Castle of the Pure and Clean Conception of Monfort of Lemus
Description : The Castle is located on the coast in the area known as Niebla, 17 km from Valdivia and 9 nautical miles from the Schuster Dock. There are regular buses and shared taxis available at the intersection between Av. Alemania and Caupolicán St. and on Yungay St. next to the municipality. The Castle was part of the defense system of the estuary of Corral. The construction of fortifications in America demanded that European engineers to adapt to the materials available on site. The Castle of Niebla was raised with the hard labor of prisoners who built walls, floors and buildings in Cancagua stone and flagstone bonded with lime, roofing of slate, thigh tiles, southern sweetgrass and larch shingles.
The building of a fort or a castle obeys to war rules established in advance; castles of the end of the world had to be built with the new materials available in the area. All constructions in the estuary of the Valdivia river belong to what is known as the Hispanic-American Permanent Bastion School on Fortifications, which arises as a stylistic variation of the classical and neoclassical rules of poliorcetics developed in Europe, characterized by a practical-strategic orientation rather than an aesthetic and purist perspective.
The definition of fortress follows three principles: "symmetry, delivering technical and tactical perfection; firmness, providing consistency to its manufacturing; and comfort, allowing easy communication between the troops and the battle stations" (Zapatero, 1985). The tactical advantage of the Castle of the Pure and Clean Conception of Monfort of Lemus in its role as guardian partly explains why it was given the title of Castle, with its one and a half bastion, when in classical terms is was expected to have at least three, following at all times the patterns established by the Hispanic-American school on fortifications.
Masonry work employed local raw materials, importing only those that were not available. Thus, obtaining and preparing Cancagua stone, flagstone, clay for the manufacturing of bricks and thigh tiles, larch shingles, southern sweetgrass and slate for roofing, as well as the provision of nails and lime, were key elements in the design and development of the various construction phases of the fortification system of the Valdivia river estuary.
Museology arose from the conception of combining selected objects to illustrate the topics, large format sheets with illustrations of each period (drawings, maps, imprints, lithographs, etc.), and texts that mostly come from documents of that time.
All this, under the proposition that "history should tell the story," that is, rather present a polyphony of voices of those who lived each period, rather than creating interpretative texts from a contemporary vision.
Room 1
It presents an overview of the era of European voyages of exploration and of the gradual progress on the Americas. It also considers the Spanish settlement in the southern territory of Chile and the founding of the city of Valdivia; the presence of the Huilliche Mapuche indigenous population; the great Mapuche uprising of the late sixteenth century, which ended with the destruction of Valdivia and its abandonment by the Spanish crown; the brief Dutch incursion of 1643, ending in the construction of the fortified complex of Corral Bay and the refounding of Valdivia in 1647.
Room 2
Displays a large scale model of Corral Bay, which clearly shows the location of the castles and forts, and provides information on them. It exhibits a culverin (a long-range light cannon) and balls (ammunition of various caliber used by the artillery).
Room 3
It is focused on the eighteenth century, and committed to details of each of the fortifications, their structural characteristics, and general aspects of life in them. It is related to building engineers and workers, and to the materials employed. It also addresses issues of life in the colony, the climate, the relationship with indigenous peoples, the relations with neighboring territories; and displays various objects, illustrations, maps and texts on those topics; among them, a large scale model of a frigate of the seventeenth century stands out.
Room 4
It briefly describes the situation of the fortifications and the city in the late eighteenth century, in the period immediately preceding the Independence of Chile. It ends with the fall of the fortifications to the quick action of the newly created Chilean Navy, commanded by Lord Cochrane.
The attractions include beautiful landscapes framed by the Corral Bay. This area was built in 1671 and rebuilt in 1737 and renovated in 1990. It has had since then a permanent exhibition of goods, military equipment and a slideshow depicting that time period. The last restoration and enabling of spaces was made in 2014.
Location: The Museum is located in the town of Niebla, 18 kilometers (11 miles) from the city of Valdivia. Postal address: P.O. Box 1403, Valdivia.
Directions: Public transportation in Valdivia: you may take regular minibuses in the bus station located at the intersection between Av. Alemania and Caupolicán St. that go down Carampangue St. to Niebla and also the shared taxis on the right side of Municipal Market. Route T-350 Valdivia-Niebla. Route T-340 to Curiñanco that merges with Route T-352 to the south along the coast.
Access: The Museum is equipped with: – Wheelchairs for people with disabilities. – Tranche accessible for people with disabilities. – Bathrooms for people with disabilities.
Services: Parking; Public toilets; Interpretative museology; Free brochures; Educational services for schools and offices; Multipurpose community room, must be scheduled by calling at phone number 63 228 2151; Patrimonial library for researchers and visitors, room consulting of information from books, magazines and local maps; Free wi-fi connection to Biblioredes; Audio guides to read or listen to descriptive texts, view pictures, obtain general information on the exhibition and receive a digital magazine by free downloading and installing of the application PlayOnTag in the Android / iPhone market and scanning the QR codes with the camera icon of the mobile app; Selling of craftworks next to the administration building; Independent tourist guides authorized by the Museum, based on tips.
Restrictions: The monument is protected by Laws 17,288 and 20,021, amending its sanctions. "Whoever causes damage to a national monument, or in any case would affect its integrity, shall be punished by imprisonment in its medium to maximum degrees and a fine of fifty to two hundred monthly tax units" (Article 38 bis). All areas of the Castle and showrooms are free from tobacco smoke. Photographic flash and video cameras are not allowed in the showrooms. Pet admission is restricted. The metal walkways may cause injury by fall, especially when wet, do not run or neglect seniors and children, especially when you take photographs. It is strictly prohibited to scratch or climb the walls and archeological remains, the cancagua stone is of a very fragile nature and may undergo damage when stepping on it with shoes. Remember you are in a National Monument, this is no picnic area and it is not suitable for playing ball. Follow the instructions given by the staff and watch the kids at all times.
Estimated time for the visit is 1.5 h.
Address: 1110 Del Castillo St., at the front of the Square of Arms of Niebla.
Admission: Free.
Opening Times: Museum: Summer: Tuesday to Sunday from 10:00 to 19:00. Winter (April 1 to October 31): Tuesday to Sunday from 10:00 to 17:30. The Museum is closed on Mondays for maintenance; and also the following holidays: January 1, New Year; May 1, Labor Day; November 18, Anniversary DIBAM (Direction of Libraries, Archives, and Museums); December 25, Christmas. Patrimonial Library: Tuesday to Friday from 10:00 to 17:30 h for room consulting.
Contact: Phone +56 - 63 - 228 2084
E-mail: museo.niebla@museosdibam.cl
Web: http://www.museodeniebla.cl/
Activities: Walk, photography, river cruises, visit to historical site.