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From the History of Cuba - El Capitolio


From the History of Cuba - El Capitolio


El Capitolio , located in Havana, is an iconic landmark built between 1926 and 1929. Inspired by the United States Capitol, it originally housed the Cuban Congress. Its impressive structure, with a majestic dome and detailed carvings, reflects the neoclassical architectural style. The building has also served as a museum and cultural center over the years. Today, it represents a strong symbol of Cuban history and is a must-see site for visitors.

"Cubans from the interior came to Havana and never wanted to return to their lands without visiting the Capitol. Whoever could, was photographed with the Capitol in the background as an unbeatable testimony of their stay in the capital. The same goes for foreigners who visited the island. At that time, the headquarters of the Congress of the Republic was surrounded by hotels of more or less great value, pensions and guest houses and since there was no bus station, inaugurated only in 1952, interprovincial buses made their first and last stops nearby.

There was no shortage of inns and good restaurants, such as El Palacio de Cristal. The El Senado café and the Capitolio bar were obligatory meeting points. There were dances at the Galician and Asturian Centre, and the music of the free airs enlivened the night. Then, the Prado and the surroundings of the so-called Palacio de las Leyes were fashionable places. La Rampa would have moved them later.

The area occupied by the Capitol belonged to the Economic Society of Friends of the Country, which, from 1817, hosted a botanical garden. The Spanish colonial government transferred ownership of these lands in 1835, and the Villanueva railway station had thus begun to be built there.

Moving the railways from a region that was becoming the best in Havana was, in the last decades of the 19th century, a growing desire of the population of the capital. This desire would become a reality in 1910 when, in a fraudulent deal, the State had ceded to the United Railways company the lands of the old Arsenal, where the new station would then be built, and received in exchange those of Villanueva, on which the building of the Presidential Palace was to be built.

Construction of the executive mansion began, but this work was paralyzed when General Menocal took over the presidency. Others were his plans. He wanted to build the palace on the grounds of the Quinta de los Molinos and the building that had just begun would remain the seat of the legislature. This determination forced substantial changes to the original project and imposed the demolition of the already built dome, which weighed 1,200 tons, and which collapsed in four minutes thanks to the expert hands of the dynamiters.

Work resumed in 1917, only to be interrupted two years later due to lack of funds, and in 1921 President Zayas suspended it definitively. When Machado became president in 1925, he found the Capitol half-built and in a state of ruin. Machado set about modernizing the Cuban capital and embarked on a vast and ambitious plan of public works that included the Capitol.

The Capitol occupies a total area of 12,000 square meters, of which 10,839 are covered. Five million bricks, more than three million feet of wood, 150,000 barrels of cement and 38,000 cubic meters of sand were used to build it. Also 40,000 cubic meters of crushed stone and 25,000 cubic meters of quarry stone, 3,500 tons of structural steel and 2,000 tons of rebar.

Its dome is, in diameter and height, the sixth largest in the world. The lantern that surmounts it is 94 meters from the level of the sidewalk, and at the time of the inauguration of the building, it was surpassed, in style, only by that of Saint Peter, in Rome, and that of Saint Paul, in London, with 129 and 107 meters high, respectively. Its monumental staircase has 55 steps. The Statue of the Republic stands out in the imposing hall of lost steps, just below the dome. It weighs 30 tons and reaches a total height of 14.6 meters. Very little is known about the appetizing Cuban woman who served as a model for this sculpture. At her feet, embedded in the mirrored floor, a brilliant marked the zero kilometer of the central road.

The building was solemnly inaugurated on May 20, 1929. It is said to have cost 17 million pesos. This symbol of Havana's identity and history is well worth a visit."


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