Contulmo

Contulmo was settled from 1884 by German families brought under the colonisation schemes, on the southern shore of Lake Lanalhue at the foot of the Nahuelbuta range. The Grollmus house and mill, built by one of those families in the early twentieth century, still stands with its water-driven machinery in place and is open as a museum; the garden around it holds a large collection of copihue, the Chilean bellflower and national flower, in an unusual range of colours built up over generations. The area is also Mapuche country - Lanalhue and the surrounding communities - and the two histories sit side by side, uncomfortably at times.

What you actually see

• A German colonist village from 1884 - on Lake Lanalhue.
• The Grollmus mill - water-driven machinery still in place.
• A copihue collection - the national flower in unusual colours.
• Two histories side by side - colonist and Mapuche, on the same ground.

When to go

December to March; the copihue flower in autumn. Half a day.

Honest expectations

The mill and house keep limited hours, mostly summer. The village is small with few services. Rain is frequent. The colonisation history is presented locally in a way that does not always address whose land it was.

Nearby

Canete and its Mapuche museum are north-west; Nahuelbuta park is north.