Havana's Renaissance

The restoration of Old Havana is internationally acclaimed as one of the world's most innovative and exciting projects of urban renaissance. It is all more the remarkable for the context in which it is taking place: Cuba's ongoing struggle to establish itself as a political and economic force to be reckoned with.
This immense national effort has a long history, having begun in the nineteenth century with a series of hard-fought wars during which the attempts of intelligent and ambitious Cubans to achieve independence from Spain only ultimately resulted in the island's being delivered into the hands of the United States of America. The North American grip was broken by the 1959 Revolution but its influence is unlikely ever to cease, due to the island's close geographical proximity to its 'neighbour to the north'. Overseas admirers of the restoration of Old Havana feel that this is a fact which the Habaneros would do well to bear in mind, given the potential for cultural disaster which a new American control over Cuba would bring.

The organisation responsible for the renaissance of Cuba's capital is the Office of the City Historian. The post of City Historian is a time honored institution in Latin American cities, with some having had a historian since the eighteenth century. Havana remained without a historian until the early twentieth century, having throughout its existence been a city in which the inhabitants lived for the moment, rather than with any particular awareness of or respect for posterity. However, Havana has never been bombed, or developed, and the majority of its historical buildings are constructed of materials so monumental that it takes a great deal of hard work to completely destroy them.

This is not to say, however, that Old Havana's grand palaces, churches and mansions are in a satisfactory state of repair. Although the city has never experienced attack by the forces of man, those of time have wrought havoc with plaster, metal, glass and wood. The massive mahogany and cedar beams used for construction at a time when the island of Cuba was thickly covered with ancient forests of hardwoods have suffered severely from centuries of depredations by energetic termites. It is often the case that only the facades of noble old buildings have survived relatively intact; with collapsing floors throughout their interiors there is little left to be saved internally. In these cases, huge efforts are made to shore up the facades, and indeed the conservation teams of the Office of the City Historian are highly expert at propping up structures, given that there are 900-odd important buildings within the area of what was the walled city of Havana, amongst which well over half urgently require attention.

Rates;
walking tour in old Havana(aprox. 3 hours) 30 US dollar /30 € per person.
for the vintage car tour is extra.

HUMBERTO LINARES
Whatssap & Telegram: +53 52646921

email: cubamigos@yahoo.es , cubangel@gmail.com