Officials from The Chamber of Mines of Peru and authorities from Universidad Técnica de Oruro (UTO) witnessed the historic construction.
Executives of The Chamber of Mines of Peru visited the historic house-museum Simón Patiño. This is one of the most important manor houses of the 20th century.
In addition, its value is significantly increased by the archive left by its owner, the industrial magnate Simón I. Patiño. This legacy is testimony to the mining boom in Bolivia during the second decade of that century.
The house-museum “Simón Patiño” is located in the city of Oruro. It also depends on the House of Culture of the UTO.
Considered as one of the “Tin Barons”, Patiño excelled in the mining industry achieving control of the worl’s metal reserves. In addition, he had great political influence in his country.
Built between 1900 and 1903 by French architects, it belongs to the neoclassical style of the time. It consists of two floors that have been fully preserved. Full of paintings imported from France and Germany, each of the rooms are incredibly well preserved.
Its halls have sculptures, colonial and contemporary art gallery, as well as Louis XV, XVI and XVII style furniture brought from Europe and taxidermy samples. It also houses unique musical instruments in Bolivia, carriages of the time and a collection of colonial art.
The personal archive of Simón Iturri Patiño, of singular value in Bolivian mining history, is located in the lower part of the house-museum. Among its documentation, the Cochabamba-Río Isibóro Sécure highway project, built in 1912 by a German company, stands out.
In addition, it has glass plate negatives of the Patiño mines, the Bank and the Portales Palace in Cochabamba. Undoubtedly, a mandatory visit by our delegation, which was amazed by the amount of elements owned by the historic house-museum Simón Patiño.
