Although I spent a month in Valdivia, I’ll always be a tourist, determined to explore as many tourist-brochure highlights as possible. That has taken me to squat military towers, the fish market and craft marketplace, an enclosed Foucault pendulum, a botanical garden, an historic Capuchin church, breweries, and chocolate shops. Following are a few places I haven’t written about in other posts.
Museo Histórico y Antropológico Mauricio Van de Maele:
Casa Anwandter
Located on the banks of the river on Isla de Teja, the museum is housed in the former home of German immigrant Karl Anwandter. Arriving in Valdivia in 1850, Anwandter becoming a leading industrialist and cultural figure in the city. The second floor of the museum displays Mapuche handiwork, primarily silver pieces, pottery, and textiles, and chronicles the Spanish conquest of the region. The first floor is divided between Spanish/Chilean life in the early 19th century and furnishings and memorabilia from the German immigration to Valdivia. The house is surrounded by lovely gardens, and I’ve returned several times to sit on a bench and enjoy the tranquility.
El Museo de Arte Contemporáneo:
Riverside promenade
I noticed the art museum the first week of my stay. Located next to the Anwandter home, its glass windows rise above a riverside promenade. Standing across the river by the fish market, I saw university students crowd the promenade. The reason became clear when a parade of water enthusiasts — scull rowers, kayakers, canoeists, paddle boarders, even swimmers — filed by, an annual tradition that marks the start of the new school year at Universidad Austral. The museum occupies the former Anwandter brewery, which was destroyed during the 1960 earthquake, and is said to feature painting, sculpture, photography and multimedia installations. However, the several times I attempted to visit, it was closed.
Museo de la Exploración Philippi:
Museo Philippi
Located behind the Van de Maele Museum, this one highlights the work of the German-born naturalist Rudolph Amandus Philippi. Philippi arrived in Valdivia at the invitation of his brother and went on to become a well known botanist and zoologist. The museum focuses on Philippi and the scientific exploration of southern Chile by other naturalists, including Charles Darwin. Maps, tools, and information boards are nicely laid out in the rooms of the historic Schüller house. In the back is a small bookstore, and an outdoor cafe serves light fare when weather permits.
The above three museums are maintained by the adjacent Universidad Austral de Chile
The Yellow Tour Boat:
Transporte Fluvial Sustentable maintains a small fleet of yellow solar-powered boats that function as river taxis in downtown Valdivia. The boats can also be rented for guided tours, which is what my daughter Astrid and I did one cloudy, drizzly afternoon. We chose to travel downriver, past old riverside homes, factories damaged by the 1960 earthquake, wetlands produced by the quake, commercial fishing boats catching sardines, primarily for export, a lumber yard spewing eucalyptus chips from its stack, and the forested Islote Haverbeck. Our captain/guide provided interesting commentary. When asked about the local economy, he ranked the main industries as lumber production, ship building, universities, and breweries, most of which we glimpsed on our tour.
Submarino O’Brian:
In 1971 the O’Brien submarine (named for a fighter in the Chilean War of Independence) was built in Scotland for the Chilean Navy. After 25 years of service, it became permanently docked in the Río Valdivia and converted into a museum. Close to 300 feet long, it weighs over 2,000 tons and is painted a menacing black. The tour expressly discourages people with claustrophobia, but I went with Astrid anyway. Descending the ladder through a narrow hole, I felt a surge of panic, but then the ship opened out and my breathing returned to normal. We took in the torpedos and their tubes, the steering mechanism and periscope, narrow bunk beds and a tiny kitchen. Two facts stood out. 1.) Eighty sailors lived in the submarine, divided into two 12-hour shifts so only 40 sailors moved about in the hideously close quarters at any one time. 2.) Four times a day the men were given fruit-laden ice cream (no sugar) to ease feelings of claustrophobia.
Not for me, thanks.