The Malecón is the largest bench in the world and also one of the most popular sites of Havana. The first project for the construction of this magnificent seawall dates back to the beginning of the 19th Century. The wall borders 7 Km of the northern coastline of the city, from the entrance to the bay (Castillo de La Punta) all the way to La Chorrera fort at the entrance to the Almendares River.Place: Ciudad de La Habana
The Castillo de los Tres Reyes del Morro is perhaps the most emblematic of all Cuban fortresses. Its construction began in 1589 and concluded in 1630. In its day it was considered a fundamental piece for defending Havana against corsairs and pirates. The lighthouse was added a few years after its construction (45 m), and is considered the unequivocal distinctive seal of Havana.
Currently the venue of the Office of the Historian of Havana, the palace was built in 1776 and has been given several functions: official residence of the Spanish governors, Presidential Palace and Municipal Palace of Havana. The City Museum currently occupies part of the sumptuous halls that exhibit valuable treasures such as: the first Cuban flag, personal effects of the heroes of Cuba: Jose Martí, Máximo Gómez and Antonio Maceo together with a priceless collection of colonial furniture, carriages and other works of art.
This small neo-classical style construction was built in the second half of the 18th Century. It is located in Plaza de Armas on the site where the first public mass was celebrated and also the site of the first town council of the nascent town of San Cristóbal de La Habana. The Templete resembles a Doric temple and houses three commemorative canvasses by the famous French painter Juan Bautista Vermey. One of the walls exhibits the plate that declares Old Havana a World Heritage Site.
Located in the former Presidential Palace, the museum exhibits a large number of objects of extraordinary historical importance related to the struggle for independence of the Cuban people. The Granma memorial is situated in the surrounding area and exhibits the boat, protected by a glass case, that Fidel Castro and 82 revolutionaries used to return to Cuba from exile in Mexico and thus initiated the final struggle for the independence of Cuba.
The internationally renowned Cathedral Square, originally called Plaza de la Ciénaga (Swamp Square) was built on a marshland plagued with underground streams and very close to the bay, whose waters also penetrated the area. Work on the buildings began in the last quarter of the 18th Century. The church of the Jesuits was granted the category of cathedral in 1789. No one has ever referred to it as Swamp Square since. The two hundred year old cathedral stands in a beautiful square. It is open for services and was declared National Monument.
