Museo de la Memoria (Uruguay) facts for kids
The Museo de la Memoria (which means Museum of Memory in Spanish, often called MUME) is a special museum in Montevideo, Uruguay. It helps us remember people who suffered or went missing during a difficult time in Uruguay's history. This period was called the Uruguayan dictatorship, and it lasted from 1973 to 1985.
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What is the Memory Museum?
The Museo de la Memoria was created to honor those who were harmed by the government during the dictatorship. It also celebrates the brave Uruguayans who stood up for what was right. The museum wants to teach young people about this important part of their country's past. It aims to encourage everyone to respect human rights and remember the fight for freedom, democracy, and fairness. By doing this, the museum helps strengthen what it means to be Uruguayan.
The museum first opened its doors to visitors on December 10, 2007. The city government of Montevideo manages it. You can find the museum about 9 kilometers (about 5.6 miles) from the center of Montevideo's old town.
Exploring the Museum's Exhibits
The main part of the museum has seven important topics that it explores:
- How the dictatorship started.
- How people resisted and fought back.
- What life was like for people in prison.
- Stories of people who had to leave their country.
- The "Disappeared" – people who vanished without a trace.
- How democracy returned and the ongoing search for truth and justice.
- The history that is still being written and new challenges for the future.
The Museum Building: A Look Back
MUME is located in a building that has a long history. It was built in 1878 as a country home for Máximo Santos, who was a soldier and later became the president of Uruguay. Both the house and the park around it are now considered a National Historical Monument. The park is very special because it's the only 19th-century parkland in Montevideo that still looks the same as it did back then.
Building Style and History
The building's design is a mix of different styles. It mostly looks Neoclassical, which means it uses ideas from ancient Greek and Roman buildings. But it also has touches of Art Nouveau, a style known for its curvy lines and nature-inspired designs. The building also borrows from Renaissance architecture, like having a raised main floor called a piano nobile, which you reach by climbing marble steps. Right before these steps, there's a fountain shaped like a boat. The main house is built in a horseshoe shape around a central courtyard. This courtyard also has a beautiful fountain.
Máximo Santos was president of Uruguay from 1882 to 1886. After he left office, in 1887, he sold the property to a Spanish businessman named Emilio Reus. Later, in 1920, a wealthy Lebanese businessman named Rezcala Neffa bought the house. Neffa became a Uruguayan citizen and was known for helping others. When he bought the property, he gave it to the Uruguayan Navy. The Navy used the site for offices and workshops for their Hydrographic Service.
By the 1970s, the Navy no longer used the site, and it started to fall apart.
Restoring the Museum
In 2000, the city government of Montevideo, which now owned the property, began working to fix up the old buildings. A supermarket chain called Disco helped with this project by donating US$800,000. The goal was to create a new cultural center or museum, though they hadn't decided exactly what kind of museum it would be yet. The restoration work was finished in 2005.
Exploring the Museum's Park
The park around the museum is also designed in a mixed style. It takes ideas from Italian Renaissance gardens and 19th-century thoughts about health and nature. The idea of a country retreat was to have a relaxing house with a beautiful garden to enjoy. Being far from the city center, which is on the coast, fit the idea that country air was healthier than coastal air.
The park covers about 4 hectares (about 9.9 acres) and has many interesting features. There's a long path lined with trees, gardens with plants from different parts of the world, and a greenhouse. You can also find a nursery for plants, a fun little castle-like building called a folly designed for children, fountains, sculptures, artificial caves, and a place for birds called an aviary.
See also
In Spanish: Museo de la Memoria (Montevideo) para niños
