Palacio Baburizza, Art museum in Cerro Alegre, Chile
Palacio Baburizza is an art museum housed in an early 20th-century mansion with European architectural styles, featuring a central turret, intricate woodwork, and ornamental details throughout. The building displays artworks dating from 1800 to 1990 arranged within its original rooms.
The mansion was built in 1916 for the Zanelli family and purchased in 1925 by Croatian businessman Pascual Baburizza, who filled it with artworks. It became a municipal museum in 1971, shifting from a private residence to a public institution.
The residence reflects how prosperous European families displayed their collections and international lifestyle throughout its rooms, revealing their ties to the old continent. The spaces still convey the taste and social values of Valparaiso's upper class during the early 1900s.
The museum sits on top of Cerro Alegre hill in Valparaíso and requires climbing steep streets with stairs to reach it. Visitors should wear proper footwear and allow time for the uphill walk.
The dining room contains a Renaissance marble fireplace with embossed medallions and an 18th-century linen tapestry on its walls, revealing how wealthy households furnished their spaces with European masterpieces. This room showcases the splendor of the former residents' private lives.
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