Museo Histórico Gabriel González Videla - La Serena, Chile
Posted by: 
denben
S 29° 54.192 W 071° 15.167
19J E 282485 N 6689808
The Gabriel González Videla Historical Museum is located at 495 Matta Street in front of the Plaza de Armas in La Serena, Chile. Between 1927 and 1973, the property belonged to president Gabriel González Videla, who used it as a family residence.
Waymark Code: WM11FWD
Location: Chile
Date Posted: 10/16/2019
Views: 1
The architecture of the building is eclectic, with two floors and a cornice at the top. The front door and its windows have an upper half arch. Its walls are made of adobe. The facade consists of two levels, while the back of the house has only one floor. It has interior courtyards through which natural light enters.
It is located on the site that belonged to Francisco de Aguirre, founder of the city. Its construction dates from the late nineteenth century.
Between 1927 and 1973 it was owned by Gabriel González Videla (President of Chile from 1946 to 1952). The property was acquired in 1977 by the State of Chile and declared a National Monument in 1981.
The opening of the museum took place on 26 of August of 1984, during the celebration of the 440th anniversary of the city. Its creation was possible thanks to the management of the director of the Archaeological Museum of La Serena, Gonzalo Ampuero, who through an agreement between the then Directorate of Libraries, Archives and Museums (now the National Cultural Heritage Service) and the Municipality of La Serena he managed to get the history and art collections of the archaeological museum to move from location.
The museum's collection consists of about 3500 pieces, organized into two themes: history and fine arts.
Within the historical scope, on the first level is the exhibition dedicated to the life of the president, which presents furniture, documents, clothing, own and his family photographs, publications and illustrations of cartoonists alluding to his person who show his epoch. There are also the decorations he received in the world1 and a section focused on his work with the Serena Plan.
Regional history also has its place in this museum, since much of the second level is full of traces that document the development of the Coquimbo Region. Among the objects in this exhibition, the old coat of arms of La Serena stands out.
In the fine arts section is the art gallery donated by Óscar Prager distributed in two rooms, a series of paintings by contemporary Chilean authors offered by the Central Bank on deposit and various objects, such as written documents, photographs, drawings and historical plans. The collection of Chilean and Soviet engravings is important.
The museum has rooms for temporary exhibitions, and for workshops related to culture.
Source: Wikipedia (
visit link)