Ciudad Universitaria de Caracas

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About Ciudad Universitaria de Caracas

Ciudad Universitaria de Caracas is the campus of the Universidad Central de Venezuela, the oldest in the country, and one of the most complete works of modern architecture in Latin America. It was designed by the Venezuelan architect Carlos Raúl Villanueva, who oversaw construction from the early 1940s through the 1960s. In 2000 it was added to the UNESCO World Heritage list as an example of the integration of architecture, urban planning and the visual arts.

Villanueva called this idea the synthesis of the arts. Instead of placing works in museums, he spread murals, stained glass and sculptures by Venezuelan and European artists across the campus, such as Fernand Léger, Victor Vasarely, Jean Arp, Antoine Pevsner, Henri Laurens, Mateo Manaure and Alejandro Otero. The works are located in corridors, on façades, in plazas and in the gardens, within reach of passersby.

The heart of the complex is the Plaza Cubierta, inaugurated in 1954, a large area that is both covered and open, with pierced walls, ramps and murals that link the central buildings. From there you enter the Aula Magna, the main auditorium, where Alexander Calder's Nubes Flotantes, large colorful panels hung from the ceiling, also function as acoustic reflectors. Beside it, the central library has a Léger stained-glass window on its façade.

Covered walkways connect the faculties in the shade, with tropical trees from the gardens between them. The Jardim Botânico, created in 1952, lies next to the campus, and the Olympic stadium and the baseball stadium, also by Villanueva, complete the ensemble.