La Floresta (Uruguay)

La Floresta is a bathdn of the Costa de Oro (Golden Coast) of the Canelones Department in Uruguay. It is located 54 km to the East of Montevideo, and separated of the Parque del Plata (River Plate Park) bath by the Solís Chico stream. To the West, the Sarandí stream is shared with the Costa Azul (Blue Coast) bath.

It had its origin at the end of 1909, when the Dr. Miguel Perea, lawyer and founder of several institutions of credit, started a forestry activity, planting pines and eucalyptuses, in an ample sandy ground included between the Sarandí and Solís Chico's streams and from the town Mosquitos (today Soca) to the River Plate. In March, 1911 it constituted a joint-stock company of arboriculture, bath and territorial promotion, call "La Floresta". It was developed as bath at the beginning of the 20th century and obtained its apogee in 1920. In January 3, 1915 the Hotel La Floresta was inaugurated, tha highest building of the zone, that was extended in several stages until 1921. In the same building worked a Casino, that was closed at the beginning of the 21st century, and, to the bottom, a Cinema, that continues working in summer.

In spite of the urban development, the forestation initiated in 1909 did not stop, and in 1918 there was already a million trees. In 1936 the second great hotel of La Floresta was constructed that, with time, was transformed into apartments of horizontal property. That same year finished the electrification of the bath and, between 1945 and 1950, their streets were paved all. The development of La Floresta never stopped. The bath counted on a theater, casino, parks and a cinema installed in a building that still today comprises the most outstanding architecture of the place. The growth of the local population and the neighboring localities determined the creation of the local grammar school in 1974. In December, 1940, in agreement to arranged in the Law N°9.974 [ [http://www.parlamento.gub.uy/Leyes/Ley09974.htm Poder Legislativo Ley 9.974] ] , La Floresta was declared populated center, and in December 3, 1969, the rank of city occurred him, by the Law 13.806 [ [http://www.parlamento.gub.uy/leyes/ley13806.htm Poder Legislativo Ley 13.806] ] .

Their main street, Treinta y Tres avenue, offer a great variety of commerce to make purchases. A characteristic site is the Monumental Sanctuary of the Virgin of the Flowers, located to a kilometer to the north of La Floresta.

It is the place chosen by many Uruguayan to rest during the summer. The tourism that concurs is familiar and of a middle-class and average discharge. Also many Argentines and Paraguayans concur who look for the tranquillity of his paved streets and their sandy beaches. Traditional and reserved, between the settlers of La Floresta are many members of the three following generations to the one of its first settlers. It accounts with six hotels, several restaurants and has a capacity to lodge up to eight times its stable population and, according to the Headquarters of Police of Canelones, the Floresta is the most surely bath of the Costa de Oro.

In cultural matter the Liga de Fomento of La Floresta has promoted the development in several branches, standing out the organization of the I and II International Biennial Encounter of Sculptures made in January 2005 and January 2007 respectively. In the first biennial the presence of artists of first international level was obtained; a great affluence of public who could share during 10 days with each invited sculpture maker the transformation of a block of granite of great dimensions, carving its at sight work of the public, which made possible an approach of people to the contemporary sculpture, and the perception of the same one in its real dimension, as much in the creative process as in the crystallization of the work and to turn the encounter a referential event of sculpture in the international scope. In that edition Juan Carlos Mercury (Argentina), Adriana Baddi (Argentina), Beatriz Carbonell (Spain), Eddy Walrave (Belgium), Erik Verhelst (Belgium), Brenda Oakes (Wales) and Giorgio Carlevaro (Uruguay) [3 participated [ [http://www.canelonesturismo.gub.uy/Esculturas_La%20Floresta.html Intendencia de Canelones. Floresta Es-cultura] ] .

References

External links

* [http://costadeoro.com.uy/turismo_lafloresta_paseos.php Photography of the Sarandí stream, limit between La Floresta and Costa Azul]
* [http://www.organizacionlagomarsino.com.uy/ Gallery of images and map] Organización Lagomarsino