Old Havana in the context of Municipalities of Havana


Old Havana in the context of Municipalities of Havana

⭐ Core Definition: Old Havana

Old Havana (Spanish: La Habana Vieja) 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.

↓ Menu
HINT:

In this Dossier

Old Havana in the context of Havana Cathedral

Havana Cathedral (Catedral de la Purísima Concepción de María) is one of eleven Catholic cathedrals on the island. It is located in the Plaza de la Catedral on Calle Empedrado, between San Ignacio y Mercaderes, Old Havana, Havana, Cuba. The thirty by forty-nine meters rectangular church serves as the seat of the Archdiocese of San Cristóbal de la Habana. Christopher Columbus’s remains were kept in the cathedral between 1796 and 1898 before they were taken to Seville Cathedral.

It was built between 1748 and 1777 and was consecrated in 1782.

View the full Wikipedia page for Havana Cathedral
↑ Return to Menu

Old Havana in the context of Plaza de la Catedral

Plaza de la Catedral (English: Cathedral Square) is one of the four 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.

View the full Wikipedia page for Plaza de la Catedral
↑ Return to Menu

Old Havana in the context of Malecón, Havana

The Malecón (officially Avenida de Maceo) is a broad esplanade, roadway, and seawall that stretches for 8 km (5 miles) 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 .

It was built to protect Havana from the sea, in particular the frentes fríos that whipped up the waves against the facades of the buildings on San Lazaro.

View the full Wikipedia page for Malecón, Havana
↑ Return to Menu

Old Havana in the context of Castillo de la Real Fuerza

The Castillo de la Real Fuerza (Castle of the Royal Force) is a bastion fort on the western side of the harbour in Havana, Cuba, set back from the entrance, and bordering the Plaza de Armas. Originally built to defend against attack by pirates, it suffered from a poor location; it was too far inside the bay. The fort is considered to be the oldest stone fort in the Americas, and was listed in 1982 as part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site of "Old Havana and its Fortifications".

View the full Wikipedia page for Castillo de la Real Fuerza
↑ Return to Menu