Agrimensor Germán Barbato Planetarium

Here we are, in front of the Agrimensor Germán Barbato Planetarium of Montevideo, a gem of Uruguay, located in the charming neighborhood of Villa Dolores. This is not just any planetarium; It was the first planetarium in all of Latin America and the southern hemisphere, a milestone that positioned it as one of the first built globally after World War II. Its history dates back to February 1948, when Germán Barbato, then mayor of Montevideo, presented the Six-Year Works Plan. In the third stage of this plan, in 1950, the “Building and installation of the Municipal Science Museum in Pereira Rosell Park” was planned, which would finally give rise to this Planetarium. In 1952, the construction was commissioned to the architect Juan Antonio Scasso, under the supervision of the architect Antonio Cravotto. The inauguration took place on February 11, 1955, during the administration of Dr. Armando Malet, consolidating itself as the first planetarium in Latin America. Dr. Félix Cernuschi, founder of the Astronomy Department of the old Faculty of Humanities and Sciences of the University of the Republic, was closely linked to its creation. In fact, the Association of Astronomy Fans was founded shortly before the inauguration and today has its headquarters inside the Planetarium. Surveyor Germán Barbato, who was mayor during its construction, was a…

Open in the map