Havana districts. Neighborhoods of Havana The Wishing Tree at the Plaza de Armos

We spent the first two nights in Havana, it was more convenient than going straight to Varadero.
After long flight I want to relax, Havana is nearby, and it’s still 3 hours to drive to Varadero.
Plus, you can immediately see the capital of Cuba; excursions from Varadero are more expensive and waste time on the road.

I wonder if there are charters to Cuba, will they fly straight to Varadero?
Varadero has a fairly large airport, Canadians fly straight to the beach :)

After a night at the hotel, we have a free day in Havana.
We didn’t take any excursions, we just got into a taxi and drove off.
Based on a pre-prepared list of interesting places :)

As usual, I’m having difficulty selecting photos, there’s a lot of traffic, sorry :)
The first part will include a visit to the local Revolution Square and a walk through the central part of the city.

First we went to Plaza de la Revolución - the local square of the revolution.
The place is noteworthy mainly for the images of Fidel and Che Guevara on government buildings and
memorial complex to José Martí.

UPD: as suggested to me kybaman this building does not depict Fidel Castro,
and Camilo Cienfuegos (Fidel's comrade in the revolution).
The signature Vas bien, Fidel (you're doing everything right, Fidel) is one of his famous phrases.
Camilo's image appeared on the building in October 2009, in honor of the 50th anniversary of his death.
And the building itself is the Ministry of Informatics and Communications.

This image of Che is one of the most recognizable symbols of Cuba.
The image is located on the building of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Cuba.

Hasta la Victoria Siempre - Forward to victory

On the other side of the square is the memorial complex named after José Martí.

Jose Marti is like the local Lenin, his sculptures are found everywhere.

The height of the tower is 109 meters. Upstairs there is observation deck, but we were not allowed there. They weren’t even allowed to come closer to the statue.
Apparently a day off (we were in Havana on Sunday)

General view of Revolution Square. This is one of the largest areas in the world.
And everything is studded with poles and wires, to the delight of photographers.
Rallies with speeches by Fidel are held in the square. They say up to a million people are going.

We take a retro taxi to the city center.
In general, now in Cuba there are also normal taxis (Peugeot 307, Volkswagens, Seat), mainly from Mexico and Spain.
But for the sake of color, we took a ride in an ancient 50s Ford. It's amazing how it doesn't fall apart along the way :)
It shakes and rumbles, the engine seems to have been replaced with a diesel one. I will make a separate post about cars.

We arrived in the very center of the city, to the Capitol.

There is a very big contrast between the monumental historical Capitol and these houses across the road.

The Havana Capitol was built in the neoclassical style and is very similar to the one in Washington.
It was originally built as the Cuban Parliament building in 1926.
Now there is a museum and congress center.

Let's go inside. Entrance to any more or less interesting place in Cuba is paid.
Basically, the entrance costs 2-3 CUC (1 euro = 1.32 CUC)

Opposite the entrance is a statue depicting the image of Cuba.
The third tallest in the world (of those under the roof).

People crowd at the local zero kilometer mark. All distances in Cuba are measured from here.

The inside of the dome is no less beautiful.

And from our window we can see Red Square,
and from the windows of the Capitol you can see the entire life of the locals :)

In the other direction, the species is already cultivated.
in Havana step to the left of hiking trail immediately leads you almost to the slums :)
Some kind of sporting event was being held on the square, it was a day off, people needed to be occupied.

Bolshoi Theater building.

There are many different artists along the way.
These circus performers danced and walked on stilts.

Which one is better?

We reached the Weapons Square.
Entrance to the Palace of Captains-Generals.

There is no square as such; in its place there is a beautiful garden.
Plaza de Armas is the oldest square in Havana,
originally it was just a military parade ground, hence the name of the square.
It is believed that the city began to be built from this square.
In the center of the square there is a monument to Carlos Manuel de Cespedis (1819-1874) - the first Cuban
who freed his slaves and raised the people to fight against the Spaniards.

In the historical center, all tourists move around the squares - from one to another, we are no exception.
This is San Francisco Square and the cathedral of the same name.
The virtuous monk Francisco Solano lived here, later canonized by the Catholic Church.
For many years, the monastery tower, more than 40 m high, was the most high point Havana.

On the other side of the square there is a commodity exchange.

An incomprehensible work of art, we accidentally wandered into the alley :)

The next square - Old Square,Plaza Vieja

We all walk around the Capitol.

Supports for visiting? or just support at home :)

The next square is Cathedral Square.
This is the Cathedral of Saint Cristobal. The remains of Christopher Columbus were located here until they were transported to Seville.

Around the corner is the Bodeguita cafe, where Ernest Hemingway loved to sit.
Mojito is flowing like a river.

In the next part we will go for a walk along the Malecon embankment and the fortresses of Havana.

Plaza de Armas in Havana is located in the eastern part of the Old City near the harbor. The square itself is well maintained and always green, and is full of stalls selling old and new books, most of them of a revolutionary orientation. There's always a lot here local residents and tourists who come here just to stroll and sit. There are many cafes and restaurants nearby where you can relax, eat delicious food and drink refreshing drinks. The Plaza de Armas has always been there central place collection in Havana over the last 500 years.

Around the square are some of the most beautiful colonial buildings. The Government recently implemented an ambitious plan for the restoration of ancient Baroque buildings from the mid-18th to mid-19th centuries. At this time, Plaza de Armas became favorite place walks of wealthy residents of the capital.

Plaza de Armas is considered the heart of Old Havana. In 1828, the square witnessed the grand opening of El Templete, a small neoclassical building. And the most important buildings around the square were built between 1776 and 1791. Thus, the Palace of the Captain Generals is considered the most beautiful work from the time of Spanish rule in Cuba. The building has served many different functions, ranging from a prison and meeting place for Havana's government to a city museum, over the past two decades.

Another important building near the Plaza de Armas is the Palace of the Second Corporal, which was the seat of the city council in colonial times and currently houses the Cuban Institute of Books.

Also close to the Place de Armas is the former residence of the Counts of Santovenia, which became Hotel Santa Isabel, which is operated by Habaguanex SA. The Hotel Santa Isabel is the grandest of the hotels in Old Havana and its location is ideal: it is located on the eastern side of the Plaza de Armas, the city's earliest and most beautiful colonial square, in the heart of historical center city ​​of San Cristobal de la Havana on the corner of Obispo and Narciso Lopes streets.

In 1997, after careful restoration, the Santa Isabel Hotel reopened its doors, providing visitors with elegance, luxury and comfort, as well as a tour of Cuban history, architecture, art and culture.

The charming Place de Armas is complemented by institutions such as the Museum natural history, House of Water and La Mina Restaurant, which are also part of the colonial era buildings.

In the center of the square is a monument to the Cuban patriot Carlos Manuel de Cespedes, and next to it is a beautiful fountain.

Emerging in the second half of the 16th century Havana Square Plaza de las Armas(Arms Square) was initially used as a parade ground by the troops of the Spanish crown.

But in the 18th and 19th centuries, the square became the center of life in the current Cuban capital. Nowadays, Plaza de las Armas has been completely restored and once again exudes its former colonial luster.

In the center of the square stands a monument to Carlos Manuel Cespedes, the “Father of the Motherland,” surrounded by palm trees. Once upon a time there was a statue of the Spanish King Ferdinand VII, but in 1957 they decided to move it to the city museum.

On the east side of the square you can see El Templete, a small church and chapel from 1827, where the French artist Jean-Baptiste Vermeil lived and where his paintings are now kept, as well as urns containing the ashes of himself and his wife.

There is a ceiba tree in front of the chapel. Previously, in this very place where, as legend says, Havana was founded, the same tree grew, which became a victim of one of the typhoons that are frequent here.

Every year, on December 17, at night, many townspeople gather in the square to walk near the tree and make their deepest wish. Legends say that wishes made in this way will certainly come true.

Next to the chapel costs former palace Duke of Santovenius, also built in the 19th century.

Today it houses a luxury hotel with an equally luxurious restaurant where you can have a good and expensive meal.

But the most significant building of the colonial era is located on the north side of the square. Construction of the Palace of the Governor General (Palacio de los Capitanes Generales) began in 1776.

For more than a hundred years, this palace was the residence of the Spanish governors of the island of Cuba. After liberation from the Spanish colonialists, the US occupation authorities were located here, then the Havana City Hall was located in the palace, and after 1959, the revolutionary authorities of the city. In 1967, the palace was completely restored and since then it has housed the Havana City Museum.

The street in front of the palace is paved, as it was three and a half centuries ago, with sawn wood. In the 17th century, one of the governors, who did not want his afternoon siesta to be disturbed by the rumble of the iron-covered wheels of passing carts, ordered the road to be paved in such a noise-absorbing manner.

Opposite, diagonally, stands the Segundo Cabo Palace, which in our time houses the Cuban Institute of Books. And on weekends, street vendors sell Cuban and Latin American literature.

The Spaniards, who captured the island of Cuba and settled on it in the 16th century, began the construction of the capital of the country, Havana, by building a square, as they did at home. After marking the boundaries of the square, they arranged the area around it, and then laid roads and streets going in different directions.

The Spaniards called the square the Armory or Plaza de Armas. In those days, it was considered the heart of the city, and the head of the island hosted parades here. During the difficult years for Cuba, this place was abandoned, and again the square was restored to its original form only in the 30s of the last century according to old engravings.

Around the national heritage of the capital are the Museums of the City and Ceramics, as well as a small church. Around the statue of the city's founder, Carlos Manuel Cespedes, there are fountains, fan and royal palms. For visitors and guests there are marble benches, sitting on which you can admire the colonial architecture.

In the 18th century, by order of the governor of Cuba, a building in the Baroque style was erected, dedicated to captains and generals. It pleases the eye with the beauty of its lines and preserves the memory of historical events taking place on the island. It was here that Cuba was declared a Republic, and a little later, until 1920, the president of the country lived and worked in this palace. The old walls can tell a lot about the rulers, captain generals and military governors from the United States who stayed in the Palace.

If you want to get to know the history and culture of the country better, then the City Museum created here on the ground floor will provide such an opportunity. Looking at antique objects, furniture, paintings, you can plunge into the era of past battles and discoveries. A landmark of the Museum is a statue cast in bronze for the first time on the island and dedicated to the faithful wife of Governor Hernando de Soto, who died during one of the expeditions in search of the fountain of youth.

In the courtyard of the Museum there is a figure of Columbus surrounded by palm trees and spreading yagruma, under which peacocks walk, shining with bright feathers.

The Moorish-style towers of the first Cuban fortress are visible from afar. On one of them is the La Giraldia weather vane, which is an exact copy of the bronze statue from the Palace. It was from this tower that the governor's wife Iness de Bobadilla peered into the sea, waiting for her romantic husband.

Tree of Wishes on Armory Square

The same age as the square is a huge ceibe tree with a spreading crown. Cubans believe that by walking around the trunk of a wonderful tree three times and making three wishes, you can become happy. This must be done on the night of November 16th. According to legend, in the place where ceibe grows, the conquistadors laid the first stone of a settlement that later turned into the capital of the island. A nearby chapel was built in memory of this event. The first mass in the city was celebrated here.

Purpose of the area

Plaza de Armas is translated as Plaza de Armas. Its presence in the capital of Cuba is typical of most cities in Latin America. Because on this continent large number cities were founded by Spanish conquistadors, their urban planning plan is basically similar - following the example of the Roman Castrum, that is, it has a standard military uniform. Havana is no exception. Plaza de Armas in Havana, like many other Latin American cities, is considered main square, the architecture of which, to a greater extent, is complemented by all kinds of government and cultural buildings, as well as churches.
The Plaza de Armas in Havana received its name in honor of its main purpose. And it is that in the event of a military threat, it is here that the defenders of Havana will have to receive their weapons. In the distant times of Spanish rule, the conquistadors conducted military exercises in the Plaza de Armas.

Weapons Square Location

The Plaza de Armas in Havana is located in the eastern part of the historical center of the city, not so far from the harbor of the Cuban capital. The city administration carefully monitors the safety of its landmark - it is constantly landscaped and maintained in good condition. The architecture of the square is complemented by numerous bookstores where you can find revolutionary literature. In addition, around the square there are a huge number of cafes offering vacationers all kinds of refreshing drinks. Over the past half century, this square has been and remains the central gathering place for residents and numerous visitors to the city of Havana.
The architecture of Havana perfectly combines urban building and a square surrounded by amazingly beautiful buildings from the colonial period. Not so long ago, by order of the government, all baroque buildings of the 18th-19th centuries were completely restored, and since then, the Place de Armas has become a favorite meeting and recreation place for local residents and guests of the city.

Architecture of the square

Today's Plaza de Armas in Havana, which was paved in 1519. It is the heart of the Old Town and the splendor of Havana's architecture. The center of Plaza de Armas is crowned by a monument to Carlos Manuel Cespedes, a revolutionary of the nineteenth century. The main building on the western side, bordering the square, is the Palace of the Captain Generals, from where Spanish rule was exercised.
To the right of the palace is the Palacio del Segun do Cabo, built in 1772 and today the Institute of the Book. In the northeast of Plaza de Armas you can see the oldest fortress, which was founded in the last quarter of the 16th century. Adjacent to this fortress is a small church built in 1328. To the south of the church is the mansion of the Count de Santovenia, now known as the Hotel Santa Isabel, which opened its doors in 1997 after a lengthy restoration. The beautiful Plaza de Armas, a magnificent example of Havana's architecture, is complemented by National Museum, the House of Water and the Museum of Natural History, a visit to which will appeal to all the many tourists on the island of Cuba.