Eduardo Frei Montalva in the National Congress

The presidential oath, as well as the medal – coined in bronze – bestowed to the 28th President of Chile, are part of the permanent collection of Casa Museo Eduardo Frei Montalva. Both objects are also part of the most public aspect of the former president.

It was on Sunday, September 4th, 1964, that Eduardo Frei Montalva, in his second run for the Presidency, and with 56.09% of the vote, became the first Christian Democrat President in the history of Chile. On hearing the news, Máximo Pacheco Gómez – who later on would become his education minister – headed to the former president’s house in Hindenburg Street. However, the anecdote – told by Máximo Pacheco himself – relates that Eduardo Frei Montalva was taking a nap, so that he had to insist on waking him up to tell him he was the new President of Chile.

In the National Congress, almost thirty days later, Eduardo Frei Montalva, in full formal dress – clothing currently in the Museum’s permanent collection – was inaugurated President of Chile before the House of Representatives and the Senate, various international delegations from friendly governments, and Christian Democrat supporters from the most diverse places in the world. Among them were: the US ambassador to the UN, Adlai Stevenson, and the Israeli minister of foreign affairs Golda Meir. “I, Eduardo Frei Montalva, swear to faithfully execute the Office of President of the Republic, preserve the integrity and the independence of the nation, obey and enforce the Constitution and the laws”, affirmed one of the greatest protagonists of the Chilean history of the XX century.

Medal coined in bronze

Many photographs are kept from that moment, however, the oath taken in October 3rd, 1964, and the presidential sash were ones of the most meaningful objects treasured by Eduardo Frei himself in his house at Hindenburg Street.

Opening Hours: Tuesdays to Sundays from 10:00 to 18:00 hrs.

Hindeburg 683, Providencia.

Tel: (02) 881 86 74

E-mail: contacto@casamuseoeduardofrei.cl

O. Guayasamín, October 1968.

In the context of the celebration of Heritage Day, which will be commemorated for a second time this year due to the Bicentennial anniversary of Chile, Casa Museo Eduardo Frei Montalva will open its doors free of charge next Sunday, September 5th.

On that day, apart from the regular tour through our Museum, visitors will be able to appreciate an exhibition of 12 drawings by Oswaldo Guayasamín. Oswaldo presented the former president with this exhibition in 1969, when he visited Chile on the occasion of the opening of his exposition “Edad de la Ira” (“Age of Wrath”) in Museo Nacional de Bellas Artes. At that time, the artist created the portrait of Eduardo Frei Montalva, a work that currently takes part of our Museum’s permanent collection. Likewise, panels depicting in detail the visit ─ held 41 years ago ─, as well as the development of the arts during Frei Montalva’s administration, will be featured.

The house where Eduardo Frei Montalva lived, currently transformed into a museum, was declared national monument in 2005 due to its excellent conservation and for being part of the collective memory of an important historical and political period in Chile. The tour through its two floors, decorated in a 60’s style, allows the visitor to appreciate over 350 original objects, such as: furniture, clothing, the presidential sash, diplomas, books, photographs, and a collection rich in Chilean paintings. The objects give account of a modern, yet tempered style.

 We invite you to celebrate a new Heritage Day during the month of the Bicentennial anniversary; which will spotlight the Chilean Identity reflected in the historical value that every patrimonial location and building of the country entails. On September 5th, Further information on the different options available for touring this and other sites will be given by the National Monument Council in Plaza de Armas.

Location: Hindeburg Street 683, Providencia

Opening Hours: 10:00 to 18:00 hrs.

All tours are guided. No prior reservation is needed.

For more information, please call: (02) 881 86 74 – (02) 723 41 05

or email us at: contacto@casamuseoeduardofrei.cl

Web Pages: http://www.casamuseoeduardofrei.cl/ or http://www.monumentos.cl

That program was one of the Eduardo Frei Montalva’s administration pivotal points. It was based on the conviction that the people, being trained and organized, integrates itself with the general development of the country, thus taking part in the solution of their own problems: “Our aim consists not only in an economical development, but in a social development… this incorporation of the ordinary man through the organizations he takes part in, is what we have called Promoción Popular,” affirmed the former President in December, 1964, as he made public the bases of his program.

After four years, the announced proposal became a law, clearing the way for more direct and inclusive people-State relations. From that point on, the neighborhoods, unions, municipalities, Neighborhood Residents’ Comittees, Centros de Madres, federations, etc. were able to fully exercise their rights through a systematic collaboration with the public sector, which led to a progressive increase in their material standard of living, as well as in their sense of community. For instance, for street paving and street lighting, the people collaborated providing a workforce – and materials, occasionally –, while the State provided the materials the organizations could not.

Ashtray, special presents to Eduardo Frei M.

Likewise, neighborhood leaders were trained, in order to make their relations with the authorities smoother, and women – members of Centros de Madres – were taught new trades to increase their family incomes. In this way, society began to engage in its own development and well-being.

We invite you to appreciate these original objects throughout the month. Even though they are not part of Casa Museo Eduardo Frei Montalva’s permanent collection, we consider it important to exhibit these objects in memory and gratitude of Eduardo Frei Montalva for a substantial positive step in the social organization of our country.

Visitation is Tuesdays to Sundays, from 10:00 am to 6:00 pm.

Hindenburg Street 683, Providencia.

Tel.: (02) 881 86 74 – (02) 723 41 05

E-mail: contacto@casamuseoeduardofrei.cl

Children visiting the exhibition

A giant rocket with original moon rocks is part of one of the exhibitions organized by the National Museum of Natural History together with Casa Museo Eduardo Frei Montalva, and scheduled for the 2009-2010 period. However, due to the serious structural damage suffered by the museum located in the Parque Quinta Normal (Quinta Normal Park), the exhibition had to be relocated for visitation purposes.

“The National Museum of Natural History takes pride in sharing this exhibition with the National Aeronautics and Space Museum, considering that this topic, in particular, is related to aerospace technology and the conquest of this new frontier”, the Museum’s Director, Claudio Gómez, affirms.

During this temporary exhibition, visitors will be able to enter a structure simulating a NASA rocket, which emulates a lunar-like experience. The exhibition is rounded out by photographs detailing Man landing on the moon in chronological order, together with videos from the United Sates National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA).

Moon rock fragments

“41 years after the moon landing, Casa Museo Eduardo Frei Montalva is proud to take part in this exhibition, placing part of its collection at the service of the community. The moon rock fragments, collected in the first trip to the moon, were donated to Chile in 1970, and were preserved attentively and carefully by Frei Montalva during his administration”

adds Magdalena Frei, Director of Casa Museo Eduardo Frei Montalva.

Casa Museo Eduardo Frei Montalva and National Museum of Natural History are the only two official institutions preserving moon rock fragments in Chile, donated by the United States government in 1970 and 1975, respectively.

The exhibition will be available for visitation, free of charge, from Tuesdays to Sundays, from 10:00 to 17:00. Admission to the Museum will be until 17:00.

Location: Pedro Aguirre Cerda Ave. N° 5000, Los Cerrillos. Tel: (02) 435 30 30. Extension: 10 or 18.

Web Sites:  http://www.mnhn.cl,   http://www.casamuseoeduardofrei.cl,   http://www.museoaeronautico.cl/espanol/home

These objects, originally found in the dressing room and in the study on the second floor, are a sign of gratitude from farmers’ organizations for the Land Reform carried out during Eduardo Frei Montalva’s administration (1964-1970), which were preserved with care by him and his family.

The Land Reform Law, published on July 28th, 1967, is historically recognized as one of the greatest milestones in recent Chilean history, where the situation and the dignification of Chilean families, in the rural sections of the country, were improved. To Eduardo Frei Montalva, the rural human and economical wealth had to become the driving force for Chile’s development.

Although it met and still meets with opposition, the Land Reform is remembered by many as one of the landmarks of the Eduardo Frei Montalva’s administration as it tranformed the rural social and economical structure, which was ruled until the middle of the XX century by an unequitable colonial system.

A pair of spurs, typical Chilean.

Under this state of affairs, The Land Reform Act led to a significant turn of events in that it improved the marginal conditions of the Chilean countryside and the low productivity of the land. It sought the incorporation of rural Chileans into the land they farmed and into the decisions over the land production, and their integration into the social, cultural, civic and political life of the country. “ (…) I am able to sign the law, but it is you who will be put to the test. It is you who will build the roads, as you are doing so; it is you who will build the storehouses and sheds, and who will furrow the ground, not me or the ministers. It is you who will carry out the Land Reform”, Eduardo Frei Montalva claimed decisively as he proclaimed the Land Reform Law on July 16th, 1967.

We invite you to appreciate these objects, which give account for a substantial change in the social, political and cultural structure of our country, and also for the gratitude of rural Chileans of that epoch, towards a president who changed the perception of society.

Visitation is from Tuesdays to Sundays, from 10:00 am to 6:00 pm.

Hindenburg Street 683, Providencia.

For more information, please contact us at: (02) 881 86 74or email us at: contacto@casamuseoeduardofrei.cl

Flag "March by the Young Nation" (1964)

June 21st, 1964, was without a doubt, one of the historical and political events that summoned the most people from the whole country to a campaign closure; an occasion when young people from throughout the country walked on, holding their flags, heading towards the Parque Causiño de Santiago (Santiago Causiño Park) – now, O’Higgins Park – to listen to the then candidate, Eduardo Frei Montalva.

The “March by the Young Nation”, an initiative organized by the Christian Democrats Germán Becker and Alberto Jerez, was a complete success as over 300,000 young people, from all regions of Chile, arrived in the capital, raising their flags, in the faith that Eduardo Frei Montalva embodied the future of the Nation. ” All of you, young patriots who have marched here, you are much more than a mere political Party, much more than an electoral event. You are indeed the true Young Nation in motion “, claimed determinedly the Christian Democratic candidate, at the beginning of his speech.

The act, headed by the undisputed leader of the Christian Democratic Party to win the 1964 election, was marked by his electoral program, entitled “Revolution in Liberty”, which included essential topics, such as the nationalization of copper, educational reform, land reform, the “Promoción Popular”, etc.

“We will improve the agricultural condition in our country” and “Poverty will never be a barrier to knowledge again!” are some of the statements he claimed decisively and convincingly, as he stood before a massive audience. For a video fragment of the speech, click here.

We invite you to appreciate this unique piece, together with two pieces of glassware used during the celebration of the triumph achieved on that June 21st; an event that reminds us of the old style of politics and of a part of our recent history.

Those who visit us during this month will be presented with a DVD-formatted disc, produced by Patricio Kaulen, containing the speech held at the closure of the Eduardo Frei Montalva’s campaign in its entirety. Don’t miss it!

JULY, 1996

A project proposal for the creation of Casa Museo Eduardo Frei Montalva is elaborated and submitted by the museologists Consuelo Valdés Ch. and Hernán Rodríguez V. at the request of Fundación Frei. The mission of the museum would be the promotion of the personality, way of life, and political career of former President Eduardo Frei Montalva, through the preservation and the appreciation of his residence and what it shelters: a testimony of both his public and family life.

APRIL, 2002

Six years later, responding to a new request made by Fundación Frei, a proposal, elaborated by the consultants Consuelo Valdés Ch. and Carmen Vergara L, is submitteded for the formulation of the draft project of Casa Museo Eduardo Frei Montalva.

First Semester of 2004:

The consultants render a more delimited draft project to Senator Eduardo Frei Ruiz-Tagle; a project covering the following areas: general assessment; architecture and landscaping; preventive preservation, security and restoration; documentation of collections, script and museum design; graphic design and promotional campaign; library documentation; photographic documentation of the house, its furniture and objects; audience study; educational program and management of the new institution.

Once the proposal is accepted, the following tasks are undertaken: a bibliographic review of the life and work of Eduardo Frei Montalva; interviews with his close collaborators of his, such as: Patricio Aylwin, Gabriel Valdés and Raúl Troncoso; an inventory and documentation of the family collection; a photograph documentation of the interior and exterior of the house and an inventory of the original positioin of the furniture and objects. Finally, professionals are employed for the devepolment of specific proyects in various areas.

May 2005.

The propiety of former President Eduardo Frei Montalva is declared National Monument (National Dedcree Nº 0586).

The National Monument Council (Consejo de Monumentos Nacionales) based its resolution on many considerations among which, the condition of the residence stands out. The propiety, under the care of the Frei Ruiz-Tagle family, has remained practically the same as it was left after the death of former President Eduardo Frei. Furthermore, the building was considered by the Council to be part of the colletive memory of an important historic and political period of Chile, and to represent one of the prototypes of the urban residential architecture during the 40´s.

July 2005.

The consulting team submits the “Casa Museo Eduardo Frei Montalva” draft project together with its timeline to Senator Eduardo Frei Montalva. From that moment on,  the financial management for the carrying out the  proyect takes place.