The Museo Juan Manuel Fangio (Juan Manuel Fangio Museum), is a museum of motor racing cars, dedicated to Formula One driver Juan Manuel Fangio and located in Balcarce, Buenos Aires Province.

The museum opened in 1986, in the presence of 5-time Formula One champion Juan Manuel Fangio.

Located just a few blocks from where Fangio was born, the museum houses a collection of cars, trophies, photographs and other memorabilia.

The museum occupies a total surface of 4,600 square metres (50,000 sq ft) and is divided into six levels.

The car collection has over 50 cars.

Notable racing cars:

• McLaren Honda MP4/3B

• Brabham BT 36

• Toyota Eagle MK II

• Renault RE 30B

• McLaren MP4/10

• Sauber Mercedes-Benz C9

• Penske PC-23 Mercedes-Benz

• Alfa Romeo 308

• Mercedes-Benz W196

• Maserati 250F

• Lancia-Ferrari D50

• Simca Gordini T15

• Simca-Gordini T15S Compresseur

• Arrows A21

• Maserati 300S

• Lola T96/20

The banks of the Puerto Deseado ria witnessed the misadventures of the English war corvette HMS Swift, which shipwrecked off shore until it completely sank on March 13, 1770.

Nowadays, the large amount of elements contained by this vessel are displayed at the Mario Brozoski Municipal Museum after being discovered by enthusiastic scuba divers in the troubled waters of the ria in 1982. The museum was named after Mario Brozoski, one of the young divers who took part in the search and passed away some time after the finding.

According to various chronicles, the English corvette set sail from Port Egmont on the Malvinas Islands on March 7, 1770 in order to explore the Patagonian coastline. On March 13, it was hit by a strong tempest and Captain George Farmer decided to take shelter in Ria Deseado, where it ran aground twice and then sank 50 meters off shore.

Thanks to one of the 88 survivors of the shipwreck, the very spot where the episode had occurred could be estimated and some uneasy local scuba divers took charge of finding it and recovering many of the elements today displayed at the museum.

This finding has a very important potential of knowledge for disciplines such as bioanthropology, whose analysis can determine social aspects such as diets, diseases or pathologies related with the labor done by the crew of this vessel.

Upon entering the venue, visitors may observe countless objects like bottles, dishes, an hourglass, glasses, ceramic items, wooden boxes, buttons and wools, among other elements, all of them are displayed in boxes made of glass. Information and data about the features of the corvette is displayed in signposts.

That is how we learned that the HMS Swift was in fact a sloop-of-war, equivalent to the “corbeta” in the Spanish nautical classification. HMS stands for His Majesty's Ship, as it was part of the British Royal Navy.
The sloops were light small boats easily maneuvered. They turned out to be particularly suitable for patrolling and coast recognition tasks. They were equipped with iron cannons mounted on wooden carriages and their caliber corresponded to the weight of the balls they shot.

Also touring around the museum, we learned about some of the habits and lifestyle of the Swift crew. It seems that the sailors had to eat and sleep in the same area. The tables were removable and some hammocks known as “coys” would be used to sleep. Then they were rolled up and kept to take advantage of the space.

At the moment of the shipwreck, the Swift had a crew of 91 men. Only 3 of them died in the shipwreck. Years later, some members of the crew appeared before a court-martial when they returned to England.

Luján is best known for its large neo-gothic Basilica, built in honor of the Virgin of Luján, the patron saint of Argentina.

Every year, more than six million people make pilgrimages to the Basilica, many walking there from Buenos Aires. The city is known as 'La Capital de la Fe' (Capital of the Faith).

It is popular day-trip for non-believers too, with abundant grill restaurants (like most places in Argentina) and souvenir shops with kitsch religious memorabilia.

The church was designed by the French architect Ulderico Courtois and started in 1889, completed by 1937. Its towers stand 106m high and it has a copper roof and bronze doors.

The huge church towers over the surrounding flat country and houses the tiny 38 cm high statue of the Virgin. A large and important organ by French builder Cavaille-Coll stands in the gallery in a state of deterioration, although efforts are underway to see to its restoration.

Luján is also home to the Enrique Udaondo museum complex, housing exhibitions of colonial life in the house of the Viceroy and old town hall, with art, uniforms, silverware and transport with many antique vehicles including Plus Ultra the first hydroplane to cross from Europe to Argentina and La Porteña, Argentina's first steam locomotive operated by Ferrocarril Oeste. Also on display are the prison cells where Colonel William Carr Beresford, commander of the 1806 British invading forces, and General Cornelio Saavedra, president of the first national government (Primera Junta) in 1810, were held.

The nearby city of Mercedes is seat of the Bishop of Mercedes and Luján. Luján is the principal settlement of the Lujan Partido or municipality. The city has a railway and bus station and is easily reached from Buenos Aires.