Palacio de La Moneda

The Palacio de La Moneda, commonly known as La Moneda, is the seat of the President of the Republic of Chile. It also houses the General Secretariat of the Presidency, and the General Secretariat of Government. It is located in the district of Santiago, between Moneda (north), Morandé (east), Alameda del Libertador Bernardo O'Higgins (south) and Teatinos (west) streets. To the north is located the Plaza de la Constitución (https://greatchile.com/place/plaza-de-la-constitucion/) and to the south, the Plaza de la Ciudadanía.

La Moneda has 40 rooms, one for the president - who has other residences, such as the palace in Cerro Castillo, a resting place in the city of Viña del Mar or the mansion in the Machalí district, in the O'Higgins region, known as La Casa 100 - and the rest for his ministers.

Designed by architect Joaquín Toesca, this palace is the main work of neoclassicism in Chile. It was inaugurated in 1805 to serve as the headquarters of the Real Casa de Moneda de Santiago (Royal Mint of Santiago), which was used to mint coins. In 1846, President Manuel Bulnes moved the Government House to this building, being the first President to inhabit it. The last one was Carlos Ibáñez del Campo, in 1958.

It also became the scene of one of the most decisive events in Chile's history, the bombing that took place on September 11, 1973. After that event, a group of architects restored it, maintaining the original lines designed by Toesca.

Since then it has undergone some changes, such as being painted white at the end of the last century, or the remodeling of the Plaza de la Ciudadanía, under which the Centro Cultural Palacio La Moneda was built.

It was declared a National Monument in 1951.