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PATAGONIA TRAVEL, TOURS, HOTEL & VACATION GUIDE |
MUSEUMS
USHUAIA
TIERRA DEL FUEGO
PATAGONIA
ARGENTINA
by
Enjoy Patagonia
Enjoy Patagonia
BARILOCHE
Lake Perito Moreno
TORRES DEL PAINE
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We suggest that during the high season (from October to the end of March) the reservations are done 30 days in advance.
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USHUAIA - TIERRA DEL FUEGOThe first instance of the creation of a museum in Tierra del Fuego province is when in 1965, Governor Francisco Bilbao signed Decree 240 designating the building located on the corner of Deloqui and Gobernador Godoy streets to function as the "Fueguian Regional Museum". Fourteen years later, on May 18, 1979, the HANIS Association, on the basis of the original exhibits, began to shape the "End-of-the-World Museum", relocating it in its new premises on Maipú Avenue. This museum was born of a deep cultural commitment, based on the search for past community roots that continue to grow in the present and project toward the future. Correspondingly, it protects and preserves the objects and documents that reflect the province's history; it fosters research programs to learn more about the historical events in the region and about its ancient inhabitants. This is a living museum, with ongoing research and expeditionary work. The building, raised in 1903, used to be the private home of Manuel Fernández Valdés, the then secretary of provincial government and later to be governor (1905-1017). It was one of the first stone-constructed buildings in which labor from the inmates of the notorious Penitentiary of Ushuaia was used. In 1911 it was bought by the "Banco de la Nación Argentina" (Argentine National Bank). The Ushuaia branch of this famous Bank operated on the premises from 1915 to 1978. Afterwards it was ceded to the provincial government, and after being internally remodeled, the museum was inaugurated there on May 18, 1979. Its five halls exhibit the backgrounds of the local indigenous cultures, old shipwrecks, the origins of the city and the life of the southern gold-diggers, among many other topics related to regional history. It also displays an interesting collection of embalmed (dried) ornithological and zoological specimens, including most of the local birds and fauna. It is located at Av. Maipú 177 (on the corner of Rivadavia street), and its visiting hours are Monday through Saturday from 3 to 7 p.m. "YÁMANA WORLD" SCALE-MODEL MUSEUM This is an environment specially designed to satisfy tourist visitors' curiosity about this now extinct indigenous civilization by telling them about where and how the Yámana aborigines lived, and providing theories on how they arrived in this part of the world. It offers excellent 1:15 scale models of typical homes and dwelling places of the Yámanas, as well as information on the other aboriginal inhabitants of the region, such as the Selknam (Onas), Haus (Mánek'enk) and Alakalufes. A visit to the hall showing a schematic of the most widely accepted theory on how these southern areas were settled is highly recommended. The museum is located at Rivadavia 56. ACATUSHÚN MUSEUM This is located on "Estancia Harberton" 85 Km west of Ushuaia. It boasts some 2,200 specimens of marine fauna and 2,000 specimens of birds and penguins. The first section of the museum consists of whole sections of southern birds such as condors, cormorants, Antarctic penguins, cauquenes, ducks and seagulls. Also on display are al large number of complete skeletons of killer whales, the unique "Héctor" dolphin (one of the only seven specimens exhibited worldwide) and the "delfín liso" (smooth) dolphin, that is one of the ocean's fastest swimmers due to its lack of a dorsal fin. USHUAIA EX-PENITENTIARY OR JAIL FOR RELAPSING CRIMINALS The history of Tierra del Fuego's penal institutions begins in the late 19th Century with the building of the "Military Prison". This operated at various times in De los Estados Island, San Juan de Salvamento, and finally in Puerto Cook. First it was used as a jail for relapsing criminals, the first group of whom arrived in 1896, but later the interns included highly dangerous criminals, generally sentenced to life or long terms in jail. Among these a notable example was Sánchez Godino, the so-called ''petiso orejudo'' ("bat-eared shorty"). One of the museum's prison cells is dedicated to his exploits, and another to the memorabilia and history of the notorious anarchist Simón Radowitzky. Later, in 1902, the penitentiary was transferred for humanitarian reasons to the city of Ushuaia, in Puerto Golondrina. This was the first stone building in the area, built with the system invented by engineer Muratgia. The inmates themselves provided the labor, and it took them 18 years to complete it. In the 380 single-occupant cells which made up its five pavilions, the jail managed to house from 600 to 800 inmates. All of these were obliged to do forced labor. The city benefited significantly from this, as inmate labor was used for the building of roads and bridges, as well as for the installation of telephone and power lines. Another useful task they carried out was track laying for the "southernmost train in the world" which originally brought lenga wood for construction to the city from the surrounding forests. The kitchen was built between "historic" Pavilion 1 and Pavilion 2, and the bakery between Pavilions 1 and 5. The administration offices were built facing the bay, and the workshops were constructed at a distance from the main building; in 1943 the modern hospital was built. This later became part of the "Navy Base Hospital" and was, for a considerable time, the only health center of the area. The "Central Hall" or "Multi-use Auditorium" was used as a conference hall, movie theater and for all kinds of events. In 1911, the then Argentine President, Roque Sáenz Peña, signed a decree merging the "Military Prison" with the "Ushuaia Jail for Relapsing Criminals". The building ceased to operate as a penitentiary in 1947, when its facilities were transferred to the Navy Ministry for the installation of a Naval Base in 1950. Currently the building houses several important museums dedicated to the history of the prison and the history of navigation in the South Atlantic and South Pacific. These are the "Police Museum", "Antarctic Museum", "Maritime Museum", and the "Penitentiary Museum and Prisons of the World". Guided visits take place every day. Timetables may be consulted at Phone (2901) 437481/436321. It has now been given the status of a National Historical Monument, and is located on the corner of Gobernador Paz and Yáganse. MARITIME MUSEUM This operates in Pavilions 3 and 4 of the ex-penitentiary. Its cells conserve some testimonies from their last occupants. This museum enables one to learn about Tierra del Fuego's history from its navigator-discoverers and their ships, and watch a series of videos detailing geographical and maritime features of the province. Here also, one may admire scale models of seagoing vessels, original reports and other documentation dealing with contacts with aboriginal peoples and the settlement of these southern lands. As of 1998, the Museum has on display a perfect full-size replica of the "End-of-the-World Lighthouse", which served as a reference point for navigators and a symbol of the mysteries enshrouding the De los Estados Island. The scale model vessels in the "Model Room" have been chosen as a historical depiction of the progress in naval construction over a period of five centuries. The museum is located on the corner of Yáganes and Gobernador Paz, and may be reached at Phone (2901) 437481/43. "Trinidad" Carrack This was a Portuguese-designed vessel that developed from the caravel and was owned by Hernando de Magallanes, in English, Magellan, (1480-1521). This Portuguese navigator, at the service of the Spanish crown and king Carlos V, sailed through the straits that bear his name in 1520, looking for a passage between the Atlantic and Pacific Oceans. He was the first European to set eyes on this area, which he named "Tierra de los Fuegos" ("Land of the Fires"), from the large number of native bonfires visible from the sea. He also christened the coastline above as "Patagonia" (the "Land of the Large Feet") due to the size of the aborigines' footprints. No doubt the arrival in these remote latitudes of explorers, pirates, collectors, scholars, scientists, researchers, missionaries, seal hunters and whalers, gold seekers and tradesmen forged that strange mixture of illusion, curiosity and character shaping the spirit of the modern inhabitants of Tierra del Fuego. "Beagle" 10-Gun Brig This vessel was used in two British expeditions which were the first to carry out a detailed analysis and study of the region. Its captains were British sailors William Parker King (1829) and Robert Fitz Roy (1831). Among their most important discoveries was the Beagle Channel. "Espora" Brigantine Argentine navigator Luis Piedrabuena was cast away on the De los Estados Island in this vessel's 1873 shipwreck. With the wreckage he built the cutter "Luisito", with which he continued his voyage through the South Seas to establish Argentine sovereignty in the area. Thanks to his trading activity he became owner of the De los Estados Island, of a business in San Gregorio and, finally of a trading establishment in the province of Santa Cruz. In 1884, a few months before he was due to leave for Tierra del Fuego with the South Atlantic Expeditionary Division commanded by Commodore Augusto Laserre, he passed away in Buenos Aires city. "Uruguay" Corvette This was the first official Argentine navy ship destined to the Antarctic. In 1904 it rescued the Swedish expedition headed by Dr. Otto Nordenskjöld, one of whose members was the Argentine midshipman José María Sobral. It was later used to relieve personnel in Argentine Antarctic naval and hydro-graphical research bases. This vessel was closely linked to polar activities, of a scientific as well as tourist nature, as Ushuaia is the southernmost city and therefore closest to the Antarctic. It is currently anchored in the port of Buenos Aires, located in the Puerto Madero district. "Paraná" Gunship This was the flagship of the South Atlantic Expeditionary Division, under the command of Commodore Augusto Laserre. It hove in Ushuaia Bay in 1884. On this occasion, it was met by the British Anglican Mission headed by Thomas Bridges. On October 12 that year, the District of Ushuaia was officially recognized, and its flag became the Argentine one (white and light blue horizontal bands), replacing the Anglican Mission flag (a white cross on a red background). Almost immediately afterwards, an Argentine Under-Prefecture was set up on De los Estados Island, and the San Juan de Salvamento lighthouse (later to be known as the "End-of-the-World Lighthouse" was built, as well as a military barracks and the First Military Prison (which would later be closed down). "May 1st" Sailing Ship This was a transport ship of the Argentine Navy. It brought the first group of prisoners in 1896, and for many years it was the most regular link with the city of Buenos Aires, transporting the mail, newspapers and supplies. This historical vessel navigated the Antarctic, crossed the stormy Drake Channel in 1943, and in the end foundered on the Buenos Aires coast. "Saint Christopher" Tugboat This vessel anchored in Ushuaia in 1953 to assist in re-floating the grounded German luxury cruiser Monte Cervantes, that had run aground in the vicinity of the Les Eclaireurs lighthouse on January 22, 1930. It was not able to achieve this purpose, and due to engine problems was not even able to leave Ushuaia Bay. It became a landmark and a symbol of the city's history. |
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