Museo Histórico y Antropológico Maurice van de Maele, Historical and anthropological museum in Valdivia, Chile

The Museo Histórico y Antropológico Maurice van de Maele occupies the Casa Carlos Anwandter, a two-story house built in the 1860s by Prussian colonist Carlos Anwandter on Isla Teja. Its facade was reshaped after the waterspout of 26 April 1881. The rooms hold furniture, documents and archaeological pieces tracing Valdivia from Huilliche occupation through the Spanish colonial period to German colonization.

The museum preserves evidence from several periods in the region: from the early cultures of the Mapuche and Huilliche peoples to Spanish conquest in the 1500s. German immigrants arrived in the 1800s and brought influences that shaped the development of Valdivia and the surrounding southern territory.

The museum displays the artistic craftsmanship of the Mapuche and Huilliche peoples through silver ornaments, worked ceramics, and woven textiles. These objects show the creativity and traditions that these communities developed and valued over centuries.

The galleries are straightforward to navigate with clear signage, making it easy for visitors to move through the displays without confusion. The two-floor layout allows visitors to spend as much time as they need with each collection, moving at their own pace.

The house was built in the 1860s by the Prussian colonist Karl Anwandter as a residence for his large family, and a waterspout on 26 April 1881 damaged it so badly that its facade was rebuilt into the form seen today. It was restored in 1968 after a project by the architect Sergio Anwandter Böttcher, a direct descendant of the colonist.