- Address: José Arrieta 8200, Santiago, Peñalolén, XIII Metropolitana de Santiago, Chile;
- Website: villagrimaldi.cl;
- Phone: +56 2 2292 5229;
- Working hours: every day from 10:00 to 18:00.
In the history of almost every country there are dark years, marked by a coup, war or other calamity. They did not avoid Chile , a country in which a military coup took place in 1973. Until then, Villa Grimaldi was the gathering place of the Chilean intelligentsia, cultural figures.
Horror reigning in Villa Grimaldi
At the Villa Grimaldi there were meetings of supporters of Salvador Allende, when he only ran for presidency. The area of three acres of land was occupied by buildings for living quarters, as well as a public school, a meeting room and a theater.
During the nineteenth century and most of the 20th, Villa Grimaldi was owned by the Chilean aristocratic family of Vasallo. But in connection with the military coup, the land was confiscated, or rather the owner sold the villa in exchange for saving his family, and the estate became the headquarters for military intelligence. A peaceful and beautiful place has become a symbol of cruelty and injustice. So many bloody cases were completely in the villa, it became known only after the overthrow of the dictatorship.
In the early years, when General Augusto Pinochet came to power, the torture center was created by the secret police of Chile, DINA. For all of its existence, about 5 thousand people have undergone terrible torture. To hide the atrocities, in the mid-80s, the villa was demolished.
Villa Grimaldi currently
In 1994, the estate became a memorial in memory of the terrible years of military dictatorship. A few years later, the Peace Park at Villa Grimaldi opened. The memorial of the victims of the military dictatorship was created thanks to the initiative of the Permanent Assembly for Human Rights of the two communities of La Reina and Penalolen.
The construction company that bought the villa, was going to build a residential complex in its place. To date, in the Park Por la Paz ("Park of Peace"), tourists can see the "Patio of Desires" and a mosaic fountain. Throughout the territory you can see colorful mosaics on the tracks, made by parts of the pavement, which once adorned this territory. They symbolize prisoners who were led along blindfolded paths, so that they could see only a part of the ground under their feet.
The general cell was reconstructed and placed next to the former stables. The names of people who disappeared inside the walls of the secret police are engraved against the former barracks. You can even see photos, personal belongings of former prisoners in the "Memory Room". Here once they made fake documents for the secret police.
How to get to Villa Grimaldi?
Villa Grimaldi is located on the outskirts of Santiago , which can be reached by public transport. The stop is right next to the estate.