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The Prince castle
The structure of The Prince castle is that of an irregular pentagon with two bastions, big moats, mining galleries, and a capacity to house over a thousand soldiers. When the jailhouse that had been near the castle of La Punta since 1839 closed down, its functions were taken up by The Prince castle, today still being the city jail.
Address: Zapata and Calle G
Entrance: The castle is not open to visitors. Vedado
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Tower of Sta Dorotea de la Luna de la Chorrera
At the western extremity of the Malecón there is the Torreón de Santa Dorotea de la Luna de La Chorrera. This watchtower was built in 1643 and protected the mouth of the river Almenares against pirates and foreign invaders. This small two-story tower housed artillery, storage rooms and a military of more than 100 soldiers. The tower was designed by the Italian engineer Juan Bautista Antonelli, who also designed El Morro castle. In 1762 this watchtower was taken by the British. Today it houses a small restaurant, Mesón La Chorrera.
Address: Malecón, between Calle 18 and 20. Vedado
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Tower of San Lázaro
Tower of San Lázaro, a small watchtower made by the Spanish in the eighteenth century, is situated near the Malecón.
Like the Torreón de La Chorrera, San Lázaro was one of the first defenses to fall into the hands of the British during the siege of 1762.
The watchtower was constructed next to a creek. In order to build the monument to Antonio Maceo, in 1916, part of the creek had to be filled, leaving the watchtower now a little farther from the sea.
Address: San Lazaro and Malecón. Havana Center
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Christ of Havana
Havana's 20 meter marble statue of Christ overlooks the city from the east hillside of the bay, much like the famous Cristo Redentor in Rio de Janeiro. It is the work of the Cuban sculptor Jilma Madera. Placed there in 1958, during the dictatorship of Battista, only 15 days later it got damaged when Fidel Castro invaded Havana during the Cuban Revolution.
The material used are 67 blocks of carrara marble with a total weight of around 320 tons, brought from Italy and blessed by Pope Pius XII.
It is a 10-minute walk to get to the statue from La Cabaña castle and it is worth the walk just to enjoy skyline from the panoramic viewpoint.
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Castle San Carlos de la Cabaña
5-minute walk from El Morro castle will take you to the Castle San Carlos de la Cabaña. This impressive fortress of the Spanish colonists was built next to the El Morro castle, to prevent a second invasion.
Every night at nine, a cannon shot is fired by soldiers dressed in the traditional uniform, in colonial times the signal used to warn El Morro and La Punta castles to close the bay and tighten the chain.
Address: El Morro-Cabaña Park in the municipality of East Havana
Open: Monday to Sunday, 10:00am to 10:00pm
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Big Theatre of Havana
The Grand Theatre was officially opened in 1838, although its first presentation occurred on November, 1837. All this in a previous theatre building. The foundations of that former theatre were used for the current one built in 1914. It is one of the most beautiful buildings in Havana. Its exterior has four marble sculptures depicting Charity, Education, Music and Theatre. As an opera house it hosts performances of the National Ballet of Cuba and the National Opera. The theater is also known as concert hall, García Lorca, the biggest in Cuba.
Address: Parque Central, corner San Martín
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