Estación Central de Ferrocarriles

CA1
General sightseeing
Architectural style: Eclectic
CA Ranking: 1
Admission: Free
Egido esq. a Arsenal, Habana Vieja
  • The building of the railway station, expression of the Spanish plateresque style, was built in 1912 on the site of the former Armory. It has four floors with 77 windows and the main entrance is rounded off by two slender towers, whose terracotta and tile ornamentation includes the coats of arms of both the city and the nation. It used red Spanish slates for the roofs and a huge clock was featured in the center of the façade. The ground floor, which was used as waiting room, exhibits columns faced with marble. The trains entered the terminal by way of a viaduct of over one kilometer long, which has been known since as “Los Elevados” [The Elevated].

    
  • Museo Nacional de Historia Natural

    Museo Nacional de Historia Natural  LH 3

    Despite appearing to be of the colonial era, the building on the plaza’s southwest side dates from the early 20th-century, when it served as the U.S. Embassy in the years immediately following indepen …

    Parque Simón Bolívar

    Parque Simón Bolívar  LH 3

    North on Mercaderes, you’ll reach Parque Simón Bolívar on the corner of Calle Obrapía. In addition to a statue of the Latin American independence movement leader, the park has a ceramic mural by Venez …

    Parque Mariana Grajales

    Parque Mariana Grajales  LH 3

    Ocupying a whole block in El Vedado, Mariana Grajales Park is right across the Saúl delgado High School. The monument in the center of the park is that of Mariana Grajales, mother of Lt. General Anton …

    Escuela Nacional de Ballet

    Escuela Nacional de Ballet  LH 3

    This is the biggest ballet school in the world and the most prestigious one in Cuba, with approximately 3,000 students. The school goes back to 1931 with the creation of the Escuela Nacional de Ballet …

    Memorial a las Víctimas del Maine

    Memorial a las Víctimas del Maine  LH 3

    This is a memorial in front of the Hotel Nacional dedicated to the 266 people who died when the second-class pre-dreadnought armor cruiser USS Maine sank due to an explosion in Havana harbor on Februa …

    Casa Museo de África

    Casa Museo de África  LH 3

    The 17th-century townhouse mansion at Obrapia #157 originally served as a shop selling snuff. Today, as the House of Africa, it displays objects of different African cultures, especially ivory carving …

    Parque Albear

    Parque Albear  LH 3

    The main attraction of this small park is an elegant life-size Carrara marble statue of engineer Francisco de Albear y Lara, sculpted in 1895 by Cuban artist José Vilalta de Saavedra. Albear dedicated …

    Iglesia del Santo Ángel Custodio

    Iglesia del Santo Ángel Custodio  LH 3

    Located on Loma del Angel, or Angel Hill, the church was originally built in the second half of the 17th century and expanded with two lateral naves in the mid-18th century. After having been largely …

    Galería Villa Manuela

    Galería Villa Manuela  LH 3

    Opened in 2004, Galería Villa Manuela was created to exhibit and promote works by members of UNEAC. This contemporary gallery hosts at least 10 exhibitions a year with works by artists of all ages and …

    Casa-Museo Simón Bolívar

    Casa-Museo Simón Bolívar  LH 3

    Housed in a former colonial mansion built from 1806 to 1817, the Casa-Museo del Libertador Simón Bolívar is dedicated to honoring the “Great Liberator” who led the Latin American nations’ independence …

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