Argentine Congress Building

　　    The Argentine Congress Building is located at the western end of Congressional Plaza and is an Italianate academic-style building. Construction of the building took place between 1887 and 1906. The main structure has four floors, with white marble cladding the façade and ornate Greek-style columns encircling the entire edifice. At the center of the building rises a grand dome-topped tower, halfway up which a bronze chariot drawn by four horses appears to soar through the air, while at the very top sits a 20-meter-diameter bronze dome. The grandeur and exquisite detail of the architecture rival that of the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C. In front of the building stands a grand and finely crafted Monument to the Two Chambers.

　　    In front of the building stands a grand and finely crafted Monument to the Two Chambers. The base of the monument is a broad granite platform, with four bronze eagles poised to take flight standing at each corner. At the top of the monument is a bronze statue of a woman representing the Republic. She holds a laurel branch symbolizing victory in her right hand, and a plow in her left hand representing labor, while a serpent lies beneath her feet, symbolizing punishment. On either side of the middle section of the monument are statues of women: one raises broken chains, symbolizing the Assembly of 1813, and in her other hand holds the flag and national emblem, symbolizing the Congress of 1816. Right in front of the base of the monument is a musical fountain. Around the granite pool are vivid bronze sculptures. A young man with a flowing cloth skirt around his waist symbolizes the rushing waters of the Río de la Plata, while two women beside him holding jars and pouring water represent the river’s two tributaries. In front of them, four horses appear to leap from the water—their mouths serve as the fountains' spouts. There are also lifelike sculptures of lizards, water snakes, and other animals native to the Río de la Plata basin. When music plays, the water jets rise and dance to the rhythm. At night, with colorful lighting, the scene becomes even more enchanting.

　　 Buenos Aires, Argentina