When the world gets closer.

We help you see farther.

Sign up to our expressly international daily newsletter.

Already a subscriber? Log in .

You've reached your limit of one free article.

Get unlimited access to Worldcrunch

You can cancel anytime .

SUBSCRIBERS BENEFITS

Exclusive International news coverage

Ad-free experience NEW

Weekly digital Magazine NEW

9 daily & weekly Newsletters

Access to Worldcrunch archives

Free trial

30-days free access, then $2.90
per month.

Annual Access BEST VALUE

$19.90 per year, save $14.90 compared to monthly billing.save $14.90.

Subscribe to Worldcrunch
food / travel

Havana Restores Heritage Sites Ahead Of 500th Anniversary

Cuba is restoring its colonial architecture in Havana and beyond, and promoting the national heritage among young Cubans, ahead of the 500th anniversary of Havana's foundation.

Havana is charged with history
Havana is charged with history
Vivian Urfeig

HAVANA — Havana is 498 years old. The emblematic Cuban capital, which fought off pirates and buccaneers for centuries and more recently battled Hurricane Irma, is now preparing a huge celebration: The 500th anniversary of its foundation by Spanish settlers on Nov. 16, 1519.

Ahead of the date, the city has begun restoring some 600 buildings and complexes in its historical district. The agency tasked with the restoration, the Havana Historian's Office (La Oficina del Historiador de la Ciudad de Havana), has already won prizes for two of its projects.

The Gubbio award recognizes projects safeguarding the heritage of different historical centers of Latin America and the Caribbean. It was given to the Historian's Office, which brings together 10,000 interdisciplinary professionals including archaeologists, historians and architects, for the restoration of the 18th century Palacio del Segundo Cabo, and the Plaza de la Marqueta in Holguín, in eastern Cuba.

Two of the agency's members, Tatiana Fernández de los Santos, an engineer, and Kenia Díaz Santos, an architect, traveled to Buenos Aires to collect the prizes. The two say that old Havana has become a complex zone socially, and difficult to maintain because of a lack of resources. But with the urban structure still intact, a conservation plan has been created at the initiative of the agency's director, Eusebio Leal Spengler, an expert on Havana who saw a "sustainable opportunity," Fernández and Díaz say. The mechanism they are implementing consists in the redistribution of income: "The government allows the construction of hotels and restaurants in exchange for the profits being reinvested in the historical center and the maintenance of schools," they explain.

This virtuous cycle generates resources, inviting more and more young people to join the project. Before, Cubans did not go to Old Havana, the two women said, but with the start of architectural tours and guides encouraging domestic tourism, the situation has drastically improved. Also, Museums have become very popular with children, especially when their schools are being renovated and classes are held inside these heritage sites. It exposes the children to the cultural processes and generates a sense of ownership, Fernández and Díaz say.

All eras accounted for on streets of Havana — Photo: Pedrosz

The Historian's Office's professionals are trained in Europe and enjoy support from international agencies that facilitate access to techniques and innovations. The update is constant, Fernández and Díaz explain, and all experience is shared. One concern, they say, remains access to the latest technologies, "but we're already advanced with professional training courses. We are constantly improving."

Work has meanwhile started in Havana to rescue archaeological remains that testify to the city's foundation, as part of plans to create a museum complex that will hopefully be ready by the anniversary on Nov. 16, 2019. "In two years, Havana will be like Cuba's other heritage cities or the Hispaniola Haiti and Dominican Republic, and one of the continent's oldest cities and capitals with its preponderant role in the history of navigation and culture," Eusebio Leal, the Havana historian, says.

Fernández and Díaz are proud of the prizes awarded to the agency. "The Segundo Cabo palace is an example of a sober and monumental construction of the late 18th century and considered one of the greatest showpieces of the Cuban baroque," they say. Set in the old city's main square, Plaza de Armas, it was initially the royal post office or Real Casa de Correos, and serves today as a modernized, interactive museum. "It provides visitors with knowledge of history and culture that is broader, instructive and enjoyable," they add.

The Plaza de la Marqueta project was the restoration and reuse of Holguín's old market square, established in the first half of the 19th century and considered an innovative contribution to the city's growth. It is one of the 12 squares that distinguish this urban center, known as the City of Parks.

"The rehabilitation of this public space has had a social and cultural impact that is expanding into its surrounding environment. It is giving back to the city a space for trade and culture, where diverse activities come together and mix, and improve the quality of life," say Fernández and Díaz.

You've reached your limit of free articles.

To read the full story, start your free trial today.

Get unlimited access. Cancel anytime.

Exclusive coverage from the world's top sources, in English for the first time.

Insights from the widest range of perspectives, languages and countries.

FOCUS: Russia-Ukraine War

How Vulnerable Are The Russians In Crimea?

Ukraine has stepped up attacks on the occupied Crimean peninsula, and Russia is doing all within its power to deny how vulnerable it has become.

Photograph of the Russian Black Sea Fleet headquarters with smoke rising above it after a Ukrainian missile strike.

September 22, 2023, Sevastopol, Crimea, Russia: Smoke rises over the Russian Black Sea Fleet headquarters after a Ukrainian missile strike.

TASS/ZUMA
Kyrylo Danylchenko

This article was updated Sept. 26, 2023 at 6:00 p.m.

Russian authorities are making a concerted effort to downplay and even deny the recent missile strikes in Russia-occupied Crimea.

Stay up-to-date with the latest on the Russia-Ukraine war, with our exclusive international coverage.

Sign up to our free daily newsletter.

Media coverage in Russia of these events has been intentionally subdued, with top military spokesperson Igor Konashenkov offering no response to an attack on Russian Black Sea Fleet headquarters in the Crimean city of Sevastopol, or the alleged downing last week of Russian Su-24 aircraft by Ukrainian Air Defense.

The response from this and other strikes on the Crimean peninsula and surrounding waters of the Black Sea has alternated between complete silence and propagating falsehoods. One notable example of the latter was the claim that the Russian headquarters building of the Black Sea fleet that was hit Friday was empty and that the multiple explosions were mere routine training exercises.

Ukraine claimed on Monday that the attack killed Admiral Viktor Sokolov, the commander of Russia's Black Sea Fleet. "After the strike on the headquarters of the Russian Black Sea Fleet, 34 officers died, including the commander of the Russian Black Sea Fleet. Another 105 occupiers were wounded. The headquarters building cannot be restored," the Ukrainian special forces said via Telegram.

But Sokolov was seen on state television on Tuesday, just one day after Ukraine claimed he'd been killed. The Russian Defense Ministry released footage of the admiral partaking in a video conference with top admirals and chiefs, including Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu, though there was no verification of the date of the event.

Moscow has been similarly obtuse following other reports of missiles strikes this month on Crimea. Russian authorities have declared that all missiles have been intercepted by a submarine and a structure called "VDK Minsk", which itself was severely damaged following a Ukrainian airstrike on Sept. 13. The Russians likewise dismissed reports of a fire at the headquarters of the Black Sea Fleet, attributing it to a mundane explosion caused by swamp gas.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov has refrained from commenting on the military situation in Crimea and elsewhere, continuing to repeat that everything is “proceeding as planned.”

Why is Crimea such a touchy topic? And why is it proving to be so hard to defend?

Keep reading...Show less

The latest