Middle European–style architecture is Frutillar Bajo’s trademark, in structures such as the 1911 Iglesia Luterana (Lutheran Church, Philippi 1000), but handsome houses and other distinctive buildings face the entire lakefront.

The highlight, though, is the Universidad Austral’s Museo Colonial Alemán de Frutillar, an indoor-outdoor facility set among immaculate gardens at the base of the hill. Antique farm machinery in mint condition adorns the grounds; buildings such as the Molino (a water-powered mill), the Casa del Herrero (a working smithery), the Campanario (a storage structure with a conical roof supported by a central pillar), and the Casa del Colono (a large residence that houses collections of period furniture and household implements) are precise historical reconstructions.

Built partly with aid from the German Federal Republic, the museum (Vicente Pérez Rosales s/n, tel. 065/421142, www.museosaustral.cl) is at the west end of Arturo Prat, one short block from the lakeshore. It’s open 9 a.m.–7:30 p.m. daily mid-December–mid-March; the rest of the year, hours are 10 a.m.–1 p.m. and 2–6 p.m. Admission costs about US$3 for adults, US$1 for children.

The museum shop sells souvenirs such as horseshoes forged in the Casa del Herrero and wood carvings of museum buildings.