 Old
Havana is the maximum exponent of the colonial
architecture in the island and in the whole Caribbean. Located
in the riverbank west of the bay of Havana and with 3.2 km (2.0
miles) in the axis north-south and 1.6 km (1.0 miles) in the
axis east-west, it is the biggest colonial center in the Caribbean.
Declared
as Patrimony of the Humanity by UNESCO in 1982 with the objective
of preserving their architecture and their historical inheritance,
Old Havana stores in its environment many of more beautiful
and important squares, buildings, historical monuments, museums
and forts of the colonial time of the island, as well as some
of their more famous restaurants and hotels (La Bodeguita
del Medio, El Floridita, Both Worlds hotel, for example).
Main attractions:
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.
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.
 La
Bodeguita del Medio: A Cuban typical food
restaurant, which all walls signed by famous people who visited
the island.
San Francisco de la Habana Basilica.
The set of church and convent of San Francisco de Asis, byline
of the year 1608, and it was reconstructed in 1737.
Fortaleza San Carlos de la Cabaña:
a fortress located on the east side of the Havana bay.
La Cabaña is the most impressive fortress from colonial
times, particularly its walls constructed (at the same time
as El Morro) at the end of the 18th century. Here you should
see the Canon Shot Ceremony, a very nice attraction.
El Capitolio Nacional:
Built in 1929 as the Senate and House of Representatives (and
said to be a replica of Washington DC's Capitol), this colossal
building is recognizable by its dome which dominates the city's
skyline.
Inside stands the largest indoor bronze statue
in the world representing Pallas Athena.
Nowadays, the Cuban Academy of Sciences headquarters
and the Museo Nacional de Historia Natural (the National Museum
of Natural History) has its venue within the building and
contains the largest natural history collection in the country.
Castillo de
los Tres Reyes Magos del Morro: It is a picturesque
fortress guarding the entrance to Havana bay.
The construction of the castle Los Tres Reyes
del Morro was due to the step along in Havana of the English
pirate Sir Francis Drake.
 Plaza
Vieja: A
charming plaza surrounded by Colonial buildings and houses.
Castillo San Salvador de la Punta:
It is a small fortress built in the 16th century, at the western
entry point to the Havana harbour, played a crucial role in
the defence of Havana during the first centuries of colonisation.
The fortress still houses some twenty old guns and other military
antiques.
The Great Theatre
of Havana: It is famous particularly
for the acclaimed National Ballet of Cuba. It sometimes hosts
performances by the National Opera.
The theatre is also known as concert hall,
Garcia Lorca, the biggest in Cuba.
Source:
http://en.wikipedia.org/
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