On the outskirts of Sucre, you will find something quite unexpected: a pink fairytale castle. La Glorieta Castle (Castillo de La Glorieta in Spanish) was once the home of a prince and princess. Bolivia’s only prince and princess, in fact.
Read on to find out more about this intriguing place.
The Prince and Princess of La Glorieta
Francisco Argandoña Revilla and Clotilde Urioste Velasco are the prince and princess of this fairytale. They were a Bolivian couple who lived in Sucre at the end of the 19th Century.
Francisco was born to a family with mining connections in Potosí, Bolivia in 1850. After studying mineralogy, he worked for the Huanchaca Mining Company. He later settled in Sucre, Bolivia’s capital, where he met his future wife, Clotilde. She was the daughter of a rich family in Sucre, and the third of eight children. The couple married in 1874 when Francisco was 25 and Clotilde was 18.
The silver mining industry proved to be tremendously profitable, and they became extremely wealthy as a result. Sadly, the couple had no children, so they dedicated their lives to helping orphaned children instead. They opened two orphanages in Sucre.
Francisco later worked as a diplomat, and the couple relocated to Paris for a number of years. They travelled extensively during this period and represented Bolivia’s interests across Europe.
In recognition of their philanthropic work, Pope Leo XIII awarded them the honorary title of Prince and Princess of La Glorieta in 1898.
La Glorieta Castle
The castle became the seat of the Principality of La Glorieta. It was designed by Antonio Camponovo, an Italian-Argentinian Architect. Construction work on the castle took four years and was completed in 1897.
Viewed from afar, it is an impressive structure with distinctive pink walls. However, on closer inspection it feels a little chaotic and gaudy. You may notice that the windows don’t even match!
The Prince and Princess wanted to display their wealth and worldliness. They drew on experiences and ideas acquired from their extensive travels. You can see their rather eclectic taste in the mix of architectural styles.
The Castle Towers
This castle has three towers and, of course, they’re all different. Variety is the spice of life, as the saying goes…
The gothic-style Clock Tower is the shortest one at 25m and is part of the castle’s chapel. It’s supposedly a copy of Big Ben in London. Both are clock towers, but the similarity really ends there.
The Princess’s Tower stands at 30m. With its dainty design, it is truly a tower fit for a princess. You could almost imagine Rapunzel letting down her hair from the top.
The Prince’s Tower, with its distinctive cupola, is in the Russian Byzantine style. At 40m high, this is the tallest of the castle’s three towers. The Prince enjoyed stargazing from the top of this tower.
Unfortunately, this is the only tower open to visitors. Inside is a winding spiral staircase leading up to an open viewing platform. With 108 steps, it is quite a workout (especially with Sucre being 2800m above sea level)! The viewing platform circles round the tower, rewarding you with a panoramic view of the surrounding area.
The castle is nestled amongst rolling hills and lush greenery. It makes for a dramatic view despite the derelict garden and nearby military academy.
Inside the Castle
As you would expect, the stylistic choices inside are just as varied as the outside. Each room has its own colour scheme, floor tiling pattern and ceiling designs.
The grand glass dome imported from Paris is a definite highlight. It casts a soft blue light onto the hall below. The Prince and Princess loved all things Parisian and you can see this influence on parts of Sucre, too. The original marble fireplaces and ceiling decorations can also be seen in some rooms.
The ornate ceilings and stained glass windows give us a glimpse of the castle’s former glory. Some imagination is required, however, as the original furnishings are gone and the rooms are quite bare.
Unfortunately, time has not been kind to this castle. The entire place feels rather neglected and in need of restoration work. And what must once have been a spectacular place is now an empty shell with a pink facade.
The Principality Comes to an End
Sadly, Francisco fell ill unexpectedly and passed away in 1910. Clotilde returned to Bolivia and continued her philanthropic work as Princess of La Glorieta.
The Principality of La Glorieta came to an end following Clotilde’s death in 1933. The Prince and Princess are buried in the cemetery in Sucre – the city they served and loved.
The castle is now a Bolivian national monument.
Essential Information
Opening Times: Tuesday to Sunday 10:00–17:00 (last entry 16:30), closed on Mondays
Cost: 20Bs (includes guided tour in English or Spanish)
Getting There from Sucre: Number 4 Bus (cost: 1.5Bs one way) departs from Mercado Central, ‘Castillo de la Glorieta’ is the last stop. Returning buses depart directly outside the castle.
Read more about what to do in Sucre.
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This is fascinating! Thank you for this article. What a marvellous place, and how surreal to see all the different architectural styles in the same building. I hope they can restore the garden to its former glory, too.
We can only hope so 🙏
such beautiful photos you take, breath taking