5/5 Alessio B. 1 year ago on Google
Parque
Colon,
or Columbus
Park,
is
the
central
square
of
the Ciudad
Colonial historic
district
of Santo
Domingo, Dominican
Republic.
In
its
Center
stands
a
statue
of Christopher
Columbus,
in
whose
honor
the
square
was
renamed
in
1887.
Previously
the
square
was
known
as
Plaza
Mayor.Monuments
bordering
the
square
include
the Catedral
de
Santa
Maria
la
Menor,
Santo
Domingo's
Municipal
Palace,
and
the
Palacio
Borgella,
which
once
hosted
the
Dominican
Republic's
Parliament.
Calle
del
Conde,
once
the
thriving
commercial
heart
of
Santo
Domingo,
starts
from
Parque
Colon
and
runs
to
the Puerta
del
Conde.
At
the
beginning
of
Calle
del
Conde
is
a
bust
of Bartholomew
Columbus,
Christopher's
brother
and
the
founder
of
Santo
Domingo.During
the
colonial
period
of
the
15th
century,
various
buildings
were
built
on
the
island
of
Hispaniola,
which
were
the
first
colonial
houses
in
the
entire
American
Continent.
Within
these
residential
constructions
the
Parque
Colón
was
created,
which
was
called
by
the
name
of
Plaza
Mayor
de
Santo
Domingo,
which
dates
back
to
1506,
and
throughout
the
years
to
this
day
it
has
undergone
various
modifications.
This
was
the
main
entertainment
center
for
the
inhabitants
of
the
time,
since
it
gave
life
and
splendor
to
the
town
of
La
Isabela,
and
its
surroundings.
The
name
of
Plaza
Mayor
was
given
in
honor
of
the
Major
Commander
of
the
order
of
Nicolás
de
Ovando,
who
arrived
in
Santo
Domingo
in
1502.
It
was
named
after
him
even
more,
since
he
was
in
charge
of
moving
the
city
to
the
western
part
of
the
Ozama
River.
Previously
it
was
called
as
Plaza
de
la
Catedral,
since
a
few
meters
from
the
square
was
the
Catedral
Primada
de
América.
In
the
center
of
this
park
is
the
statue
of
Grand
Admiral
Christopher
Columbus
pointing
north,
and
it
was
a
creation
of
the
French
sculptor
E.
Gilbert.
On
February
27,
1887,
it
was
officially
inaugurated
as
Parque
Colón,
since
there
was
the
statue
of
Columbus.
