Banco de La Habana

CA2
General sightseeing
Architectural style: Eclectic
CA Ranking: 2
Admission: Free
Cuba e/ Obispo y Obrapía, Habana Vieja
  • This 1915 two-story building was made of reinforced concrete. Its façade was composed of elements of the Ionic order and stood out because of its semicircular portico and its beautiful wooden door, which was protected by a solid wrought-iron gate. The façade’s six large columns with imposing pedestals gave the building a monumental character, very much in keeping with its role. With the Cuban banking collapse, the institution, which from the start was under the control of the National City Bank of New York, was compelled to enlarge the building due to an increase in operations, and in 1922, the third floor was added. Today, it is an office building for the national Insurance Company.

    
  • Parque Central

    Parque Central  LH 4

    Completed in 1877 after the city walls were knocked down, the park is bordered by El Prado, Zulueta, San José and Neptuno Streets. It is surrounded by significant buildings, such as the Gran Teatro de …

    Cristo de La Habana

    Cristo de La Habana  LH 4

    This majestic representation of Jesus Christ, only four decades old, is part of the landscape that characterizes the entrance to the Havana harbor. It is 20 meters tall, weighs 320 tons and consists o …

    Cinemateca de Cuba (Cine Chaplin)

    Cinemateca de Cuba (Cine Chaplin)  LH 4

    The Instituto Cubano del Arte e Industria Cinematográficos (ICAIC) was the first cultural institution created by the Revolutionary Government on March 24, 1959. Its objective was to organize, establis …

    Parque Lenin

    Parque Lenin  LH 4

    Approximately 25 kilometers south of Havana is Parque Lenin, inaugurated on April 22, 1972 by Fidel Castro on the initiative of Celia Sánchez. The huge bust of Lenin, carved in 1982 by Soviet sculptor …

    Gran Teatro de La Habana

    Gran Teatro de La Habana  LH 4

    Across from Parque Central, the Tacón Theater was inaugurated in April, 1838. At the time, this was Havana’s most important theater and arguably one of the best in the continent for its elegance, comf …

    Galería Habana

    Galería Habana  LH 4

    This gallery opened in 1962 to promote Cuban talent. Artists such as Wifredo Lam, René Portocarrero, Mariano Rodríguez and Amelia Peláez have shown their work here, establishing this gallery as one of …

    Casa de los Artistas

    Casa de los Artistas  LH 4

    Several of Cuba’s most famous artists have their studios here, including Pedro Pablo Oliva, Zaida del Río and Roberto Fabelo. Contemporary art exhibitions are held on the ground floor.

    Castillo de la Real Fuerza

    Castillo de la Real Fuerza  LH 4

    History & architecture Considered an engineering marvel, this fortress on the plaza’s northeast corner is one of the oldest European defensive structures in the Americas, and the first built to gu …

    Ciudad Deportiva

    Ciudad Deportiva  LH 4

    The Sports City was conceived as a complex that included race tracks; swimming pools; fields for different sports, including football; a small baseball stadium, and a coliseum at the forefront, which …

    La Moderna Poesía

    La Moderna Poesía  LH 4

    Owned by the López Serrano family–who evidently had a preference for Art Deco–this bookstore is a sample of how the sober interplay between lines and volumes can achieve a discreet elegance highligh …

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