Bahía Blanca

By Lorena Fernández

On your way to some of the most popular tourist destinations of Argentina, you will probably go through Bahía Blanca since this important port is at a crossroad of highways and railways connecting the country. Take advantage of the rest stop and consider making this city a must-see on your list; you’ll find culture and commerce the torque of Bahía Blanca.

Founded in 1828 as the Fortaleza Protectora Argentina (Argentine Protective Fort), the city was attacked several times by resisting Indigenous groups, however by 1885 the attacks had ceased and the construction of the railway connecting Bahía Blanca with the inland resulted in a commercial development.

Though its name – White Bay – suggests a coastal city of relaxing beaches, Bahía Blanca proper is actually located about 10 km from the sea, and the beach has bay mud instead of sand or pebbles. Nonetheless, an hour’s drive south can lead you to popular beaches like Pehuén-Có and Monte Hermoso.

Within the city the main attractions include several museums – the Port Museum, History Museum, Fine Arts Museum and Contemporary Arts Museum – the local Company of Classical Ballet and Symphony Orchestra, along with unique shopping opportunities offered at the weekly craftsmanship fair and the many shopping centers of the city.

The seaport of Bahía Blanca is among the most important of Argentina because of the depth of its bay, which reaches over 10 meters. The city also handles commerce coming in trains, since it is considered the third most important railway crossing in the country behind Buenos Aires and Rosario. As a last push to its thriving economy, Bahía Blanca is a major pretrochemistry center, accounting for 45 percent of the national production of chemical products derived from petroleum.

The population of Bahía Blanca takes sports very seriously, particularly basketball. Known as the capital of Argentinean basketball, Bahía Blanca is home to several top-ranking teams in the nation and internationally recognized. In fact, the longest game of basketball ever played in history – recorded in the Guinness Book of Records – took place in Bahía Blanca the 3rd of August of 2007. The game began at 6pm on that Friday and ended on Saturday at 9pm; the “red” team defeated the “white” team 1920 to 1841, which made disabled citizens of Bahía Blanca quite a bit of money since it was a charity game.

Developed with specific plans of what the city would look like, the architecture of Bahía Blanca includes notable buildings like Banco de la Nación, Chamber of Commerce, City Hall, the Municipal Theatre (Opera House of the city) and Club Argentino. As you stroll through parks and avenues, notice the monuments, source of local pride. Particularly, the statue of Isabel I of Castile in front of the bus station, a direct donation from the Spanish Government, which usually only gives such gifts to capital cities.

The last population estimates (2005) show Bahía Blanca has approximately 320,000 people, though they don’t all live within the limits of the city, but in the greater Bahía Blanca area. The telephone area code is 0291.

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