La Habana Province
Havana
State
Country
Cuba
Continent
North America
Size
728 KM2
Population
2,130,517
Spending Budget
$400 - $700
Famous For
- Medieval Spanish Architecture
- Leisure Beaches
Best Time to Visit
- January
- February
- March
- April
- May
- December
History
The city of Havana was founded by the Spanish in the 16th century and due to its strategic location it served as a springboard for the Spanish conquest of the Americas, becoming a stopping point for Spanish galleons returning to Spain. Philip II of Spain granted Havana the title of capital in 1592. Walls as well as forts were built to protect the old city. The sinking of the U.S. battleship Maine in Havana's harbor in 1898 was the immediate cause of the Spanish–American War.
Present Day
Havana is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The heart of the La Habana province, Havana is the country's main port and leading commercial center. It is the largest city by area, the most populous city, and the fourth largest metropolitan area in the Caribbean region. Contemporary Havana can essentially be described as three cities in one: Old Havana, Vedado and the newer suburban districts. The city extends mostly westward and southward from the bay, which is entered through a narrow inlet and which divides into three main harbors. Old Havana was declared a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 1982. The city is also noted for its history, culture, architecture and monuments.
Future
Havana is unique when it comes to its cultural activities. It is almost impossible to escape the sheer number of festivals, carnivals, celebrations, and special dates that are upcoming. Be it a weekend or a weekday, finding an event to attend is as easy as walking a block down the road!
Old Havana
Old Havana is the city-center (downtown) and one of the 15 municipalities (or boroughs) forming Havana, Cuba. It has the second highest population density in the city and contains the core of the original city of Havana. The positions of the original Havana city walls are the modern boundaries of Old Havana. In 1982, Old Havana was inscribed in the UNESCO World Heritage List, because of its unique Baroque and neoclassical architecture, its fortifications, and its historical importance as a stop on the route to the New World. A safeguarding campaign was launched a year later to restore the authentic character of the buildings.
Fusterlandia
What was once an impoverished neighbourhood, Fusterlandia is now a colorful mosaic, created by Cuban artist Jose Fuster. Starting out by adding mosaic tile to his own studio, the vibrant pathway he left in his wake grew as neighbours and friends agreed to tile their locality. Today, the community looks like something out of a child’s fantastical dream with every visible object decorated with a rainbow of mosaic.
Fábrica de Arte Cubano
La Fábrica de Arte Cubano (known locally as La Fábrica de Arte or F.A.C) is an art gallery and club in Havana, Cuba. The Fábrica's gallery and stage were established inside of a former cooking oil factory, and has since gained notoriety as one of Havana's premier nightclubs and art galas. Several news outlets have described the factory as a symbol of Cuba's accelerating opening to the world.
Old Square
The Plaza Vieja is a plaza located in Old Havana, Cuba. The plaza and its surroundings are also one of the seven consejos populares (wards) of the municipality of Old Havana. It has a residential population of 17,426. The plaza was originally called Plaza Nueva (New Square). It emerged as an open space in 1559, after the Plaza de Armas and San Francisco. In colonial times it was a residential neighborhood of the Criollo plutocracy. Plaza Vieja was the site of executions, processions, bullfights, and fiestas - all witnessed by Havana's wealthiest citizens, who looked on from their balconies.
El Capitolio
El Capitolio, or the National Capitol Building (Capitolio Nacional de La Habana), is a public edifice and one of the most visited sites in Havana, capital of Cuba. The building was commissioned by Cuban president Gerardo Machado and built from 1926 to 1929 under the direction of Eugenio Rayneri Piedra. It is located on the Paseo del Prado, Dragones, Industria, and San José streets in the exact center of Havana. The inside of the main hall under the cupola is the Statue of the Republic (La Estatua de la República). The statue, also by Zanelli, was cast in bronze in Rome in three pieces and assembled inside the building after its arrival in Cuba. It is covered with 22 carat gold leaf and weighs 49 tons.
El Morro
Castillo San Felipe del Morro, also known as El Morro, is a citadel built between the 16th and 18th centuries in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Over two million visitors a year explore the castillo, making it one of Puerto Rico's leading tourist attractions. Facing the structure, on the opposite side of the bay, a smaller fortification known as El Cañuelo complemented the castillo's defense of the entrance to the bay. An annual artisans festival is held at the fort every July.
Gran Teatro de La Habana
Gran Teatro de La Habana is a theater in Havana, Cuba, home to the Cuban National Ballet. It was designed by the Belgian architect Paul Belau and built by Purdy and Henderson, Engineers in 1914 at the site of the former Teatro Tacón. Its construction was paid for by the Galician immigrants of Havana to serve as their community-social center. Located in the Paseo del Prado, its facilities include theatres, a concert hall, conference rooms, a video screening room, as well as an art gallery, a choral center and several rehearsal halls for dance companies. It has hosted the International Ballet Festival of Havana every two years since 1960.
Plaza de la Catedral
Plaza de la Catedral is one of the five main squares in Old Havana and the site of the Cathedral of Havana from which it takes its name. Originally a swamp, it was later drained and used as a naval dockyard. Following the construction of the Cathedral in 1727, it became the site of some of the city's grandest mansions. It is the site of the Museo del Arte Colonial (Colonial Art Museum) and a number of restaurants. One of the buildings on the Plaza is the Palacio del Conde Lombillo, in front of which there is a statue of the flamenco dancer Antonio Gades.
Finca Vigia
Finca Vigía is a house in San Francisco de Paula Ward in Havana, Cuba which was once the residence of Ernest Hemingway. Like Hemingway's Key West home, it is now a museum. The building was constructed in 1886. The home, claimed to be in danger of collapse by the US National Trust for Historic Preservation, was restored by the Cuban government and reopened to tourists in 2007. Even so, it has been listed as one of the 11 most-endangered historic sites, despite being outside the US.
El Malecon
The Malecón is a broad esplanade, roadway, and seawall that stretches for 8 km along the coast in Havana, Cuba, from the mouth of Havana Harbor in Old Havana, along the north side of the Centro Habana neighborhood and the Vedado neighborhood, ending at the mouth of the Almendares River. New businesses are appearing on the esplanade due to economic reforms in Cuba that now allow Cubans to own private businesses. There are a number of important monuments along the Malecón, including those to General Máximo Gomez, Antonio Maceo, General Calixto García, and the Monument to the Victims of the USS Maine.