Argentina - Rosario

Bordering the east side of the city is the Paraná River, a water route of great importance for transport and trade between Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay. 

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The National Flag Monument was inaugurated in 1957. It was designed by the architect Anguel Guido.

Rosario is located in eastern central Argentina, 306 km from Buenos Aires, in the south of the Santa Fé province.
Bordering the east side of the city is the Paraná River, a water route of great importance for transport and trade between Argentina, Brazil, Paraguay and Uruguay.

With an extension of 17.869 hectares and a population of approximately 945.000, the city is the centre of the metropolitan area within the Great Rosario, a popular urban complex with an industrial, commercial and financial profile, set in the middle of a prosperous agricultural and cattle farming region. It is a cosmopolitan city with an irresistible cultural appeal, with a plenty of museums, libraries, architectural buildings, wide boulevards and parks.

The revolutionary Ernesto “Che” Guevara was born in Rosario, as well as a some very prominent Argentine artists like Fito Páez, Juan Carlos Baglietto, Félix “Litto” Nebbia, the writer and comic Roberto Fontanarrosa and the comedian Alberto Olmedo. Valeria Mazza, Argentina´s most international model, and soccer star Lionel Messi were also born in this riverside town.

The Paraná River coastline is a vital recreation area for the people of Rosario, whom enjoy a temporate climate, with an average annual temperature of 23,4 ºC (maximum) and 11,6 ºC (minimum).

In the last decade of the twentieth century, Rosario has regained its river shores thanks to the resettlement of port and railway facilities.

Along the coast, one next to the other, are the Urquiza Park, the National Flag Park, the Spain Park (a people´s favorite for enjoying the river view, and the base for the Spain Park Cultural Centre) the Communities Park, Sunchales Park, Alem Park and the La Florida beach.

A production and technology hub

The Rosario Region has a wide infrastructure network of transport and communications, as well as production, logistic and technological platforms that makes it one the MERCOSUR´s main logistical knots. Standing out among them are the Rosario Port together with other twenty private terminals, and the Malvinas Islands International Airport.

The facts mentioned above, together with an excellent human resources level and the city´s urban quality, have been decisive for several important companies and multinational organisms to settle in the region, such as the Vegetable Genomics Binational Centre, the Rosario Agribiotechnology Institute (INDEAR SA, Bioceres-Biosidus-AAPRESID y CONICET) and the Technology of Information Quality Centre (Rosario Techonological Pole - INTI).

As a consequence of both public policy and private initiative, there has been a consolidation of Technology Based Companies (information, software, biotechnology, electronics) and the coming out of new firms in the area, thus creating a technological cluster in the Region (30% of the industries based in the interior of the country are concentrated in Rosario) conformed by a group of important companies, some of which also have branches in other cities in the country and abroad.

There are 3 key reasons for this innovation node´s increasing competitiveness:
· An important professional supply with 4 top university centers (more than 500 engineers graduate with fast work placement).
· Low costs for developing technological businesses
· Comfortable urban family life.

This context prone to the development of business creative opportunities has made national and foreign capitals to choose this city to be the base of one of Latin America´s main innovation and knowledge complexes: the Argentine-Spanish Vegetable Genomics Research Binational Centre (CeBiGeVe) and the Rosario Agrobiotechnology Institute (INDEAR), an associated project between Bioceres and BioSidus that will become a referent institution on the field of molecular biology, functional genomics and proteomics applied to technological innovation in the Argentine farming sector.

City Tours

The city that was initially a country house state and now is a vibrant metropolis is also known as the Crib of the Flag, because it was over the shore of Paraná River where the national flag created by General Manuel Belgrano was raised for the first time.

In that same area the National Flag Monument by architect Angel Guido was inaugurated in 1957.

Made of travertine marble, it takes up a surface of 10.000 sq mts and has three sectors, one of which works as a venue for outdoor concerts and recitals.

Around the 25 de Mayo Square is the old part of town, with the Nuestra Señora del Rosario Cathedral Basilica, the Palacio de los Leones –seat for the City´s Executive– and the Juramento Passage.

Rosario is a city that invites you to walk and enjoy its 19th and 20th century´s architectural heritage. Some interesting sites are the Josefina Prats Foundation, the Old Police Headquarters, the Archbishop See, the Dr. Juan Álvarez Argentine Library, the Minetti Palace, the Molinos Félix building, the Stock Exchange, the Jockey Club and the Snow Ball building.

Also standing out are the German Evangelic Church and the Fuentes Palace, an architectural beauty from the 1920´s standing right in front of the El Cairo Café, a must for artists and intellectuals.

Also recommendable are the Old Rosario Central Station, the English-style Fisherton Quarter, the 608 mts long Rosario Victoria Bridge, and the Old Customs Building and Utopia Fountain as a whole, an example of the city´s great urban value.

Beaches and islands

The island´s beaches and the sand banks of the Paraná High Delta constitute a great coastline activity, where one can lie in the sun, practice sports and enjoy some leisure time in the restaurants and bars.

Transport to the islands facing the city is through boats that set sail from the River Station just across the Flag Monument, and the Costa Alta Station on the north side.

The islands have camping sites and cabins to spend one or two nights. Walking tours are recommended.

Fishing is one of the sports that can be practiced on the waters of the Paraná River. This area´s river fish are a tasty delicacy that can be tried in every restaurant.

Cultural life

Rosario can brag about its theaters, festivals and museums. The art movement in Rosario is looked upon with respect and admiration in Argentina and the city´s music bands are well known nationally and abroad. The more recognized festivals are the Latin American Video Festival and the ones on Poetry, Jazz, El Cruce (art languages) and Divercine (for kids).

Rosario´s streets are filled with cultural life. Going out to bars, peñas¸ pubs at night to listen jazz, tango, folklore and rock is really worth the while. Tango it´s at his peak, a fact which can be appreciated in places like the House of Tango Cultural Centre, open to any kind of artistic discipline related to this music that was born in the ports area. As for plastic art, the Juan B. Castagnino City Arts Museum stands out, exhibiting permanent European and Argentine art collections. There are works by Ribera, Goya, Sisley, Fader, Petorutti, Spilimbergo, Quinquela Martin, Berni, and Soldi, among other artists.

The Decorative Art Museum has antique furniture, marbles, silver pieces, tapestry, carpets, crystals, porcelains and sculptures, while the Rosario Contemporary Art Museum has the most important Argentine collection of contemporary art.

Art works can also be seen at the top of Rosario´s buildings. The Open View Art-Urban Museum Project consists of mural sized copies of works by great artists from Rosario, such as Antonio Berni, Antonio Gambartes and Julio Vanzo.

Giving that sport is also a part of the culture, the people´s passion for soccer in Rosario cannot be left unmentioned. As in many parts of Argentina, in this city soccer is a spectacle in itself. Rosario Central and Newell´s Old Boys clubs, are both included in the tourist circuit, are long-time rivals and since 1905 are the protagonists of the so called “Rosario classic match”.

Business and corporate events

The III Spanish Language Internacional Conference of November 2004 has made Rosario an important venue for conferences, seminars, fairs and exhibitions. Today, it is the number two city after Buenos Aires in terms of hosting events of the whole country.
Being a privileged communicating point with different neighboring countries, Rosario is perfect for hosting events like the International Alimentary Fair (FIAR) to take place in May 2009.

After four successful editions, the FIAR is today a huge exhibition of products and services for the food industry, and the main business centre of central Argentina.

Shopping

Rosario has modern shopping malls as well as shops along pedestrian streets like San Martín and Córdoba.

On the other hand, handicrafts fairs and markets are a meeting point for local and foreign people in search of antiques and classic handicrafts. Wood, leather and stone-made products are for sale, as well as jewelry, textiles, ceramics and paintings. Second-hand clothes and organic food fairs can also be found.