Over 900,000 in Buenos Aires embrace culture in Night of Museums

From Saturday evening to early Sunday morning, the city of Buenos Aires celebrated its 13th Night of Museums, with an official count saying over 900,000 people took part in over 240 events.

Lasting from 8 p.m. Saturday to 3 a.m. Sunday, the activities took place across the city for residents and tourists alike, with film showings, musical concerts, photo exhibitions, theatre performances, dances and storytelling.

"This event is a registered brand for the city," said Buenos Aires mayor, Horacio Rodriguez Larreta, during the opening ceremony.

Sara Patricios spoke to Xinhua during a visit of the headquarters of Banco Hipotecario, a feature of the city center for 50 years. "The exhibition of photographs and historical objects is enchanting," she said.

The building was first constructed by famous architect, Clorindo Testa, in the 1960s for the Bank of London and South America, before passing on to Lloyds Bank and then to Banco Hipotecario.

It is considered to be one of the most important works in modern Argentinean architecture and was named a National Historical Monument in 1999.

The national Congress threw open its doors to the public, while the Congressional Chamber Orchestra put on a free concert, with the queue to attend being over 600 meters long.

The Museum of the National Bank, which celebrated 125 years of existence, put on guided tours of its archives of documents, banknotes and coins.

Around 3,000 people visited the museum of River Plate, one of the country's most popular football clubs.

The Buenos Aires event draws inspiration from the first such Night of Museums which started in Berlin in 1977. Its first edition in Argentina began in 2004, with 29 participating institutions and 35,000 attendees. Endit