Palacio Taranco

Palacio Taranco is a refined belle-époque mansion in the Ciudad Vieja of Montevideo, today home to the Museum of Decorative Arts. Completed in 1910 for a wealthy merchant family, it was designed by French architects in the elegant academic style then fashionable in Paris, and it remains one of the finest patrician houses in Uruguay.

Its significance lies in its craftsmanship and collections. The residence was fitted with marble, fine woodwork, chandeliers and period furnishings of the highest quality, an expression of the confidence and European taste of Montevideo's turn-of-the-century elite. Donated to the state, it now displays decorative arts, including European furniture, porcelain, paintings and a notable collection of classical antiquities.

The palace faces the Plaza Zabala, a leafy square on the site of the old Spanish fort at the heart of the historic peninsula. It stands within a short walk of the cathedral, the Mercado del Puerto and the pedestrian streets of the Ciudad Vieja, in a district rich with the architecture of the city's prosperous decades.

For visitors, Palacio Taranco offers art and atmosphere. Tour the opulent salons preserved much as the family left them, admire the antiquities and decorative collections, and take in the sense of a vanished way of life. Admission is inexpensive or free, and the museum sometimes hosts concerts and cultural events in its grand rooms. It closes on some days, so it is worth checking hours. Combined with the surrounding plaza and the old town's other sights, it makes a rewarding cultural stop. For travellers curious about the wealth and European aspirations of early-twentieth-century Montevideo, this elegant mansion provides an intimate and beautifully preserved window. The mansion's position on the site of the old colonial fort quietly ties its refined French interiors to the city's earliest defensive origins.