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All Chile Puerto Varas Pablo Fierro Museum

Pablo Fierro Museum

This fairytale house on the shore of a Chilean Lake oozes an eclectic mix of Chilote and German Cultural heritage.

Puerto Varas, Chile

Added By
E Capemarsh
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House, art gallery, and museum.   Capemarsh / Atlas Obscura User
Newspaper article about the curator   Ben Faden / Atlas Obscura User
The eclectic museum.   Rodrigo Fernández/cc by-sa 4.0
Boats, buses, and cuckoo clocks.   Capemarsh / Atlas Obscura User
Cars, candy canes, and buff-necked ibises.   Capemarsh / Atlas Obscura User
Art exhibit   Ben Faden / Atlas Obscura User
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About

Curated and largely constructed by Artist Pablo Fierro, this creaky gallery and museum sprouts cuckoo clocks, candy canes, classic cars, and the bow of a traditional fishing vessel that bursts from its fantasy frontage.

The fairytale-like building highlights the region's human history. The area around Lake Llanquihue in Chile’s stunning Lake District is characterized by a surprising fusion of the traditional Chilote culture of the Chiloé Archipelago with that of the German farmers who made this corner of South America their home in the 1850s. 

This unique heritage is celebrated in a diverse collection of art and artifacts relating to these seemingly disparate cultures housed in the striking gingerbread cottage-esque lakeside house. A large wooden sign at the entrance to the house reads "El Arte de Soñar," meaning "The Art of Dreaming." 

Born in Temuco, in the Araucania region of Southern Chile, curator Pablo Fierro began painting the iconic German-style architecture of the region in the 1990s, and in 2002, began converting this old lakeside property into its current dreamlike form, principally as as a gallery for his artwork. Very little in the museum is off-limits, and curious callers are invited to touch and play with the antiques and artifacts collected within.  

Related Tags

Museums Museums And Collections Gallery Art Houses Architectural Oddities Architecture Homes

Know Before You Go

The Museum is free to enter, and is a short stroll along the waterfront from the Plaza de Armas of Puerto Varas on the 225 Road heading towards Ensenada.

Community Contributors

Added By

Capemarsh

Edited By

Ben Faden

  • Ben Faden

Published

March 5, 2019

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Sources
  • https://www.interpatagonia.com/puertovaras/pablo-fierro-museum.html
  • https://puertovaras.org/en/beneficios/museo-pablo-fierro/
  • https://www.welcomechile.com/puertovaras/museum-pablo-fierro.html
  • https://www.pablofierro.cl/MUSEO/HOME.html
  • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Chilote_mythology
  • https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/German_Chileans
Pablo Fierro Museum
S/N Vicente Pérez Rosales
Puerto Varas
Chile
-41.322709, -72.975229
Visit Website
Get Directions

Nearby Places

German Colonial Museum

Frutillar, Chile

miles away

Peulla

Peulla, Chile

miles away

Mysterious Ruins

Argentina

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Chile

Chile

South America

Places 87
Stories 22

Nearby Places

German Colonial Museum

Frutillar, Chile

miles away

Peulla

Peulla, Chile

miles away

Mysterious Ruins

Argentina

miles away

Explore the Destination Guide

Photo of Chile

Chile

South America

Places 87
Stories 22

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