World City Guide

Further Distractions

Museo de la Solidaridad Salvador Allende (Salvador Allende Museum of Solidarity)
This museum has a new home in a beautiful building that has been designated a national monument. It houses works of art donated by artists from around the world in support of the Chilean people. The collection began in 1971 when a group of artists and thinkers decided to bring together contemporary works of art to show their sympathy with the social policies of the Salvador Allende government. During Pinochet’s military dictatorship, exiled artists continued the project and the collection now includes donations by artists from over 39 countries. Among the famous artists featured are Joan Miro, Roberto Matta, Antonio Saura and Yoko Ono.

Calle Herrera 360, on the corner with Calle Compaia
Tel: (2) 681 7542.
Website: www.mssa.cl
Opening hours: Tues-Sun 1000-1900.
Admission: Free; donations invited.

Villa Grimaldi Peace Park
Villa Grimaldi, the former headquarters of General Pinochet’s notorious secret police force, has reopened under a new guise as a memorial park to the victims of Chile’s military dictatorship. An estimated 5,000 political prisoners were detained and tortured here between the 1973 military coup and 1987 – and 142 of these ‘disappeared’. The park opened in March 1997, marking a crucial step in Chile’s reconciliation with its bloody past, and is the first government-sanctioned memorial to Pinochet’s victims.

Avenida Arrieta, eastern suburb of Pealoen
Opening hours: Daily dawn-dusk.
Admission: Free.