Towards the end of the 16th Century, the square was known as the Plaza Nueva (New Square), however after the construction of the Plaza Nueva del Cristo (New Square of Christ) in the 18th Century, it was then called Plaza Vieja (Old Square). The buildings that surround this open space are of unquestionable architectural and artistic importance and typify Cuban architecture of the 18th Century. After the complete refurbishment of the central fountain, the square has recovered its original splendour.Place: Ciudad de La Habana. Calle Mercaderes. Old Havana.
The construction of the largest of all the Spanish military fortresses concluded in 1774 and its presence exerted a deterring effect on the enemies of the country. It occupies an area of 10 hectares and consists of bulwarks, barracks, moats, covered roads, squares and warehouses. On January 3, 1959, Commander Ernesto Che Guevara militarily seized the fortress and established his headquarters there, which is now a museum that exhibits personal documents and valuable testimonies of the Heroic Guerrilla. Every evening the Cannon is Blast Ceremony is held in one of its squares at 9:00 pm.
The San Francisco de Asís Church and Convent is the current scenario of the richest cultural traditions. As the City Historian has said: “to collect, restore, conserve and exhibit are the classic principles that govern there.... so as to save from the offenses of time the endangered heritage.” The construction of the current set dates from 1738, and it replaced a more modest one completed in 1591. Since it was closed to worship in 1841, the building has seen the most diverse uses. After a restoration that brought back its original values in the nineties, the architectural group has harbored, also, a concert hall and the Holy, Sacred and Religious Art museums.
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 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.
