Читать книгу Havana – Varadero. 2 cities in 1 weekend - Alexander Zhidchenko - Страница 5

The whole color of the Cuban capital can not be expressed in words, so I will use visual images more in this guidebook. Havana can be studied endlessly – it’s not just big and interesting, it’s also bright, original, noisy, hot, historical, in many respects one such in the world.

The population of the Cuban capital is a little more than 2 million people. The city is divided into 15 municipal districts, which are extremely heterogeneous in terms of their internal content – from the cleaned up to shine old streets to slums and litter-filled suburbs.

We will study the city in order. But since there is not much time – after all, we have only 1 Weekend, we will look at all the most important things and prioritize the correct ones. From the outset, determine the main purpose of his stay here – monuments, museums, beaches, old quarters or all in a little bit. I, like many, chose the latter option.

Havana was founded by the Spanish in 1519. And already in 1563 this city became the center of the administrative life of the island. From here began to be managed other settlements, trade relations, etc. Since then, Havana has retained the status of the capital.

The city began to quickly build up buildings in the Spanish colonial style. In 1728, in the city was founded Havana University, in the 1860’s. the tobacco factory “Partagas” was opened. The city built Catholic cathedrals, ensembles of buildings intended for the colonial administration and representatives of the country’s elite.

Already in the course of American dependence in Havana, many other attractions were built, the most notable being the one erected in the 1920s. Capitol. Many of the outstanding works of architecture of the capital of Cuba were inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

Currently, the buildings, quarters and streets of Havana are being restored and renovated. Passing by some of them, you will feel that you are not in Latin America at all, but somewhere in the expensive areas of Madrid or Valencia. But it’s worth moving away from them, and it will seem to you that you have come to Calcutta or Dhaka. Havana is a city of contrasts, just like the country whose capital it is.

Havana can find many different images – colonial, socialist, metropolitan, automotive, modern, original and many others. We will try in this guidebook, though in a little way, but to disclose each of them.

Now let’s go through all the landmarks of this city and learn more about it.