The current Fort Bulnes is a reproduction of the first Chilean settlement in the area, an initiative of former President Manuel Bulnes, who ordered the taking and possession of the Strait of Magellan, a desire linked to the birth of the Republic and which the Spanish Empire itself tried to consolidate with various attempts, as it ordered the construction of the fort, founded on 21 September 1843, thus consolidating the taking of possession of the Strait of Magellan in the name of Chile.

Almost 3 centuries earlier, in 1584, a Spanish expedition under the command of Pedro Sarmiento de Gamboa, founded “Ciudad Rey Don Felipe” (or “Puerto del Hambre”), a few meters from “Fuerte Bulnes”, this mission failed mainly due to food shortages.

The schooner “Ancud”, built in “Chiloé” especially for the mission of taking possession of the “Estrecho de Magallanes”, sailed from “Ancud” under the command of Frigate Captain John Williams with 23 crew members, where after the ceremony of taking possession of the Strait, the construction of “Fuerte Bulnes” began, with the Prussian naturalist Bernardo Philippi as architect and builder.

The Fort was built as a house-fort, including a barracks, a warehouse, the Governor’s and officers’ houses, the jail, ranches, stables, etc. In terms of armament, the fort had two batteries of two cannons each and a subway powder magazine From this settlement, help began to be given to the ships that crossed the “Estrecho de Magallanes”, providing them with aid and supplying them on behalf of Chile.

The challenges of its construction were multiple, not only because of the adverse weather conditions of the area and the isolation, but also because of the ambitious enterprise that sought to establish a structure that had the capacity to house and project population centers in the area, pointing out magellanic historian Mateo Martinic that “Fuerte Bulnes” is “the first permanent establishment in the Patagonian vastness, initial outpost of the national colonization and of the southern regions”.

The Fort existed for almost a decade and despite its undeniable strategic advantages in the control of the territory, its geographical and climatic conditions did not allow the development of agriculture, so in 1848 the bulk of the population of the fort moved 52 kilometers north, to the banks of a river called “del carbón” (current Rio de las minas), in Punta Arenosa, where today is located the historic capital of Patagonia, the city of Punta Arenas.

In 1952 it was finally abandoned, falling into ruins and passing into oblivion. In the 1920s, remains were found that recalled its existence and then the idea of rebuilding it was born, which finally took place between 1941 and 1943, with the purpose of commemorating 100 years since its foundation.

In short, the military colonization of Fuerte Bulnes allowed the taking of possession of the Chilean southern territory.

A National Historic Monument since 1968, it is today one of the main places of interest in the Region of Magallanes and Chilean Antarctica and is available to the local community as well as to all those who visit the southernmost region of Chile.