Puerto Varas, Chile

Pablo Fierro Museum

This fairytale house on the shore of a Chilean Lake oozes an eclectic mix of Chilote and German Cultural heritage.

Curated and largely constructed by Artist Pablo Fierro, this creaky gallery and museum sprouts cuckoo clocks, candy canes, classic cars, and the bow of a traditional fishing vessel that bursts from its fantasy frontage.

The fairytale-like building highlights the region’s human history. The area around Lake Llanquihue in Chile’s stunning Lake District is characterized by a surprising fusion of the traditional Chilote culture of the Chiloé Archipelago with that of the German farmers who made this corner of South America their home in the 1850s.

This unique heritage is celebrated in a diverse collection of art and artifacts relating to these seemingly disparate cultures housed in the striking gingerbread cottage-esque lakeside house. A large wooden sign at the entrance to the house reads “El Arte de Soñar,” meaning “The Art of Dreaming.”

Born in Temuco, in the Araucania region of Southern Chile, curator Pablo Fierro began painting the iconic German-style architecture of the region in the 1990s, and in 2002, began converting this old lakeside property into its current dreamlike form, principally as as a gallery for his artwork. Very little in the museum is off-limits, and curious callers are invited to touch and play with the antiques and artifacts collected within.

Know Before You Go

The Museum is free to enter, and is a short stroll along the waterfront from the Plaza de Armas of Puerto Varas on the 225 Road heading towards Ensenada.