Located on the western side of Havana's harbor, the Castillo de la Real Fuerza was a defensive structure built in the 1500s to protect the city from pirates. Despite being strategically ill-placed, the fortress managed to ward off attacks from hostile forces. The Castillo is thought to be the oldest stone fortress in the Americas and was designated a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1982, along with Old Havana and the harbor.
Castillo de la Real Fuerza
O'Relly and Avenida del Puerto
Old Havana, Cuba
oldhavanaweb.com
The capitol building of Cuba, El Capitolio, stands in Old Havana and is home to the world's third largest indoor statue. Built with neoclassical and Art Nouveau influences, El Capitolio is modeled on monumental government architecture from France and the United States and features many similar features, such as a cupola and long, columned halls. The building was designed by Raul Otero and Eugenio Raynieri in 1925 and was completed by 1929 due to a tightly maintained building schedule that went on 24 hours per day during that time. Following the revolution in Cuba, the building became home to the National Library and now houses the Cuban Academy of Sciences.
El Capitolio
Paseo de Marti
Old Havana, Cuba
oldhavanaweb.com
The baroque church of Santo Cristo del Buen Viaje was constructed in 1640 on a site that was once home to a hermitage. The site has a long history of religious architecture but none of the buildings captured the imagination like the Iglesia del Santo Cristo del Buen Viaje. This simple, symmetrical church is accented by heavy Baroque cornices and later additions of flared arches, which were built in the 18th century. The church stands on the corner of Teniente Rey and Villegas avenue and is one of the most recognizable landmarks in Old Havana.
Iglesia del Santo Cristo del Buen Viaje
Avenida Teniente Rey y Villegas
Old Havana, Cuba
oldhavanaweb.com
