A Seat with Carlos Gardel

The monument to Carlos Gardel, in Montevideo

The monument to Carlos Gardel pays tribute to the greatest tango singer of all time, an adored figure that Uruguay claims as one of its own. The Montevideo audio-guided tour stops here to evoke this statue where the artist is represented seated at the terrace of a café, and the neighbouring fountain covered with padlocks, a place of memory of a legend of the Rio de la Plata.

The tribute to the legend of the tango

Here you are in front of the monument dedicated to Carlos Gardel, the greatest tango singer of all time, whose voice embodies on its own the golden age of this music. His figure is so popular on the two sides of the Rio de la Plata that he has become a true legend, and even a myth. His place of birth is moreover still debated: France, where it is thought that he was born in Toulouse, Uruguay and Argentina dispute the honour of having seen him born, so much each wants to attribute to itself this cherished child. Here, he is represented seated, relaxed, at the terrace of the famous Facal café, as if he were taking a moment of rest before going on stage, the dazzling smile that made his charm. At his side, you will notice a particular fountain, entirely covered with padlocks attached by the visitors, in the manner of the bridges of lovers; this fountain, it is said, would have been brought back from Mexico, the country where Gardel met his death in a plane accident in 1935, in full glory, which contributed to fixing his legend. Lovers and admirers come to attach their padlock there as a pledge of fidelity and in tribute to the singer. A place of memory and tenderness, this monument testifies to the immense affection that Montevideo bears to the one it considers as one of its sons. A tribute to a legend and a symbol of the tango, the monument to Carlos Gardel is a fine stop of the discovery of Montevideo.

What to see

Here you discover the tribute of Montevideo to Carlos Gardel, the greatest tango singer of all time, whose birth Uruguay, France and Argentina dispute; the statue represents him seated and relaxed at the terrace of the Facal café, near a fountain covered with padlocks, that would have been brought back from Mexico, where the artist met his death in 1935. The monument to Carlos Gardel is a place of memory of Montevideo. It is a fine stop, to be explored on foot.

Practical information

The monument to Carlos Gardel lies in Montevideo, at the terrace of the Facal café, reachable on foot. It is a statue in free access in the public space, accompanied by its fountain of padlocks. You discover it during a walk in the centre.

Who was Carlos Gardel?

The greatest tango singer of all time, whose voice embodies the golden age of this music and who became a true legend on the two sides of the Rio de la Plata; his place of birth is still debated between France, Uruguay and Argentina, and he met his death in a plane accident in Mexico in 1935, in full glory, which fixed his myth.

Why is the fountain of the monument to Gardel covered with padlocks?

Because lovers and admirers come to attach a padlock there as a pledge of fidelity and in tribute to the singer, in the manner of the bridges of lovers; this fountain would have been brought back from Mexico, the country where Carlos Gardel met his death in a plane accident in 1935, which contributed to fixing his legend.