Cárcel de la Habana

CA2
General sightseeing
CA Ranking: 2
Open: 9am-2pm Tues-Sun
Admission: Free
Cuba y Prado, Habana Vieja
  • Up until 1834 there were no prisons in Havana. Back then, prisoners were crammed together in a small area on the Palacio de Gobierno’s basement. With this in mind, Lieutenant General Miguel Tacón, Governor of Cuba, ordered the construction of a prison outside the city walls at the base of the Prado. José Martí was imprisoned here on April 4, 1870, accused of treason and bribery.

    The prison was demolished in the 1930s, except for the chapel and, adjoining, two cells, one of which was the cell 17-year-old Martí occupied during his imprisonment. The remains stand on the romantically named Parque de los Enamorados (Lovers’ Park), in which there’s a powerful but deteriorating statue of an Indian couple.

    Opening hours: 9am-2pm Tues-Sat; 9am-1pm Sun

    
  • Maqueta de la Habana Vieja

    Maqueta de la Habana Vieja  LH 3

    This captivating and incredibly detailed scale model (1:500) of the old city is a must-see while exploring Habana Vieja, of which it provides a great overall perspective. Measuring 8 meteres long by 6 …

    Palacio de la Artesanía (Casa de Don Mateo Pedroso)

    Palacio de la Artesanía (Casa de Don Mateo Pedroso)  LH 3

    Strategically located on Cuba Street between Cuarteles and Peña Pobre, it looks out onto the bay. Noteworthy in this 18-century mansion is the 32 meter-long continuous balcony on its façade, one of th …

    Fábrica de Tabacos de Calixto López

    Fábrica de Tabacos de Calixto López  LH 3

    Built in 1886, the Calixto López y Compañía tobacco factory and warehouse takes up the whole block between Zulueta, Economía, Gloria and Misión streets. It has the typical ground floor, mezzanine and …

    Templo Nacional Masónico

    Templo Nacional Masónico  LH 3

    This building of imposing image is an example of conventionalism at a time when the architectural avant-garde had already paved the way for new, bolder ideas. From that premise, however, this construc …

    Iglesia del Santo Cristo del Buen Viaje

    Iglesia del Santo Cristo del Buen Viaje  LH 3

    Erected in 1640 simultaneously with the Plaza del Cristo around the Ermita del Humilladero–the final station of the Vía Crucis or procession of the Stations of the Cross on Good Friday, which started …

    Museo de los Bomberos

    Museo de los Bomberos  LH 3

    This singular 1910 Fire Station has a simple but refined façade that features a kind of triumphal arch dominated by a central double-heighted void. Today, it houses a lovely museum about the history o …

    Faro O’Donnell

    Faro O’Donnell  LH 3

    The original lighthouse at the Castillo de los Tres Reyes del Morro was erected on the Morrillo Semibastion and was fueled by wood until the 17th century, then by gas until the 19th century and finall …

    Casa del Benemérito de las Américas Benito Juárez

    Casa del Benemérito de las Américas Benito Juárez  LH 3

    Housed in the former 18th-century mansion of the Pedroso y Herrera family, this museum is named for Mexican president Benito Juárez, who visited Havana in 1853 and 1862. It has four rooms dedicated to …

    El Templete

    El Templete  LH 3

    Built in 1827, El Templete commemorates the first mass and town council held in the city, at the foot of a ceiba tree that grew on the northeast corner of what would soon evolve as the Plaza de Armas. …

    Museo del Tabaco

    Museo del Tabaco  LH 3

    Housed in an 18th-century mansion that once belonged to merchant Don Bartolomé Luque, this modest museum displays lithographic prints, old pipes and lighters, early cigar boxes and ashtrays, furniture …

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