Old Havana

Old Havana
La Habana Vieja
Municipality of Havana

Location of Old Havana in Havana
Coordinates: 23°08′09.4″N 82°21′30.0″W / 23.135944°N 82.358333°W / 23.135944; -82.358333Coordinates: 23°08′09.4″N 82°21′30.0″W / 23.135944°N 82.358333°W / 23.135944; -82.358333
Country  Cuba
Province Ciudad de La Habana
Wards (Consejos Populares) Belén, Catedral, Jesús María, Plaza Vieja, Prado, San Isidro, Tallapiedra
Area[1]
  Total 4 km2 (2 sq mi)
Elevation 50 m (160 ft)
Population (2004)[2]
  Total 97,984
  Density 24,000/km2 (63,000/sq mi)
Time zone EST (UTC-5)
Area code(s) +53-7
Official name Old Havana and its Fortifications
Type Cultural
Criteria iv, v
Designated 1982 (6th session)
Reference no. 204
State Party Cuba
Region Latin America and the Caribbean

Old Havana (Spanish: La Habana Vieja) is the city-center (downtown) and one of the 15 municipalities (or boroughs) forming Havana, Cuba. It has the second highest population density in the city and contains the core of the original city of Havana. The positions of the original Havana city walls are the modern boundaries of Old Havana.

Old Havana is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

History

Paseo del Prado, Havana and Hotel Telegrafo

Havana Vieja was founded by the Spanish in 1519 in the natural harbor of the Bay of Havana. It became a stopping point for the treasure laden Spanish Galleons on the crossing between the New World and the Old World. In the 17th century it was one of the main shipbuilding centers. The city was built in baroque and neoclassic style. Many buildings have fallen in ruin in the later half of the 20th century, but a number are being restored. The narrow streets of Old Havana contain many buildings, accounting for perhaps as many as one-third of the approximately 3,000 buildings found in Old Havana. It is the ancient city formed from the port, the official center and the Plaza de Armas. In 1555 Old Havana was destroyed and burned by the French corsair Jacques de Sores. The pirate had taken Havana easily, plundering the city and burning much of it to the ground. After limiting the scarce defenders, De Sores left without obtaining the enormous wealth that he was hoping to find in Havana. The city remained devastated and set on fire. Since the incident, the Spanish brought soldiers and started building fortresses and walls to protect the city. Castillo de la Real Fuerza was the first fortress built; initiated in 1558, the construction was overseen by the engineer Bartolomé Sanchez.

Cars in Havana, March 2014

Old Havana resembles Cadiz and Tenerife. Alejo Carpentier called it "de las columnas"(of the columns), but it could also be named for the gateways, the revoco, the deterioration and the rescue, the intimacy, the shade, the cool, the courtyards... In her there are all the big ancient monuments, the forts, the convents and churches, the palaces, the alleys, the arcade, the human density. The Cuban State has undertaken enormous efforts to preserve and to restore Old Havana through the efforts of the Office of the Historian of the City, directed by Eusebio Leal.

Main sights

Old Havana by night
Payret Cinema
View from Capitolio steps

Threats

An unrestored street in Old Havana

In 2008, Hurricane Ike destroyed many structures in Old Havana, overturning years of conservation work directed at the iconic antiquated buildings of the area. Not only did it damage historic buildings, but it forced many of Old Havana's residents to flee for safety.[4] The threats that hurricanes pose adds to an already tenuous state for Old Havana's many historic buildings. Age, decay, and neglect combine with natural factors in a complex set of threats to the long-term preservation of this historic old town.[5]

UNESCO Heritage site

In 1982, La Habana Vieja was inscribed in the UNESCO World Heritage List.[6] A safeguarding campaign was launched a year later to restore the authentic character of the buildings.

Twin towns - Sister cities

Old Havana is twinned with the following cities:

See also

References

  1. Statoids (July 2003). "Municipios of Cuba". Retrieved 2007-10-06.
  2. Atenas.cu (2004). "2004 Population trends, by Province and Municipality" (in Spanish). Retrieved 2007-10-06.
  3. Frank Herbst, Cuba – Handbuch für individuelles Reisen, Reise Know-How Verlag 2006
  4. Irving, Mark (September 10, 2008). "Hurricane Ike batters historic Old Havana". The Independent. UK.
  5. Sanchez, Ray (May 3, 2009). "Havana's Historic Architecture at Risk of Crumbling Into Dust". Sun-Sentinel.
  6. Habana Vieja – UNESCO World Heritage List
  7. Towns twinned with Sintra
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