Parque Forestal

After building a canal in 1891 to tame the unpredictable Río Mapocho, Santiago found itself with a thin strip of land that it didn't quite know what to do with. The area quickly filled with the city's refuse. A decade later, under the watchful eye of Enrique Cousiño, it was transformed into the leafy Forest Park. It was and still is enormously popular with Santiaguinos, although budget constraints are apparent in the park's museums and the park itself. Parque Forestal is the perfect antidote to the spirited Plaza de Armas. The eastern tip, near Plaza Baquedano—also known as Plaza Italia—is distinguished by the Wagnerian-scale Fuente Alemana (German Fountain), donated by the German community of Santiago. The bronze-and-stone monolith commemorates the centennial of Chilean independence.