El Torreón

CA3
General sightseeing
CA Ranking: 3
Malecón y Victoria
Also included in Hemingway section
  • Recently restored, El Torreón or as locals call it Castillito (literally, small castle), built in 1649 with blocks from the San Lázaro Quarry (where José Martí was sentenced to forced labor), was part of the city’s defensive complex. This tower is best known for having neutralized the reportedly last pirate attack in history and to have prevented the English to land on the beaches of Cojímar. Local students have requested that El Torreón, which has already been given the status of National Monument, be transformed into a museum.

    
  • H.Upmann Cigar Factory

    H.Upmann Cigar Factory  LH 3

    The H.Upmann cigar factory was relocated here a few years ago from Centro Habana. The brand, established in 1844 by German businessmen and brothers Herman and August Upmann, is one of the oldest in th …

    Escuela Nacional de Ballet

    Escuela Nacional de Ballet  LH 3

    This is the biggest ballet school in the world and the most prestigious one in Cuba, with approximately 3,000 students. The school goes back to 1931 with the creation of the Escuela Nacional de Ballet …

    Museo Nacional de Historia Natural

    Museo Nacional de Historia Natural  LH 3

    Despite appearing to be of the colonial era, the building on the plaza’s southwest side dates from the early 20th-century, when it served as the U.S. Embassy in the years immediately following indepen …

    Casa de Masía L’Ampurdá

    Casa de Masía L’Ampurdá  LH 3

    Another modernist gem by Rotllant, who on this occasion proclaimed his Catalan ancestry. Like in Dámaso Gutiérrez’s home, the stylistic harmony between interiors and exteriors surprises pleasingly. Th …

    Parque Albear

    Parque Albear  LH 3

    The main attraction of this small park is an elegant life-size Carrara marble statue of engineer Francisco de Albear y Lara, sculpted in 1895 by Cuban artist José Vilalta de Saavedra. Albear dedicated …

    Palacio de la Marquesa de Villalba

    Palacio de la Marquesa de Villalba  LH 3

    One of the most majestic buildings in Havana, it was partly built on the sight of the old wall that surrounded the city, and it is said that the stones of the wall were used in its construction. It wa …

    Casa-Museo Simón Bolívar

    Casa-Museo Simón Bolívar  LH 3

    Housed in a former colonial mansion built from 1806 to 1817, the Casa-Museo del Libertador Simón Bolívar is dedicated to honoring the “Great Liberator” who led the Latin American nations’ independence …

    Museo Armería 9 de Abril

    Museo Armería 9 de Abril  LH 2

    The Museo Armería 9 de Abril displays a large collection of firearms and bladed weapons spanning the 18th to the 20th centuries. It occupies the former Compañía Armera de Cuba, a private gun shop that …

    Museo Nacional de la Cerámica Contemporánea Cubana (Casa de Francisco Aguilera Basabe)

    Museo Nacional de la Cerámica Contemporánea Cubana (Casa de Francisco Aguilera Basabe)  LH 2

    Housed within Casa de Francisco Aguilera Basabe, a two-story building built in 1728, this museum exhibits Cuban art pottery from 1950 to the present day on the top floor, while the ground floor has a …

    Cementerio de Espada

    Cementerio de Espada  LH 2

    First called Cementerio General de La Habana, the Cementerio de Espada was built after the Spanish authorities issued a Royal Edict banning burials in temples because it was considered unhygienic. The …

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