Argentina - Buenos Aires, Casa Rosada

Casa Rosada (Pink House) - or officially Casa de Gobierno - is one of the main landmarks of Buenos Aires and dominates the main square of the city Plaza de Mayo. The pink coloured building houses the Argentine national government and the president’s office. It is also the place where many of the major historic events of the country took place. Among them the scenes when Juan and Evita Perón addressed the masses from a balcony.

The Casa Rosada was constructed on the site of a fort established by the Spanish in 1580 and used by the Spanish colonial viceroys. After the Argentine independence (1816), the fort was redeveloped into a customs house by a British architect. In 1862 the building was chosen by President Bartolomé Mitre to be the seat of his government. His successor - President Sarmiento - expanded the building and is believed to have ordered it to be painted pink. The current building was completed in 1884.

Casa Rosada can be visited during a guided tour. The building also houses a museum, which contains objects relating to former presidents of Argentina. It has been declared a National Historic Monument of Argentina in 1942.