Space Dr. Bautista Rebuffo

Here we are! Welcome to the Dr. Bautista Rebuffo Space, the heart of the Cologne Museum and an essential stop to understand the fascinating soul of this city. If the walls of this building could talk, they would keep us entertained for hours. This mansion was originally built by the Portuguese in the first half of the 18th century, but when the Spanish took control later in the same century, they remodeled its façade in a neoclassical style and changed the original roof for a flat roof. The most curious thing about its history is that it was not always a museum: it functioned as the House of the Portuguese Secretaries, the home of patrician families, a hospital, a tenement and even a business. It has had as many lives as the Colony itself. In 1951, thanks to the vision and drive of Dr. Bautista Rebuffo – from whom it takes its name in homage – it became the first museum space in the city. In its present, the museum is designed as a living journey in time that is divided into two floors: Ground floor: We travel from the original indigenous cultures (such as the Charrúas, Chanás and Guaraníes) to the hectic colonial era. There are models of the old Colonia del Sacramento, old weapons and everyday objects. Upper floor: It takes us to the beginning of the 20th century, highlighting the rise of tourism and the creation of natural history collections. As…

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