Former prison and Maritime Museum
Only a few meters away from the Beagle Channel, you can see the intact stone structure of what was once Ushuaia's Prison. In 1896, as soon as President Roca authorized the construction of the prison, twenty-three prisoners were sent from Buenos Aires.
After navigating along the South Atlantic, they disembarked in Ushuaia to build the southernmost penal colony in the world, which they themselves would occupy.
Although it had a total of 380 individual cells, the prison grew to house as much as 800 convicts, from criminals to political prisoners. While in jail, the prisoners received primary education and a payment for their work, which enabled them to save money and send it to their relatives or keep it for the time of their release.
Several workshops that contributed to satisfy the community needs were carried out inside the prison: tailoring, shoe-making, blacksmith's, pharmacy and medical service.
Those with good behavior were sent by train to what today is the National Park of Tierra del Fuego, to collect firewood that would then be used to heat the prison and the town. Some decades later, it was considered that the prison discredited the city, so it was decided to close it down. By 1947, it was definitely abandoned. The building was then purchased by the Navy, and the naval base set up.
Today, it is possible to walk along its corridors and visit the cells of cold stone walls that housed both common criminals and very dangerous convicts, sentenced to life imprisonment. Among them was the young anarchist Simon Radowitsky, who had killed Captain Lorenzo Falcón in 1909, putting a bomb in his car.
When in prison, he was involved in an amazing escape by sea, and was eventually captured near Punta Arenas. Santos Godino is also remembered. He was known as “El Petiso Orejudo" (Big-Eared Short man). He was an insane young man, born in Parque Patricios neighborhood, who amused himself by strangling minors. Godino died in 1944 from an internal bleeding after being badly beaten by the other prisoners for throwing the cat, the prison's pet, inside a wood stove.
Legend has it that behind bars was also a 20 year old who might have been Carlos Gardel himself, although true certificates confirming this event were never found. However, in one of the cells, there is a drawing of the Zorzal Criollo painted on the wall, in which he is gracefully wearing his usual dark hat.
It is interesting to visit “Ushuaia's Maritime Museum”, in the prison block No 4. It exhibits a scale reproduction of the vessels that belonged to the members of the first expeditions, apart from pictures, videos and other objects that make reference to the Fuegan history.