Paysandú Historical Museum

Emblematic museum located in the west of Uruguay, characterized by keeping records of the events of the city such as the Siege of Paysandu and the establishment of the department through series of photographs dating from the 19th to 20th century, as well as collections of instruments used by artists of the region

Paysandú Historical Museum
Image Source: Google Street View (2015)
Type:	Historical Museum
Country:	Uruguay
Establishment:	1976

The Paysandú Historical Museum (Spanish: Museo Histórico de Paysandú) is an emblematic museum located in the west of Uruguay, characterized by keeping records of the events of the city such as the Siege of Paysandu and the establishment of the department through series of photographs dating from the 19th to 20th century, as well as collections of instruments used by artists of the region.

History

The museum building was built around 1860 and served as an orphan asylum for the sisters of the Orchard, one of the first women to establish religious associations in Paysandu, colloquially this building was called "Casa del Espíritu" (lit. House of the Spirit).^[1]

Additionally, the historical archive of Paysandú is established in the museum, this archive is the only one in this Uruguayan department and is maintained by the local government's Culture Department, the documents were used for the XVIII Meeting of Valuation and Management of Heritage Cemeteries (Spanish: XVIII Encuentro de Valoración y Gestión de Cementerios Patrimoniales), mainly to show the history of the "Monumento a Perpetuidad" (lit. Monument to Perpetuity) located in the Old Cemetery of the city.^[2]

In 2012, Uruguayan authorities were able to recover several of the objects stolen from the museum, including a collection of historical coins in an abandoned house in Paso Guerrero located east of the city of Paysandú.^[3]

In December 2018, the Ibermuseos committee awarded the Paysandú Historical Museum for the exhibition "Mujeres en Defensa" (lit. Women in Defense), a dedicated exhibition for the participation of women in the Siege of Paysandú initiated in 1865 after territorial disputes with the Brazilian Empire.^[4]

Collections

In June 2016, the museum launched a photographic exhibition about the history of Paysandu, where part of the photo collection dates back to the 1860s, when a photo company sent a correspondent in order to photograph various parts of the city that were left in ruins after the battles of the Uruguayan forces against the expansion of the Brazilian Empire. Additionally, part of the photographic exhibition documents daily life and traditions in Paysandú, showing images of festivities and carnivals celebrated in the Plaza de la Constitucion (lit. Constitution Square).^[5]

Gallery

Miniature replica of the bergatin "Maria Madre", a type of ship of the 13th century (2019) - Image by Sergio Katz

Sculpture of a washerwoman dating back from the time of the Jesuit Missions of Guaranies in the 18th century (2019) - Image by Jazmin Lauye

A classical piano manufactured in Europe belonging to the musician Bruno Goyeneche who settled in Paysandú, there you can notice a score with the title “El Sitio de Paysandú: Pequeña Fantasía” (2024) - Image by Ada Reyes

References

1. Coello, C. G. (2017). Guía selectiva de fuentes de información sobre la historia de Paysandú. ISBN: 978-9974-91-690-6

2. Mieres, Alejandra, Alicia Viera, Laura Soria, and Lorena Mederos. 2017. “Estudio de los Documentos Relativos al Cementerio Monumento a Perpetuidad.” (2017). Universidad de la República de Uruguay. (Page 1 to 4) (in Spanish)

3. Kanovich, S. (2012-01-13). Encuentran las monedas robadas del Museo Histórico de Paysandú. El País. (in Spanish)

4. Ibermuseos premia proyecto del Museo Histórico Departamental. (2018-12-11). Diario El Telégrafo. (in Spanish)

5. En el Museo Histórico se habilitó la muestra Miradas Cotidianas en el Tiempo. (2016-06-07). Canal 4 - Paysandú. (in Spanish)