Sarmiento Historical Museum facts for kids

Quick facts for kids
Sarmiento History Museum

Museo Histórico Sarmiento
Facade of the museum in 2019
Established	1938; 87 years ago (1938)
Location	Belgrano, Buenos Aires, Argentina
Type	History museum
Collections	Furniture, cutlery, period-specific items, objects related to Domingo Faustino Sarmiento
Architect	Juan Antonio Buschiazzo

The Sarmiento History Museum (Spanish: Museo Histórico Sarmiento) is a cool place in the Buenos Aires neighborhood of Belgrano, Argentina. It's a museum all about Argentine history, especially focusing on a time called the "Generation of '80" and the life of Domingo Faustino Sarmiento. He was a very important writer and political leader who served as President of Argentina from 1868 to 1874.

The museum also has parts that show the writings of Nicolás Avellaneda, who became president after Sarmiento. You can also learn about a big change in 1880 when Buenos Aires became the nation's capital. The government had to move from downtown Buenos Aires to the building where the museum is now, which was then on the edge of the city.

Discovering the Museum's History

The Museum Building: A Historic Home

The museum building looks like an Italian-style townhouse. It was built in 1873, designed by Juan Antonio Buschiazzo. He was one of the architects who came to Argentina in the mid-1800s.

This building was once very important! It housed the government's main offices – where the president, lawmakers, and judges worked – when they had to leave Buenos Aires. The National Congress even met here to declare Buenos Aires the capital of the country. This happened when President Avellaneda was in charge. A special law, the Federalization Law, was signed in this building after a civil war ended. Because of these important events, the building was named a National Historic Monument.

In 1938, the government decided to turn the building into a museum. This was 50 years after Sarmiento passed away. On July 28, 1938, the president at the time, Roberto Marcelino Ortiz, officially made it a museum.

What You Can See: The Museum Collection

The museum shows many of Sarmiento's personal items, as required by a special law. In 1913, his grandchildren also gave many of his belongings to the museum. The collection includes furniture and different sets of cutlery that Sarmiento collected during his travels around the world.

Exploring the Museum Rooms

The Sarmiento Room

This room is often used for special, temporary art shows. It has a painting of Sarmiento made by his granddaughter, Eugenia Belin Sarmiento. You can also see display cases with everyday objects that Sarmiento used.

The Bedroom

This room takes you back in time, showing the period from 1811 to 1841. It has Victorian furniture that came from Sarmiento's own home in Buenos Aires.

The Dining Room

Here you'll find another portrait of President Sarmiento painted by his granddaughter, Eugenia Belin Sarmiento. There are also some of his personal items on display.

Facundo's Room

This room celebrates one of Sarmiento's most famous books, called Facundo: Civilization and Barbarism. You can see old versions of the book and copies that have been translated into other languages.

Gallery

See also

In Spanish: Museo Histórico Sarmiento para niños