The Presidio de Ushuaia operated as Argentina's southernmost prison from 1896 to 1947. What started as a penal colony to populate and develop Tierra del Fuego became a maximum-security facility for the country's most dangerous criminals. Today the building — an immense five-wing structure — houses both a maritime museum and a prison museum, and is one of the most interesting historical sites in Patagonia.
The prison museum (Museo Marítimo y del Presidio) reconstructed individual cells to show conditions as they were, with life-size figures and personal histories of particular inmates. The maritime section covers Antarctic exploration, the indigenous peoples of the channel, and the history of Fuegian shipping. A wing dedicated to the work of the prisoner population — their labour built much of early Ushuaia — is particularly sobering.
The building is on Yaganes and Gobernador Paz, a short walk from the town centre. Budget two to three hours. The combined ticket covers both museums.