Castillo Forga, Historical mansion in Mollendo District, Peru
Castillo Forga is a building situated on a rocky outcrop between two beaches in Mollendo, featuring 17 rooms and mahogany staircases. The structure combines multiple architectural styles and is accessed from the landside by a metal bridge that crosses railway tracks.
The structure was built between 1908 and 1910 as a private residence for textile entrepreneur Jose Miguel Forga. After changing hands multiple times over the decades, it eventually became municipal property of Mollendo.
The castle served as a gathering place for Arequipa's high society in the early 1900s, where government officials and influential families held social events. The spaces inside still reflect the formal entertainment practices of that era, showing how the wealthy lived and entertained during those decades.
Access to the building is via a metal bridge that crosses the railway tracks and serves as the main entrance from the landside. Visitors should expect that the location on a rocky outcrop defines how you approach and explore the structure.
The building unusually blends neogothic, neoclassical, baroque, and 13th-century medieval architectural elements in a single design. This surprising combination of different historical styles was deliberate and makes the structure architecturally distinctive.
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