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Old Havana and its Fortifications¹
UNESCO World Heritage Site

State Party	Cuba
Type	Cultural
Criteria	iv, v
Identification	#204
Region2	Latin America and the Caribbean
Inscription History
Formal Inscription:	1982 6th WH Committee Session
WH link:	http://whc.unesco.org/en/list/204
1 Name as officially inscribed on the WH List 2 As classified officially by UNESCO Image File history File links Information_icon. ... UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) is a specialized agency of the United Nations established in 1945. ... A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a specific site (such as a forest, mountain, lake, desert, monument, building, complex, or city) that has been nominated and confirmed for inclusion on the list maintained by the international World Heritage Programme administered by the UNESCO World Heritage Committee, composed of 21 State... Image File history File linksMetadata Download high-resolution version (2048x1536, 352 KB) This image was copied from wikipedia:de. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Cuba. ... A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a specific site (such as a forest, mountain, lake, desert, monument, building, complex, or city) that has been nominated and confirmed for inclusion on the list maintained by the international World Heritage Programme administered by the UNESCO World Heritage Committee, composed of 21 State... This is a list of the UNESCO World Heritage Sites in North America, South America, and the Caribbean. ... A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a specific site (such as a forest, mountain, lake, desert, monument, building, complex, or city) that has been nominated and confirmed for inclusion on the list maintained by the international World Heritage Programme administered by the UNESCO World Heritage Committee, composed of 21 State...

Old Havana (Spanish: La Habana Vieja) contains the core of the original city of Havana. The positions of the original Havana city walls are the current boundaries of Old Havana. Nickname: Ciudad de las Columnas Position of Havana in Cuba Coordinates: Country Cuba Province Ciudad de La Habana Founded 1515  - Mayor Juan Contino Aslán Area    - City 721. ...

Old Havana is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and the name also refers to one of the municipalities of the city of Havana, Cuba, with the latter's boundaries extending to the south and west beyond the original city. UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) is a specialized agency of the United Nations established in 1945. ... A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a specific site (such as a forest, mountain, lake, desert, monument, building, complex, or city) that has been nominated and confirmed for inclusion on the list maintained by the international World Heritage Programme administered by the UNESCO World Heritage Committee, composed of 21 State... Nickname: Ciudad de las Columnas Position of Havana in Cuba Coordinates: Country Cuba Province Ciudad de La Habana Founded 1515  - Mayor Juan Contino Aslán Area    - City 721. ...

History

Plaza de la Catedral, the heart of Old Havana

Havana Vieja was founded by the Spanish in 1515 in the natural harbor of the Bay of Havana. It became a stopping point for the treasure laden Spanish Galleons on the crossing between the New World and the Old World. In the 17^th century it was one of the main ship-building centers. The city was built in baroque and neoclassic style. Many buildings have fallen in ruin in the later half of the 20^th century, but a number are being restored. The narrow streets of old Havana contain many buildings, accounting for perhaps as many as one-third of the approximately 3,000 buildings found in Old Havana. It is the ancient city formed from the port, the official center and the Plaza de Armas. Old Havana was destroyed and burned by the French corsair Jacques de Sores. The pirate had taken Havana with only two caravels, plundering the city and murdering 30 elders and blacks who were imprisoned. After limiting the scarce defenders, De Sores left without obtaining the enormous wealth that he was hoping to find in Havana. The city remained devastated and set on fire. Since the incident, the Spanish brought soldiers and started building fortresses and walls to protect the city. Castillo de la Fuerza Real was the first fortress built; initiated in 1558 on the ruins of an ancient fortress by the engineer Bartolome Sanchez. Image File history File linksMetadata TommyImages_com-Plaza_Catedral_Havana_Cuba. ... Image File history File linksMetadata TommyImages_com-Plaza_Catedral_Havana_Cuba. ... 1515 was a common year starting on Friday (see link for calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... A Spanish galleon A galleon was a large, multi-decked sailing ship used primarily by the nations of Europe from the 16th to 18th centuries. ... Carte dAmérique, Guillaume Delisle, c. ... The Old World consists of those parts of Earth known to Europeans, Asians, and Africans before the voyages of Christopher Columbus; it includes Europe, Asia, and Africa (collectively known as Africa-Eurasia), plus surrounding islands. ... Block quote For other uses, see Baroque (disambiguation). ... Neoclassicism (sometimes rendered as Neo-Classicism or Neo-classicism) is the name given to quite distinct movements in the decorative and visual arts, literature, theatre, music, and architecture. ...

Old Havana resembles Cadiz and Tenerife. Alejo Carpentier called it "de las columnas"(of the columns), but it could also be named for the gateways, the revoco, the deterioration and the rescue, the intimacy, the shade, the cool, the courtyards... In her there are all the big ancient monuments, the forts, the convents and churches, the palaces, the alleys, the arcade, the human density. The Cuban State has undertaken enormous efforts to preserve and to restore Old Havana through the efforts of the Office of the Historian of the City, directed by Eusebio Leal.

Landmarks and attractions

Historical Hotel Plaza

• Malecón is the avenue that runs along the seawall at the northern shore of Havana, from Habana Vieja to the Almendares River.
• Castillo del Morro, picturesque fortress guarding the entrance to Havana bay. The construction of the castle Los Tres Reyes del Morro owed to the step along in Havana of the English pirate Sir Francis Drake. The king of Spain arranged its construction on a big stone which was known by the name of El Morro. He sent the field master Juan de Texeda, accompanied of the military engineer Battista Antonelli, who came to Havana in 1587 and began the task at once.
• La Cabaña fortress, located on the east side of the Havana Bay. The most impressive fortress of the Spanish colony was La Cabaña. It impresses with its walls of the ends of the XVIIIth century constructed along with El Morro. Every night at 9 p.m., a few soldiers dressed in suits of the epoch shoot from her the “el cañonazo de las nueve”, (gunshot of the nine). It went off every day to warn of the closing of the doors of the wall that surrounded the city.
• San Salvador de La Punta, In the shore opposite to the Castle of El Morro, at the beginning of the curve of El Malecon, there rises the fortress of San Salvador de la Punta, of minor architectural dimensions. It was constructed in 1590, and in 1629 the Chapter of Havana decided, to defend better the port, to join her in the night with the El Morro by using a thick chain that prevented the entry of enemy ships.
• Castillo de la Real Fuerza, The castle or Real Force fortress is another big monument that closes the Plaza de las Armas. It was the first big fortification of the city, initiated in 1558 on the ruins of an ancient fortress. In the same year, the Crown sent to Cuba the engineer Bartolome Sanchez, supervised by 14 official and main stonemasons in order to reconstruct the castle, which had been set fire and destroyed by the French corsair Jacques de Sores.
• Catedral de San Cristóbal, the most prominent building on the Plaza de la Catedral. The Cathedral was raised on the chapel after 1748 by order of the bishop from Salamanca, Felipe Jose de Res Palacios. It is one of the most beautiful and sober churches of the American baroque.
• National Capitol, styled after the U.S. Capitol.
• Galician Center, Central Park, The Galician Center, of neobarroque style was establish as a social club of the Galician emigrants between 1907 and 1914. Built on the Theater Tacon (nowadays Great Theater of Havana), it was open during the Carnival of 1838 with five masked dances.
• Plaza de Armas - the main touristic square. The origin of its name is obviously military, since from the end of the XVIth century the ceremonies and the military events took place here.
• Gran Teatro de la Habana, The Great Theater of Havana is famous, particularly for the acclaimed National Ballet of Cuba and its founder Alicia Alonso. It sometimes performs the National Opera. The theater is also known as concert hall, Garcia Lorca, the biggest in Cuba.
• The Museum of the Revolution, located in the former Presidential Palace, with the boat Granma on display in front of the museum.
• San Francisco de Asis, Habana Vieja, The set of church and convent of San Francisco de Asis, byline of the year 1608, and it was reconstructed in 1737.

Image File history File links Hotel_plaza. ... Image File history File links Hotel_plaza. ... The Almendares River is a 45 km river in the western part of Cuba. ... The Morro Castle by night Castillo de los Tres Reyes Magos del Morro (or Morro Castle) is a picturesque fortress guarding the entrance to Havana bay in Havana, Cuba. ... This 19th century map of Havana shows La Cabañas strategic location along the east side of the entrance to the citys harbor. ... The Catedral de San Cristóbal de La Habana (Cathedral of Saint Christopher of Havana) is the seat of Jaime Cardinal Ortega, the Archbishop of Havana, Cuba. ... Salamanca: Plaza Mayor Towers of the Old and New Cathedrals Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Salamanca Salamanca (population 160,000) is a city in western Spain, the capital of the province of Salamanca, which belongs to the autonomous community(region) of Castile-Leon(Castilla y León). ... National Capitol, Havana The National Capitol Building, in Havana, Cuba, is styled after the U.S. Capitol Building in Washington, D.C. Formerly the seat of government in Cuba for the Cuban Legislature, after the Cuban Revolution in 1959, the Capitol became the Cuban National Library. ... United States Capitol The United States Capitol is the building which serves as home for the legislative branch of the United States government. ... Galician (Galician: galego) is a language of the Western Ibero-Romance branch, spoken in Galicia. ... Cuban National Ballet (Ballet Nacional de Cuba) is managed by Cuban prima ballerina assoluta Alicia Alonso and is one of the top ballet companies in the world. ... Alicia Ernestina de la Caridad del Cobre Martinez Hoya (born December 21, 1920), simply known as Alicia Alonso, is a Cuban prima ballerina assoluta and choreographer. ... Federico García Lorca Federico García Lorca (June 5, 1898 - August 19, 1936) was a Spanish poet and dramatist, also remembered as a painter, pianist, and composer. ... Museo de la Revolución The Museum of the Revolution (Spanish: Museo de la Revolución) is a museum about the Cuban Revolution of the 1950s, located in Havana, Cuba. ... The official residence of the President of India. ... Granma is the yacht that was used to transport the fighters of the Cuban Revolution to Cuba in 1956. ...

UNESCO Heritage site

A street scene

In 1982, La Habana Vieja was inscribed in the UNESCO World Heritage List.^[1] A safeguarding campaign was launched a year later to restore the authentic character of the buildings.
Image File history File links World_Heritage_logo. ... Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (457x614, 61 KB) I, the creator of this work, hereby grant the permission to copy, distribute and/or modify this document under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1. ... Image File history File links Download high-resolution version (457x614, 61 KB) I, the creator of this work, hereby grant the permission to copy, distribute and/or modify this document under the terms of the GNU Free Documentation License, Version 1. ... 1982 (MCMLXXXII) was a common year starting on Friday of the Gregorian calendar. ... UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) is a specialized agency of the United Nations established in 1945. ... A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a specific site (such as a forest, mountain, lake, desert, monument, building, complex, or city) that has been nominated and confirmed for inclusion on the list maintained by the international World Heritage Programme administered by the UNESCO World Heritage Committee, composed of 21 State...

Photo gallery

El Morro Castle Image File history File links Castillo_del_morro. ... View of Havana from El Morro Castle El Morro Castle seen from Havana Castillo de los Tres Reyes Magos del Morro (or Morro Castle) is a picturesque fortress guarding the entrance to Havana bay in Havana, Cuba. ...

San Cristóbal Cathedral Image File history File links Sancristobalcathedral. ... The Catedral de San Cristóbal de La Habana (Cathedral of Saint Christopher of Havana) is the seat of Jaime Cardinal Ortega, the Archbishop of Havana, Cuba. ...

Great Theater of Havana Image File history File links TeatroGarciaLorca. ... The Great Theater of Havana The Great Theater of Havana, former The Great Tacón Theater, also known as the García Lorca Hall, was officially opened in 1838 in Havana, Cuba. ...

Old Havana overview Image File history File links Sanfranciscodeasis17. ...

Town Twinning

• Torrelavega, Cantabria, Spain

Image File history File links Flag_of_Spain. ... Torrelavega is a town and municipality in the province and autonomous community of Cantabria, northern Spain. ... Anthem: Himno de Cantabria Capital Santander Official language(s) Spanish Area  â€“ Total  â€“ % of Spain Ranked 15th  5,321 km²  1. ...

See also

Cuba Portal

• World Heritage Site
• Havana

Image File history File links Flag_of_Cuba. ... A UNESCO World Heritage Site is a specific site (such as a forest, mountain, lake, desert, monument, building, complex, or city) that has been nominated and confirmed for inclusion on the list maintained by the international World Heritage Programme administered by the UNESCO World Heritage Committee, composed of 21 State... Nickname: Ciudad de las Columnas Position of Havana in Cuba Coordinates: Country Cuba Province Ciudad de La Habana Founded 1515  - Mayor Juan Contino Aslán Area    - City 721. ...

References

v • d • e

     World Heritage Sites in Cuba

Alejandro de Humboldt National Park • Coffee Plantations in the South-East • Cienfuegos • Desembarco del Granma • Old Havana • San Pedro de la Roca Castle (Santiago de Cuba) • Trinidad and the Valley de los Ingenios • Viñales Valley Image File history File links Flag_of_Cuba. ... Elabana Falls is in Lamington National Park, part of the Central Eastern Rainforest Reserves World Heritage site in Queensland, Australia. ... Parque Nacional Alejandro de Humboldt is a national park in the Cuban provinces of Holguín and Guantánamo. ... The roof terrace of Palacio de Valle in southern Cienfuegos at night. ... Desembarco del Granma National Park is a national park in south-eastern Cuba. ... View over the bay from the fortress The Castillo de San Pedro de la Roca (also known by the less formal title of Castillo del Morro or as San Pedro de la Roca Castle) is a fortress on the coast of the Cuban city of Santiago de Cuba. ... Santiago de Cuba is the capital city of Santiago de Cuba Province in eastern Cuba. ... Trinidad, pop. ... , Viñales Valley is an karstic depression in Cuba. ...

Coordinates: 23°08′09.4″N, 82°21′30.0″W Map of Earth showing lines of latitude (horizontally) and longitude (vertically), Eckert VI projection; large version (pdf, 1. ...