Ancient in time, five-century old and bedecked with remarkable squares and buildings of great artistic and architectural values, among them colonial-era fortresses, Old Havana was awarded the condition of World Cultural Heritage, granted in 1982 by the United Nations Education, Science and Culture Organization, UNESCO.

Old Havana’s architectural area comprises the whole area inside the old walls that surrounded the city in the 18th century, as well as the city expansion built during part of the following century and the fortresses built to defend Havana between the 16th and 17th centuries.

Squares, buildings and monuments of great historical and environmental value are located at the urban historic center of the Cuban capital.Some of those buildings are several centuries old and show a variety of architectural styles, from neo-classic to baroque.

Old Havana also enjoys the charm of an urban area that rejuvenates constantly in unison with its denizens and with the work carried out to achieve its proper restauration and preservation.

HAVANA’S WALL

Havana’s current historic center shows the remains of what used to be a stone wall, with its bulwarks, sentry gates and drawbridge gates, built in 1698 to protect the city against the attacks of pirates and corsairs who endangered the life of the Spanish settlers and the wealth that the Crown stored in the villa.This wall ran from La Punta to the Arsenal. It was 4, 892 meters long, 1,40 meters deep and 10 meters high and had a garrison of 3,400 men and 180 guns. The wall marked the limit between walled-in and outer wall Havana.