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The
local museums in Mar del Plata are placed in mansions dating
from the beginning of the century. Their picturesque construction
is another value added to the patrimony of their collections.
A Spanish house
with round arches, placed in the middle of a park, hosts
the Archivo Museo Histórico Municipal Roberto
Barili (Archive and History Museum). Villa Mitre,
whose collections were obtained from the generous donations
made by local people, also offers visitors echoes of past
times.
Villa Victoria,
a pre-fabricated bungalow surrounded by a fabulous park,
used to be writer Victoria Ocampo´s summer house.
Its rooms lead the visitor around the exhibits, which are
very well-arranged, and show the fascinating life and work
of this writer and patron of the arts. This residence hosts
the Centro Cultural Victoria Ocampo (Cultural
Center)
Another beautiful
mansion set in Villa Ortiz Basualdo, high up on Estella
Maris hill, is the Museo Municipal de Arte Juan
Carlos Castagnino (Art Museum). It displays an
important picture collection where the Castagnino room stands
out.
The Museo
Municipal de Ciencias Naturales Lorenzo Scaglia
(Natural Science Museum), which has an aquarium, is located
in España square. Its collection encompasses fossils
from the Tertiary and Quaternary. The surrounding park,
with children’s games, makes it a favorite museum
for kids.
Next to Laguna
de los Padres lies the Museo Municipal José
Hernández, in the same piece of land where
the oldest cattle ranch in the area used to be. Inside this
one-storey U-shaped building, the collection contacts visitors
with the history of native American people. Not far from
this museum is the Reducción de Nuestra Señora
del Pilar. This is the reconstruction of an old Jesuit mission
placed in the area in the 18th century.
Regarding private
museums, it is worth mentioning the Museo del Mar
(Sea Shell Museum), which is located in an ancient mansion
turned into a modern building. It hosts a magnificent collection
of 30,000 seashells from all over the world.
In the neighboring
city of Balcarce, the Museo del Automovilismo Juan
Manuel Fangio exhibits a collection of old and
modern cars together with other valuable motoring pieces,
which delight both experts and neophytes.
In the Grosellar
Neighborhood, the house-museum belonging to painter Alberto
Bruzzone, Casa Bruzzone, opens the doors
to unveil the work of this plastic artist. In the Port,
there is another museum displaying the unparalleled work
of another plastic artist who featured daily labor in the
neighborhood and focused on details of ships and people
(Museo del Hombre del Puerto Cleto Ciocchini).
In the Alfar area the Museo Arqueológico
Guillermo Magrassi (Archaeological museum) is set,
where varied pieces from arqueological sites of the region
are shown.
Another museum
available is the Museo de la Fuerza de Submarinos
de la Armada Argentina, with documentation and
maquettes which illustrate the history of five generations
of submarines. In the Casa del Folklore, the Museo
Tradicionalista Juan B. Ambrosetti exhibits old
objects for farm use. In Chapadmalal, the Museo
Eva Perón pays homage to this celebrity
of the recent history.
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