Citadel Gate

STOP! You find yourself in front of one of the most emblematic and iconic symbols of Montevideo: the Puerta de la Ciudadela. If you look closely at its granite blocks, you are contemplating one of the few material testimonies that survive from the time when this city was a walled stronghold. A trip to the colonial past. To understand the history of this portal, we have to travel back in time to the 18th century. During Spanish rule, Montevideo was surrounded by a large military wall to defend itself from land invasions and rival empires. The Citadel was the enormous main fortress and this gate served as the military entrance to the defensive enclosure. However, at the end of the 19th century, the city began to grow by leaps and bounds. In 1877 the decision was made to demolish the walls to make way for urban expansion. But fortunately, this beautiful neoclassical stone door was not completely destroyed: it was dismantled piece by piece for storage and relocation. Today, meticulously restored and rebuilt stone by stone in 1959, the Citadel Gate functions as a symbolic threshold. If you look to the side, you will see the imposing Plaza Independencia with the Palacio Salvo and the monument to Artigas; If you cross the arch to the other side, you will enter directly into the Old City, the historical, pedestrian and cultural heart of…

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