The Park of the Reserve or the Parque de la Reserva in Spanish is a park located in downtown Lima, in Peru. Built in an irregular shape, it is located between two of the city's principal streets, the Paseo de la Republica expressway and Arequipa Avenue.
It has an area of eight hectares and is built in a neo-classical style. It was designed by the French architect Claude Sahut and is home to many sculptures built by Peruvian artists.
Before construction, the land on which it is located belonged to the nearby Park of the Exposition. In 1926 construction was commenced as ordered by the president Augusto B. Leguía. It was named of the Reserve in honor of the last soldiers who fought in the battles of San Juan and Miraflores. The park was completed in 1929.
The Magic Water Tour, inaugurated July 26, 2007, currently comprises the property of the Park of the Reserve. It was part of a series of projects completed by the mayor of Lima, Dr. Luis Castañeda Lossio at a cost of US$ 13 M. The project was criticized because of its costs and design, and that it constituted a complete renovation of a historically significant park. Additionally, others criticized the charging of entrance fees (as of 2009, S/. 4.00) to a public place. Proceeds from this entrance fee (between S/. 40000.00 and 60000.00) are currently being used to renovate the Municipal Theatre of Lima. By March 1, 2008, the tour received its two millionth visitor . The Magic Water Tour is currently the world record holder for the largest fountain complex in the world, consisting of 13 distinct fountains, many of which are interactive . All of the fountains are lighted at night, many with continuously changing color schemes.
The largest fountain in the Park of the Reserve, named "Magic Fountain" (Fuente Mágica) contains a jet which forces water to a height of over 80 m . Additional attractions are the Tunnel Fountain of Surprises (Fuente Túnel de las Sorpresas), a 35 m walk-thru tunnel of water ; the Children's Fountain (Fuente de los Ninos), a walk-in automated fountain; and a tunnel connecting the two sections of the park which contains an exhibition highlighting recent public works projects in Lima. The Fantasia Fountain (Fuente de la Fantasia), site of a regularly-scheduled laser and picture show, is 120 m in length and contains jets that are synchronized to music . Additional information on the fountains is described in Spanish in the following site. A video showcase of the fountains, in Spanish can be found here
