The Obelisk of Buenos Aires, located in the San Nicolás suburb, is one of the most important monuments of Buenos Aires. When you land in Buenos Aires, this will probably be the first monument you will encounter even before you plane touches the ground. Thanks to its position, the Obelisco is a starting point of almost every tourist’s trip to the city. The monument is almost 70 meters tall, and was officially unveiled on the 400th anniversary of the existence of Buenos Aires.
The base of the monument is 6.8m wide on all sides. The body of the Obelisco narrows down towards the top which is 3.5m wide in all directions, supporting a lightning rod which is impossible to be seen due to the monument’s height. The wires leading to the lightning rod run through the monument itself. The Obelisco has a single entrance situated at its east side, and it contains four windows which can only be reached by climbing the 206 steps to the top of the monument.
The monument sits where the church of Saint Nicolás of Bari used to stand before it was demolished. The church was where the Argentine flag flew for the first time in 1812, an event which is described on the northern side of the Obelisco. Other inscriptions on the monument’s sides commemorate Buenos Aires’ declaration as the country’s capital. The south side of the monument contains an inscription of a sonnet dedicated to the Obelisco, written by Baldomero Fernández Moreno.
