Plaza de la Ciudadanía (ˈplasa ðe la sjuðaðaˈni.a, Citizenry Square) is a public square located in the southern façade of the Palacio de La Moneda

Palacio de La Moneda

Palacio de La Moneda , or simply La Moneda, is the seat of the President of the Republic of Chile. It also houses the offices of three cabinet ministers: Interior, General Secretariat of the Presidency and General Secretariat of the Government...

 (Chile

Chile

Chile ,officially the Republic of Chile , is a country in South America occupying a long, narrow coastal strip between the Andes mountains to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west. It borders Peru to the north, Bolivia to the northeast, Argentina to the east, and the Drake Passage in the far...

's presidential palace). It used to be part of the grass garden and parking area of the Palace.

Construction began in November 2004, as part of the Bicentennial Projects (a series of public works initiated by the executive branch all over the country for the purpose of celebrating the nation's 200 years of independence). The first stage of the works, inaugurated in January 2006, featured as centerpiece the Centro Cultural Palacio de La Moneda

Centro Cultural Palacio de La Moneda

Centro Cultural Palacio de La Moneda is a cultural facility located in Santiago, Chile, under the Citizenry Square, in the southern façade of the Palacio de La Moneda...

("La Moneda Palace Culture Centre"), a large underground cultural facility, as well as two water mirrors, two lines of fountains, a new underground parking area and the relocation of the statue of former-president Alessandri.

In the future, the nearby Alameda avenue will go underground, allowing to connect the Plaza directly with the Paseo Bulnes (Bulnes Boulevard), respecting the original design of the Barrio Cívico de Santiago ("Civic Quarter"), with a grand perspective from the Palace and other government buildings down the Boulevard. This third phase of the project is still pending final approval.