Page 72 - (DK Eyewitness) Travel Guide - Cuba

70  HA V ANA AREA B Y AREA

Street-by-Street: Around Plaza de Armas

The elegant, spacious Plaza de Armas is lined with Baroque
buildings, giving it a delightful colonial atmosphere, and is
enlivened by the occasional passing performance of street
dancers. The plaza was built in the 1600s to replace the old
Plaza Mayor, the core of Havana’s religious, administrative and
military life, and up to the mid-1700s it was used for military
exercises. After its transformation from 1771–1838, it became
a favourite with rich Havana citizens and popular as an area
for carriage rides. Following years of careful restoration work,
the square now attracts throngs of visitors and locals, many of
whom simply gather here to sit and relax. Palacio del Segundo
Cabo (1776), the
former residence of
the Spanish lieutenant
governor, is now the
home of a Cuba-
Europe cultural
exchange centre. CALLE TACÓN

Plaza de
la Catedral
(see pp66–7)

C A L L E O ´ R E I L L Y

8 . Palacio de los
Capitanes Generales Hotel Ambos
This fine Baroque palace, now Mundos CALLE MERCADERES
the Museo de la Ciudad, was
built for Cuba’s old colonial rulers.
A statue of Columbus stands in C A L L E O B I S P O
the courtyard, beneath towering Former
royal palms. Ministerio de
Educación
Farmacia
Taquechel

9 . Calle Obispo
Like an open-air
museum of colonial C A L L E O B R A P Í A
architecture, this street is
lined with buildings of
interest dating from the 0 Casa de la Obra Pía
16th–19th centuries, This large 17th-century mansion is
including old pharmacies well-known for its elaborate Baroque
and historic shops. doorway, which was sculpted in Spain.
For hotels and restaurants in this area see p256 and p270

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