The old town was founded in 1519 by the Spaniards in the Bay of Havana and served as an important base for the Spanish galleons.
Built in Baroque and Neoclassical styles, it evokes memories of Cuba's past as a Spanish colony and its glory days as a major Caribbean meeting place for the rich and powerful.
Havana was taken, destroyed and burned by pirates in 1555. To protect the city, the Spanish increased their military presence and began building forts and city walls. The first fortress 'Castillo de la Real Fuerza' was built in 1558. Many of your old buildings have been reconstructed after they fell into disrepair during the Cuban Revolution.
In the old town there are majestic boulevards, elegant plazas, churches, monasteries and palaces, historic forts, arcades and monuments.
The most important sights of the old town include the 'Castillo de los Tres Reyes del Morro', the Cathedral of San Cristobal, the Plaza de Armas from the 16th century, the Revolution Museum in the former presidential palace, the Theater Garcia Lorca with the largest concert hall in Cuba, the cathedral square 'Plaza de la Catedral' from the 18th century, the colonial art museum 'Museo de Arte Colonial' dates from 1720 and is therefore the oldest building on the square and of course the Capitol from 1929,,,
In 1982 the old town of Havana was declared a Unesco World Heritage Site.🚴♂️