Mitre Museum

San Martín 336
Tel. 4394-7659 / 4394-8240
Open Mondays through Fridays from 1 p.m. to 6 p.m.
Holidays: January and February

This Museum is located in the heart of downtown Buenos Aires, in the colonial house where Bartolomé Mitre lived. This illustrious man was one of the country's presidents, in addition to being a general, historian and journalist.
Built towards the end of the 18th century, the house was presented to him by the people, and he lived in it from 1860 until his death on January 19, 1906. A few months later, Representative Manuel Carlés submitted a bill to Congress, proposing that the house should be purchased by the Government and turned into a museum. The proposal went through, and the Museum was inaugurated on June 3, 1907, and was declared a Historical Site on May 21, 1942. Collections that had belonged to this illustrious man and were donated by his descendants are exhibited in its rooms.
At the entrance, in the first yard, there is a sculpture of Mitre by Lucio Correa Morales. He appears standing, in civilian clothes with his typical broad-rimmed hat that is exhibited in a showcase, together with his suit and military uniform. Decorations and iconography provide a description of his life. A large oil painting by the Spanish painter Ulpiano Checa depicts Mitre on horseback. Also on exhibition is the famous kepi he was wearing when injured on the forehead on June 2, 1853. One of the showcases contains the first number of La Nación newspaper together with Mitre's eyeglasses.
In the drawing room, upholstered mahogany furniture combines with golden framed mirrors, bronze sculptures, and a bust of Delfina de Vedia Mitre. Other exhibits include his private and presidential desks, a billiard table, letters and documents from San Martín an Belgrano, a walnut dining-room set and the bedroom where Mitre died at the age of 84.