In the vicinities of the micro centre or the City, as the local Porteños call their financial district, on the banks of Rio de la Plata river and facing the presidential palace - known as the Casa Rosada -, one can see a gigantic urban conglomerate that has changed the face of this part of the city: Puerto Madero.

It is a new neighbourhood barrio. Born ten years ago, is the result of the biggest urbanization project in Buenos Aires' history. It is officially number 47, and for the first time in 26 years a new division was added to the port map.

Opened by the end of 1887,Puerto Madero was projected to cover export needs in off shore freights. However, after 10 years it lost its operative edge due to the intense commercial movement of the era which surpassed its capacity by large. In the end it remained active for river traffic only, thus becoming known as Puerto Nuevo.

Located behind the Retiro area, Puerto Madero is a compound of basins, cranes and so called docks (huge sheds where cargo brought in by freighters arriving to port was stored in the past).

In the 80s a group of specialists dreamt of recycling the port so, since 12 years ago, the Puerto Madero project includes planning and technology, smart buildings and crystal towers that contrast with the long promenade in the banks of the canal, where elegant sailboats slide gently by.

In short, it is a strip of riverside land where old standing storage buildings have been recycled to give place to expensive offices and fancy restaurants.

There are four dikes and a promenade that drives through the recycled old depots. The old buildings maintain their old façade structures, and hold the offices of different firms, a multiplex, the new Universidad Católica Catholic University site, a five star hotel, a mega disco, about forty restaurants and ten bars that have made Puerto Madero one of the most visited spots by the Porteño nightlife seekers.

The 170 hectares of Puerto Madero constitute the most expensive zone of the city and the safest as well. In spite of being the least populated barrio neighbourhood (less than 300 inhabitants) and having the least number of streets, it has received the largest investment in the last five years.

Its creation had the objective of recovering the old port zone, abandoned for many years, and integrating it to the city as a continuation of its centre. Streets were opened and old brick facilities were recycled.

From there is an access from there to marvellous Costanera Sur - an aged beach resort opened in 1918 -, a well appreciated stroll by Porteños during the 30s, 40s and 50s.

It has an attractive enchantment imprinted by its spacious boulevard, its stairway to the river, the pergola and the jetty with its different establishments and monuments, which are continually visited by an important number of people, specially during weekends.

The gastronomical offer is diverse: there are restaurants specialized in grilled food, pasta, seafood and haute cuisine, suitable for the most demanding gourmets. There are also fast food restaurants and one can find the classic trolleys here, along with other restaurants and grills where to try the typical choripán - sausage sandwich -, and have a nice roast.

The ecological reserve is another attraction of this area and can be visited during day or nighttime, in organized tours under the moonlight. An abundant flora and fauna has been established in the reserve's lagoons, pastures, woods and riverside, that gives this part of the city a peculiar natural atmosphere to enjoy, a few metres away from the metropolis.

Two big public parks will soon be opened, as well as a roofed stadium, two convention centres, three museums, four five star hotels, and more office and residential space.

Over 20 thousand people visit the area each day, a number that doubles during the weekends because Puerto Madero, with its boulevards and dikes, has become a common promenading place for families and tourists.

THE DIKES

At the present time its four dikes, surrounded by a magnificent coastal boulevard, are occupied by approximately 16 so called docks or buildings housing gastronomic first class restaurants, all sorts of offices, homes, movie theatres as well as discotheques

Dike 1 connects the Southern Basin and holds buildings housing offices, commerce, private homes with exquisitely refurbished interiors, and a multiplex. There is also the Malecom Tower, and an important building that accommodates the Assa Group offices.

Dike 2 holds the Argentinean Universidad Católica Catholic University faculties' site, where thousands of students concur daily. The so called docks or buildings, as on the other dikes, were recycled but maintain the original English industrial architecture from the beginning of the 20th century, with their typical exposed bricks and cast iron beams. It is important to point out the so called Porteño Building, a recycled facility of twenty five naves and fifteen thousand five hundred square metres, that was built in the year 1902. It has been declared a Historic Heritage Site of the city.

Dike 3 houses offices and commerce, as well as private homes, which are luxurious, lofts with parking areas, and some with swimming pools and fitness centres for the residents. It has four so-called docks or buildings named Dock 5, Dock 6, Lofts de Madero and Paseo del Puerto. Amidst them, there is an outstanding and ample central sector and a couple of sort of small squares in the farthest ends, where fountains and sculptures accompany the immense cranes posed over the boulevard by the name of Juana Gorriti.

Dike 4 connects the Northern Basin and holds Puerto Madero Yacht Club's pier, along with office and commerce sites, the Fortabat Collection, Telecom's intelligent building and the Divino Buenos Ayres complex with its different restaurants and ballrooms.

Attractions in Puerto Madero