This was also due to a new wave of immigrants starting in 1860.
The pier in the port, which was renovated in 1824 but soon proved to be
too small for the ships with increasingly large drafts, was expanded
again for medium-draft ships. The streets, which were initially equipped
with gas-powered lighting and electrified until 1886, were paved. The
Ciudad Vieja received a sewage system and the water supply was also
optimized. From 1869 the tram network was also expanded. Triggered by a
yellow fever epidemic in 1857, among other things, the settlement
structures within the city area began to change. Better off residents
moved out of the old town to the newly developed areas around Avenida 18
de Julio, where large estates were built. In contrast, banks, such as
the Banco Comercial in 1857, and other economic and cultural
institutions settled in the Ciudad Vieja. Examples include the Mercado
del Puerto in 1868, a year earlier the Administración de Correos or the
Teatro Solís, the Club Uruguay (1885) and the Gran Hotel Nacional
(1888). In terms of architectural style, the so-called conventillo
spread as a result of the increasing construction of rental apartments,
especially in the poorer, southern Manzanas of the old town as well as
in the newly developed areas.
On June 5, 1888, Montevideo was
also affected by the Río de la Plata earthquake, which measured 5.5 on
the Richter scale. This was the first and only time in the city's
history that such a natural event was recorded.
At the beginning of the 20th century, a French company
began the expansion of the port, which was laid down by law in 1856 and
for which the foundation stone was laid on July 18, 1901, after lengthy
planning. A Braunschweig company decided in its favor the international
competition for harbor design that was launched in 1889. The Rambla
Portuaria was also redesigned as part of the port expansion.
Also
in the early years of the 20th century, a new wave of immigrants from
Europe and the interior of the country led to population growth and thus
a higher demand for jobs in the city, which was combined with the
emerging industrialization and the associated start-ups (especially in
the consumer goods industry). with Uruguay's now more domestic
market-oriented, import-substitutive policy. Between 1930 and 1955 the
number of companies tripled (7,000 to 21,000) and the number of people
employed in industry doubled (68,000 to 160,000) in Uruguay. This was
again associated with effects on the settlement structures of
Montevideo. In the old town, residential use was pushed back more and
more in favor of economic institutions from the financial sector, such
as the Banco de la República, and later from the service sector
associated with the port (import and export companies, exchange offices,
etc.). Avenida 18 de Julio, on the other hand, developed into the main
shopping street due to the expansion of retail trade and its
surroundings were now increasingly used for residential purposes by the
middle and upper classes of Montevideo. The members of the poorer
stratum of the population, on the other hand, now often either lived in
pensiones or inquilinatos or moved into the rental blocks that had been
built in the Calle Reconquista area since 1945.
At the same time,
the cityscape began to change in such a way that the building heights
increased, also favored by new building regulations issued in 1907. With
the construction of the stock exchange (1940), the Hotel Victoria Plaza
(1950) and the Edificio Tupí (1963), among others, the cathedral lost
its special position as a building that had previously dominated the
cityscape. The rising property prices in the city center also resulted
in more intensive use of the available space. This was noticeable in the
fact that open spaces within the old town were now almost non-existent.
In addition, more and more high-rise buildings with condominiums were
built during this period in order to meet the demand in this regard.
This development was also promoted by government support for the
formation of property, for example through the Ley de Propiedad
Horizontal from 1946.
During World War II, the German pocket
battleship Admiral Graf Spee, a raider in the South Atlantic, took
refuge in the neutral port of Montevideo after a battle with British
cruisers on December 13, 1939. Faced with the choice between another
hopeless naval battle with the British and internment by Uruguay, the
crew of the Graf Spee sank the ship itself on December 17, 1939 off
Montevideo. A monument with the ship's anchor raised has its place in
one today although not readily accessible to the public part of the port
of Montevideo.
When the country's economic situation deteriorated
in the 1950s, among other things due to falling prices for agricultural
products, the export of which the Uruguayan economy was mainly based on,
this also had consequences for the city of Montevideo. The building
activity in the city area decreased sharply. Compared to previous years,
new buildings were erected in a significantly smaller number and the
existing building fabric also fell into disrepair. This was due, among
other things, to the restrictive tenant protection introduced in 1947,
which was counterproductive to landlords' willingness to invest, in
connection with increasing inflation. This prevented an adjustment of
rents to the inflation rate.
From 1975 there were considerable
structural changes in the city. These were caused in the course of the
changes that have now been made in the country's economic policy through
greater liberalization and the stabilization of the peso caused by the
fight against inflation, with the capital inflow triggered as a result.
During this period, domestic demand in the country increased and exports
quadrupled in the period from 1973 to 1981. The structural changes hit
the old town in particular, but also the district of Pocitos. There was
increased construction activity, which, together with an upgrading of
the old town, led to the development of new properties and extensions
for the tertiary sector. The increased construction activity was also
caused by the fact that land speculation increased in the course of the
release of rents by the Ley de Alquileres Tenancy Act passed in 1974 and
further legal regulations between 1978 and 1980 led to enormous
demolition activity in the old town. As a result of this structural
change, the population there declined so that in 1985 only 16,000 people
lived in the old town.
On January 8, 1979, Montevideo was the
scene of the signing of the Acta de Montevideo[7] (Montevideo Act) in
connection with papal mediation in the Beagle conflict.
In the
1980s, Pope John Paul II himself visited the city twice. The first visit
dates from April 1987. Here he held a large mass in Tres Cruces. The
second, which also took him to the cities of Salto, Florida and Melo,
took place in 1988.
The first 40 residents of Montevideo came to the newly founded city together with Zabala from Buenos Aires. The immigrants who followed now came first from the Canary Islands. Two years after Zabala, 96 people came and more followed in the years 1727 to 1729. Of the newly arrived Montevideans in 1730, 20 families had also left their old home on the Canary Islands. A first rapid population increase took place in the years after the Uruguayan declaration of independence until 1840. Many of the new residents came from France, Italy, Spain and England. After the end of the Guerra Grande, renewed strong population growth began in Montevideo. On the one hand, this was linked to the positive economic development that began around 1860, which triggered a new wave of immigration from Europe. On the other hand, this was due to changes in agriculture. Among other things, the consolidation of ownership caused by the newly founded Uruguayan Chamber of Agriculture in 1871 through progressive fencing of pasture land led to a rural exodus to the capital, since the need for agricultural labor was now declining.