SUNDAY SUPPLEMENT: Viña del Mar, Chile, by JD

 

No, that is not a Disney style fantasy castle. It is a real place called Castillo Wulff in Viña del Mar on the Pacific coast of Chile.

When I visited it was a sort of museum dedicated to the Chilean writer and poet Salvador Reyes and contained the memorabilia he had collected. The Castillo is owned by the Municipalidad de Viña del Mar and I believe it is currently used as the municipality's offices.

The bridge you see leading to the tower on that rocky outcrop has a glass floor through which you can see the waves and in rough seas those waves can reach the underside of the glass.

I was fortunate in that I was working in Chile so my employer paid for me to get there and back. Perks of the job I suppose.

I managed to find a video of it, in English, made by the Municipalidad de Viña del Mar
which gives a short history and some wonderful images past and present.

This is a sketch I did of the presidential palace which is in Viña del Mar and not in the capital Santiago as might be expected. It stands atop a hill overlooking the Castillo Wulff. I have taken the liberty of ignoring the office block on the right and replacing it with a few trees.