Ciudad Vieja

Ciudad Vieja is the name of the oldest part of the city of Montevideo, capital city of Uruguay. Nowadays, Ciudad Vieja is a barrio (neighbourhood or district) of this city. In the last couple of years it has gone through a major transformation that has made it the main nightlife centre in town. It is in this area where most of the nightclubs are, and also it hosts the 'Mercado del Puerto' a traditional venue for Uruguayan food and beverages. The main port of Uruguay (being the main Big Draft port in southern South America) is located in Ciudad Vieja.Part of this transformation is due to the campaign made by the mayor since this part of the city had been in a state of abandonment for decades.Early historyUntil 1829 it was surrounded by a wall that protected it from possible invasions. After the wall was torn down, the only part of it that was kept was its gateway, which is up to this day an emblem of this part of town. Some streets remind the presence of the wall, like Ciudadela or Brecha (breach), which has this name because it was near but at this point that the British managed to open a breach on the wall during the 1807 British invasion. The old street Sarandí was turned into a pedestrian walkway in 1992, which increased its commercial and tourist attractiveness. In 2005 it was extended to beyond the Constitution Square.