a)Necrópolis Cristóbal Colón
N 23° 07.502 W 082° 23.934
The Colón Cemetery began to be built in October 1871 and was inaugurated in 1886, although the idea arose long before, when in 1854 the Governor Marqués de la Pezuela thought of building a new cemetery to replace the old cemetery of Espada. It is currently the main cemetery in Havana and very popular thanks to its lavish monuments made of Carrara marble, granite and stained glass. This cemetery is the resting place of important personalities of the country.
The Colón Cemetery is visited each year by thousands of tourists and they even have an office that offers guided tours. The access will leave you in awe, as it exhibits a huge Carrara marble sculpture that represents the theological virtues, with a height of almost 22 meters. and 34 mts. long, the work of the Cuban artist José Vilalta de Saavedra. Inside the cemetery you will see two huge avenues called Obispo de Espada and Cristóbal Colón and it has blocks, streets and lots.
Many of the pantheons built there are a replica of the mansions of their owners, with domes, arches and a large number of stained glass windows. The Colón Cemetery in Havana is the only one in America dedicated to Christopher Columbus. You should not miss the set of sculptures that represents a group of firefighters who died in 1890 while serving, where you can see their faces very clearly. It has 10 meters. high and is the work of the Spanish Querol.
Despite the large number of important and ancient graves, the most popular is that of the so-called La Milagrosa , Amelia Goire de la Hoz, a high-class lady to whom supernatural powers are attributed after her death, when she was almost pregnant. to term in 1901. The legend says that after 10 years of being buried with her baby at her feet, when she opened the grave the body was intact and the baby was in her arms. Since then thousands of people have visited her requesting her help and leaving flowers on her grave in gratitude.
Font: (
visit link)
b) Plaza de la Revolución
N 23° 07.453 W 082° 23.149
Where is it located?
With its 72 thousand square meters, this is one of the largest public squares in the world and is a symbol of the culture and traditions of Cuba. The area covered by the Plaza de la Revolución is located in the north-central region of Havana, within the limits established by the Malecon to the north of the capital, the channel of the Almendares river to the west, the Central Highway of Cuba and the Parque Forestal Metropolitano to the south, and to the east the Calzada de Ayestarán and Calle 10 de Octubre.
The attractions of the Plaza de la Revolución
Epicenter of historical events in Cuba, this square was designed by Jean Claude Forestier, a town planner of French origin, in the year 1920, when Fulgencio Batista ruled. Until 1961 it was known as “Plaza Cívica”, to later adopt its current and famous name that recalls the events of the Cuban Revolution led by Fidel Castro and Ernesto Guevara. Strictly speaking, there are sculptural reminders and memorials that pay tribute to "Che", in this case on the facade of the Cuban Ministry of the Interior, and also to José Martí and Camilo Cienfuegos, cardinal figures in the history of this island country.
Impossible to visit Havana without visiting the extensive esplanade of the Plaza de la Revolución and appreciate it, a site that is the seat of the Government and the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Cuba. Other relevant institutions also stand there, such as the José Martí National Library, the University of Havana (one of the first in all of America) and the National Theater of Cuba. Where the José Martí monument is located is the highest point in Havana. At its base it is possible to dedicate a reading time to many of Martin's thoughts, engraved in golden letters. It is recommended to ascend to the top to witness a captivating viewpoint that allows you to appreciate the landscape of the Cuban capital: it is possible to do it in an elevator or climb the more than 550 steps that lead there.
Relevant figures have passed through this plaza, such as Pope Francis, who visited Cuba in 2015, and of course it was the site that Fidel Castro chose for many of his speeches. In addition, the Plaza de la Revolución received a large crowd on the occasion of Castro's death in November 2016.
Font: (
visit link)
c) Capitolio Nacional de Cuba
N 23° 08.113 W 082° 21.561
"The National Capitol of Havana is a building built in 1929 in Havana ( Cuba ) under the direction of the architect Eugenio Raynieri Piedra, commissioned by the then Cuban president Gerardo Machado . The building would be destined to house and be the headquarters of the two chambers of Congress or legislative body of the Republic of Cuba. Inspired by the Pantheon in Paris , Saint Paul in London and the United States Capitol , the building features a neoclassical columnar façade and a dome that reaches 91.73 m in height. one
Located in the center of the country's capital, between Prado , Dragones, Industria and San José streets , it is the kilometer-long origin of the Cuban road network, and after the triumph of the Revolution , when Congress was dissolved, it was transformed into the headquarters of the Ministry of Science, Technology and Environment and the Cuban Academy of Sciences . Since 2010 , it has been undergoing a capital restoration process to return it to its original functions and to once again be the seat of the Cuban Parliament .
Open to the public, is one of the most visited tourist centers of the city, having become one of the icons architectural Havana, and is usually considered the most imposing building in the city.It is also named by some experts as one of the six most important palaces in the world."
Font: (
visit link)
d) Edificio Bacardi
N 23° 08.333 W 082° 21.427
The Edificio Bacardí (Bacardí Building) is the first Art Déco building in Havana. It is considered an architectural jewel of its time, as well as one of the best examples of decorative art. It is located in Avenida de las Misiones, Old Havana.
Construction finished in 1930, and it was the tallest building on the island at that time. It is said that the building contains marble and granite from almost every nation in Europe.
This building has 12 floors, 5 of which are offices for rent, and a total space of 7,031 square meters. Its facade is covered in Baviera red granite and on the top you will see a bat, the symbol of the Bacardí company.
It has a tiered pyramid design, using tiles as a decorative element from Catalonian Modernism, giving the building a wonderful shade effect.
Nowadays it is surrounded by buildings, so it is difficult to get a general view of its structure. The tower can been seen from almost all of Havana.
Currently, the building houses Cuban offices, offices for and international companies. The lobby has a bar open to the public and for 1 CUC you’ll be able to climb the tower and get a wonderful bird’s-eye view over Havana.
(
visit link)
e) Catedral de la Habana
N 23° 08.469 W 082° 21.100
The Catedral de San Cristóbal de La Habana (Cathedral of San Cristóbal in Havana), located in the Plaza de la Catedral in Old Havana, is one of the most important and impressive architectural monuments in Cuba. Designed by the Italian architect Francesco Borromini it is a building of baroque style, dominated by two uneven towers with lateral bell towers and current Tuscan facade.
Its construction began in 1748 by the Jesuits. In 1767 they were expelled from the New World, leaving their work at a standstill. Eleven years later, Bishop Felipe José de Tres-palacios y Verdeja, acquired the land projecting in his imagination the construction of the cathedral. Today, it is considered one of the most beautiful and restrained religious buildings of the American Baroque, declared a World Cultural Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1982.
It is dedicated to the Immaculate Conception, whose image is represented on the high altar. Behind it, there are three frescoes by Giuseppe Perovani.
There are many works of art in the cathedral. Among them, a precious painting of the pope preparing to give mass, which has been in the temple since the 15th century. The sculpture, gold and silver work and those of the tabernacle were made in Rome by Bianchini under the direction of the famous Spanish sculptor Antonio Solá.
The cathedral underwent several renovations directed by the architect Pedro Medina during the 18th century and, in 1755, the chapel was consecrated, a work by the Cuban Lorenzo Camacho, dedicated to Our Lady of Loreto. The church was not converted into a cathedral until 1788. The final layout of the temple consists of three naves with a practically square floor plan and houses a total of eight side chapels differentiated by thick pillars. Its construction was largely based on the use of coral rock from the Gulf of Mexico, which today allows us to see the remains of marine fossils.
Illustrious people of the Havanan and Cuban history lie in the depths of the temple. Among them, the remains of Christopher Columbus which been in the central nave of the cathedral of Havana until 1898 stand out. In that same year they were moved to Seville.
Font: (
visit link)
f) Castillo del morro
N 23° 09.020 W 082° 21.427
The Morro Castle first saw action in 1762 with the British invasion of Havana. The invading forces, consisting of 44,000 British soldiers, attacked the structure from its landward side and were able to take the fortress by successfully mining one of its ramparts. A plaque and a small memorial commemorate the 44-day siege.Castillo de los Tres Reyes del Morro is one the symbols of Havana and one of the most visited places by both tourist and locals. It has been photographed and painted by many and has also appeared in several movies. Inside are several exhibitions, but the construction itself is worth a visit.Along with a deep moat and two batteries, additional defence was originally provided by an ocean-side tower, replaced in 1844 by a lighthouse called the Faro del Morro. Now a symbol of Havana, it offers one of the finest views of the city, especially at sunset. The history of the lighthouse and castle is explored in the Sala de Historia, while the Sala de Cristóbal Colón charts the history of Columbus’s journey to the Americas. Another interesting historical feature of the castillo is the prisons, which have holes in the back walls through which prisoners were fed to the sharks.
(
visit link)
This route has 11Km long. To do this, I advise renting a car of those old ones that are there or a taxi (with a fixed and negotiated price in principle). Edificio Bacardi, and Cathedral is difficult to park. Cubans know where park wothout problem.
We did this and more, three people, in a 1928 ford.
Between 17 and 18 hours may be storm.