Argentine Penitentiary Museum Antonio Ballvé, History museum in San Telmo, Buenos Aires, Argentina.
The Argentine Penitentiary Museum Antonio Ballvé is a history museum in Buenos Aires dedicated to Argentina's prison system and penal history. The collection includes uniforms, weapons, photographs, documents, and reconstructed cell spaces showing how incarceration changed over time.
The building opened in 1760 as a retirement home for clergy, then became a hospital and later a women's prison before closing in 1974. This shifting use over more than two centuries reflects how institutions and their purposes transformed across different periods.
The museum displays how inmates personalized their spaces and arranged objects that mattered in their daily routines. The exhibited belongings reveal what occupied people's lives inside these walls.
The museum is located in the San Telmo neighborhood and opens on Thursday through Sunday afternoons. Entry is free, making it easy to visit at your own pace whenever you pass through the area.
The museum features handmade items crafted by prisoners, including improvised tools and decorative objects. These objects reveal how inmates spent their time and expressed creativity despite living under strict conditions.
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