Ateneo Grand Splendid Bookshop

You’ve arrived at the incredible Ateneo bookstore. Step into this magnificent building and let yourself be whisked away on a journey to the magical world of books. The Ateneo Grand Splendid has been named “the world’s most beautiful bookshop” by National Geographic – just one look inside this dazzling building will prove it to you. Buenos Aires is a city of book lovers, ranking among the top five cities in the world with the most bookshops per capita! We owe this majestic structure to David Glücksmann, an Austrian immigrant who dreamed of giving his adoptive city a beautiful theater. The Teatro Nacional Norte, as it was first known, opened its doors on May 14, 1919. The theater, seating 1,000, hosted numerous performances, including shows by tango artists Carlos Gardel, Francisco Canaro and Roberto Firpo. Later, Glücksmann started his own radio station, Radio Splendid, which broadcast from this very building, and recorded some of the greatest tango singers of the time. Now you can see why the Ateneo feels so magical! At the end of the 1920s, the theater kept up with the times and became a cinema, screening Argentina’s first sound films in 1929! In 2000, it was bought by a publishing house that transformed it into the bookstore we see today. The cinema seats were removed, the theater balconies refurbished and the former dressing rooms were turned into cozy reading nooks. As for the stage, it’s now a charming café. Don’t miss the upper floors, which host temporary exhibitions. And before you go, remember to look up! The dome above the hall was painted by Italian artist Nazareno Orlandi as an ode to peace. I’ll leave you to explore!