Casa Rosada, Executive mansion in Plaza de Mayo, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Casa Rosada is a historic government building in Plaza de Mayo, Buenos Aires, Argentina. The four-story structure combines neoclassical, Italianate and Romanesque elements with offices and several ceremonial halls.
A Spanish colonial fort from 1594 stood at this location before the site became a customs house following independence. The present building took shape between 1873 and 1898, when earlier structures were merged into a unified seat of government.
The name comes from the pink paint applied under President Domingo Sarmiento, made from lime mixed with bovine blood, whose waterproofing properties fixed the colour. The legend that it merged the white of the Unitarians with the red of the Federalists is doubtful, since the Unitarians used light blue. The Museo de la Casa de Gobierno, created in 1957, keeps presidential sashes, batons, books, furniture and three carriages.
Free guided tours take place on weekends and must be booked online in advance, with a valid passport required at the entrance. Tours last about an hour and cover several rooms as well as the underground excavations.
An underground museum displays the foundation walls of the old fortress along with tunnels and wells from Spanish colonial times. The excavated remains lie directly beneath the current offices and are accessible during guided tours.
The community of curious travelers
AroundUs brings together thousands of curated places, local tips, and hidden gems, enriched daily by 92,314 contributors worldwide.
