Tacna Ornamental Fountain — Attraction in Tacna

I lived in Tacna in 1965 -1966. One story about the fountain was that right after the war between Peru and Chile, when Tacna belonged to Chile, a decision was made to move the fountain farther south. To do so, however, it had to be dismantled, and to do that without destroying the fountain, they had to remove the lock that held it all together. Unfortunately, the key could not be found. Despite many efforts during the years that Tacna belonged to Chile, the key was never found. Eventually, the citizens of Tacna were given a choice to continue to belong to Chile or to return to Peru, and they chose Peru. As soon as that change of citizenship was finalized, a miracle occurred. The missing key reappeared! Many Peruvian items disappeared after that war, but the Tacna fountain is, and always has been, faithful to la...

The fountain was designed and constructed in France by the renowned foundry of J.P. Victor Andrieu. The ornamental fountain was inaugurated on July 28, 1869, during the presidency of José Balta. It was part of a broader effort to beautify the city’s main square.

During the presidency of José Balta (1868-1872), there was a significant focus on urban development and beautification across Peru. Tacna, being a prominent city in the southern region, was included in these efforts. The fountain was commissioned as part of these beautification projects. It was decided to procure a grand ornamental fountain from Europe, reflecting the influence of European art and architecture on Peruvian urban planning...

Muy linda solo dos en Sudamérica...La Pila Ornamental de Tacna fue traída desde la ciudad de Bruselas, Bélgica, por la célebre firma constructora Eiffel. Fue adquirida y obsequiada a la ciudad de Tacna por el gobierno patriota y progresista de don José Balta en el año de 1869. Según refiere don Fortunato Zora Carbajal, en su obra TACNA, HISTORIA Y FOLKLORE. Añade además que los trabajos de colocación de la mencionada pila estuvieon a cargo de un experto Técnico fránces: Matías Richet y un arquitecto peruano apellidado Salazar, quedó a cargo del basamento de piedra. Finalmente señala como una inolvidable anécdota de aquella época, que antes de la colocación de las cuatro estatuas principales, un grupo de vecinos notables, colocaron dentro de ellas, algunas botellas de aguardiente, traídas desde el Valle de Cinto, que está ubicado en Locumba, eran del más fino aguardiente "Italia Ward", de cuya existencia, hoy solo queda el recuerdo. Otro detalle importante de la Pila Ornamental es que tiene una gemela, en la ciudad de Buenos Aires, capital de Argentina, y está ubicada en la Plaza Palermo. En todo el resto de sudamérica no hay otra pila...