Old Havana, Cuba surrounds the main area of the original city of Havana. The locations of the original Havana city walls are the modern boundary area of the Old Havana. Old Havana is a UNESCO World Heritage Site and the name also refers to one of the municipalities of the city of Havana in Cuba, with the latter's boundaries extending to the south and west beyond the original city.
Old Havana, Cuba was founded by the Spanish in 1519 in the harbor side of the Bay of Havana. It became a stopover point for the treasure loaded Spanish Galleons on the crossing between the New World and the Old World. In the 17th century the Old Havana, Cuba was one of the main ship-building centers. Built in baroque and neoclassic style, many buildings of the city have fallen in ruin in the latter half of the 20th century.
Old Havana bears a resemblance to Cadiz and Tenerife. Alejo Carpentier called it "de las columnas" or of the columns. There are all the big ancient monuments, the forts, the convents and churches, the palaces, the alleys, the arcade, the human density.
Landmarks and attractions at Old Havana, Cuba
- Malecón is the boulevard that runs along the seawall at the northern shore of Havana, from Habana Vieja to the Almendares River.
- Castillo Del Morro is the charming fortress guarding the entrance to Havana bay. The edifice of the castle Los Tres Reyes Del Morro owed to the step along in Havana of the English pirate Sir Francis Drake.