Spanish Cooperation Cultural Centres
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Cultural Centre Parque de España, Rosario
The Cultural Centre Parque de España (CCPE) is the product of a shared history, that of the thousands of Spanish immigrants who, towards the end of the 19th century, having crossed the Atlantic, disembarked at the historic docks of Puerto de Rosario and began to assimilate life in this small city, which was beginning to flourish. In Rosario, descendants of those immigrants forged the idea of symbolically bringing together the two nations, in a space that would become emblematic of that meeting of cultures. In bringing the project to fruition, far from imagining a static monument, they set out to build a living memory, one representing an evolving intangible culture. This artifact would first be a foundational tie with the nation’s Hispanic history and origins, later a permanent bridge of exchange with contemporary Spain and finally a link in the Ibero-American creative chain. In an unprecedented project, the municipal authorities of Rosario and the Spanish Government agreed to combine resources in raising this Complex, creating both a home for the proposed educational and cultural centre and a generously-sized public space. To do so, the Parque de España Cultural Foundation was created, composed of the Government of Spain, the Municipality of Rosario and the local Spanish community, represented by the Federation of Spanish Associations of the Province of Santa Fe. The building’s construction was based on a project by the Catalan architect Oriol Bohigas, under the direction of the Rosario architect, Horacio Quiroga. The construction, inaugurated in 1992, was not only one of the largest such investments made by Spain abroad, but the cornerstone of the city’s urban transformation during that period.
Anchored on the banks of the Paraná – after the Amazon, the second longest river in South America, at nearly 5,000 km – the CCPE is an essential part of the Complex, offering outstanding versatility in its multi-purpose spaces. The CCPE project recovered the emblematic character of the nineteenth-century port tunnels on the site, preserving fundamental elements of the original architecture, and transforming the derelict building into a modern, versatile space for the people of Rosario. The theatre within the Complex has a large entrance hall, the main auditorium, seating 518 people, a stage measuring 12 by 10 metres, dressing rooms, simultaneous interpretation booths and air conditioning. It also has a concert piano and an acoustic panelling system that allows the reverberation in the chamber to be adjusted according to need. The performing arts can also presented in the outdoor amphitheatre, which has 300 seats and a magnificent stage overlooking the river. Art exhibits are displayed in the Galleries, three interconnected domed tunnels, with 180 linear metres of exhibition space and a total surface area of 500 square metres. The chamber known as Tunnel No. 4 seats 130 people and is perfect for small-format concerts, drama and lectures. The CCPE also has a media library, free to access, for reference and research, with a wealth of books, video and acoustic archives. This space is equipped with modular furniture and is also used for lectures and workshops with up to 30 people. The Parque de España Centre for Historical Studies and Information, which preserves documents on the Ibero-American past and makes them available for reference, is also situated within this Cultural Complex.
