Fortress of la fuerza and maritime museum. La fuerza La real fuerza

One of the symbols is the fortress of La Real Fuerza (Castillo de la Real Fuerza). It is located in the old part and is included in the UNESCO World Heritage List. This is the oldest fortification not only in the country, but throughout Latin America. It was built to protect the capital's port from pirates.

Currently, there are several defensive forts in Havana, but La Real Fuerza is the best preserved to this day. It is located in the eastern part of the city and amazes tourists with its grandeur and inaccessibility. Its solid walls remind of the difficult life of the Cuban population, its resilience and strength.

The citadel was founded in 1558 and today is a museum. The Spaniards used the coast of Havana as a transshipment base, so they tried to strengthen this territory as much as possible. Fort La Real Fuerza was strengthened and rebuilt over the course of 2 centuries.

The history of the construction of the fortress

The full name of the citadel sounds like Castillo de la Real Fuerza, which translates as "castle of a strong king." The first version of the fortress was built over 19 years. At that time, it had the shape of a square with towers at the corners made of hewn blocks of sandstone, and was surrounded by a moat. The walls were 10 meters high and 4 meters wide, and above the entrance there was a relief coat of arms, which is currently the oldest sculpture in the city. Construction work was carried out mainly by French prisoners and slaves.

Constant pirate raids and uninvited guests from European countries damaged the walls of the fortress, in which not only the Spaniards, but also the indigenous people were hiding. In the 16th century, King Philip II ordered the restoration of the fort of La Real Fuersa. During the construction work, unique engineering solutions were applied, for example, special channels were made here to ensure constant air circulation.

Over time, the appearance of the fortress of La Real Fuersa has changed several times. The most significant event occurred in the 17th century, when a two-story tower with a weather vane in the shape of a girl, La Giraldilla, was erected over one of the bastions. She was the faithful wife of Governor Hernando do Soto, and while her husband was in America, the woman ruled the city for several years. Subsequently, the figurine was stolen and taken out of the country, and later local artisans made a copy of it, which was installed in the same place.

For several centuries, the territory of the fortress of La Real Fuerza housed institutions such as:

• National Archives - late 19th century;
• National Library - from 1938 until the beginning of the revolution;
• Museum contemporary art– from 1977 to 1989;
• Museum of Cuban Ceramics - from 1990 to 2009;
• Maritime Museum - it was opened in 2010 and is still working.

Today, here you can see ancient navigational instruments and items found in sunken ships. The museum's collection covers the period from the pre-Columbian era to the present. The most valuable exhibit is the model of the Santisima-Trinidad ship. It was the largest ship in the 18th century.

Today, it has an interactive screen that introduces visitors to the history of the liner in several languages. The museum also displays models of other ships, a model of the La Real Fuerza fortress and various artifacts. The territory of the citadel is decorated with historical tools of various sizes and unusual sculptures created by modern Cuban masters.

What you need to know about visiting the fort?

The fortress of La Real Fuerza is open every day from 09:30 to 18:30, on Sunday visitors are allowed until 12:30. The entrance ticket costs $1.5.

How to get there?

From the center you can walk here along Ave de México Cristina or Avenue del Puerto/Av. Del. You can also reach the fortress by car along the road Ave Carlos Manuel Céspedes (Avenue del Puerto) / Av. Del Puerto/Desamparados/Malecon/Tunel de La Habana. The distance is approximately 4 km.

La Fuerza (Cuba) - description, history, location. The exact address, phone, website. Reviews of tourists, photos and videos.

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One of the three fortresses of Havana, interesting for tourists, and the oldest of them is La Fuerca. It is located just a couple of steps from the Plaza de Armas and the center of the capital. Founded in 1558, this fortress is considered one of the two oldest fortifications in the city's harbor in both Americas. It is even surprising that at the same time it was La Fuerca that was best preserved of all the port forts of Havana. Once La Fuerza served as a defense against pirate raids from the sea, and today the Maritime Museum is open in the fortress.

The museum exhibits, in particular, a four-meter copy of the ship "Santisma Trinidad", the big ship 18th century.

Havana was built from the very beginning as a well-fortified and impregnable city. Its beautiful and comfortable bay was perfect as a transshipment base for Spanish ships, which, by royal will, set off in those days in the most long journeys in search of new potentially profitable colonies. America turned out to be a rich land, and there were always many hunters to profit from a fraction of this wealth, attacking ships and robbing cities. Havana had to be defended, and the Spaniards constantly completed and strengthened the port fortifications. In the case of La Fuerza, this went on for more than two centuries, but the result, apparently, was worth it.

The full and more correct name of the fortress is Castillo de la Real Fuerza, that is, not just "strong", but "castle of the king's strength."

The first version of the fortress was built in 19 years and was a square of large hewn sandstone blocks with a moat around the perimeter and corner towers. The fortress was built mainly by slaves and French prisoners. Ten-meter walls with narrow loopholes, walls 4 m thick, initially - no stairs, so as not to give the attackers a single chance (the garrison climbed into the fortress along rope ladders). The one-story building around the fortress housed the Spanish governors of the island.

The relief coat of arms made of marble over the entrance to the fortress is the oldest sculpture in the city.

In the 17th century, a two-story turret with a weather vane in the form of a woman, La Giraldilla, was built over one of the corner bastions. Tied to the figurine beautiful legend: they say that this is the faithful wife of Governor de Soto, who ruled the city for several years while her husband was in North America. This is the only case when the city was under the control of a woman. After La Fuerza was captured by the British in the 18th century, the figurine disappeared, but later “surfaced” and was placed in the city museum. To install in the same place, the Havanese made a new one. Today, this symbol of Havana can be seen not only on the tower of La Fuerza, but also on the label of the Havana Club.

An interesting solution was devised when designing the vents: they are in the shape of a cone, expanding towards the sea. Thanks to this, the sea wind blows through the fortress, which at the same time does not lose its defense capability at all.

Fortress of La Fuerza and Maritime Museum

Until 1899, the fortress housed the National Archives, and from 1938 until the revolution, the National Library. In 1977, when the fort turned 400 years old, a museum of modern art was opened here. The Museum of Cuban Ceramics has been operating here since 1990, and in 2010 the Maritime Museum was opened in the fortress. Here you can see an excellent collection of evidence of the glorious maritime past of the island, dating back to pre-Columbian times, including an acquaintance with the history of the Royal Dockyards of Havana, where more than two hundred ships of the Spanish fleet were built. The museum exhibits, in particular, a four-meter copy of the Santisma Trinidad, the largest ship of the 18th century. It has interactive touchscreens, and visitors can go down into the hold to see real navigational instruments of those times and a collection of finds raised from the seabed.

In 1982, as part of Old Havana, the fortress was included in the UNESCO World Heritage List.

When, after the discovery of America, the Europeans massively took up the colonization of new lands, the Spaniards seemed to pull out a lucky ticket - among other territories, they got the island of Cuba, with a mild climate, fertile soil and convenient harbors. There was only one trouble - the pirates, who had long considered this piece of land to be their property. However, other European powers periodically made attempts to recapture the island from more successful neighbors. It is not surprising that defenses had to be built on these coasts to hold back the onslaught of gentlemen of fortune and foreign fleets.

One of these fortresses is La Real Fuerza, which was founded in 1558 and has been well preserved to this day. Especially considering the fact that for two centuries the fortress was the main defensive structure from the sea. All this time, it was endlessly strengthened, rebuilt and modernized, increasing its defensive power.

The citadel was built by slaves and prisoners of war. It took about 19 years to create and architectural masterpiece the building didn't look right at all. On the other hand, the square fortress had high, strong walls, numerous loopholes from which fire was fired, corner bastions, and for impregnability, it was not only fenced with a deep moat, but also not equipped with stairs. At all. The garrison used rope. A marble coat of arms of the city was solemnly installed above the entrance - you can admire it today.

In the 17th century, La Real Fuersa received an unusual decoration - a two-story tower was completed on one of the bastions, on the roof of which there was a weather vane in the form of a female figure. She appeared here in honor of the wife of the Havana governor de Soto, who ruled the city for several years while her husband was in North America. Actually, this was the first and last time that a woman ruled the Cuban capital. The weather vane is still in its place, but now it is only a copy - the original was lost during the capture of Havana in the 18th century by the British. Then, by no means other than a miracle, they found him, but out of harm's way they sent him to the city museum.

After the need for a defensive structure disappeared, the fortress was adapted for peaceful needs. It housed the National Archives, later - the library. In 1977, during the celebration of the 400th anniversary of the fort, the Museum of Modern Art was opened here (which had already moved from here).

And since 2010, the Maritime Museum has been located in these premises. Here are copies of ships, from small boats to 3-4-meter models, made with amazing accuracy. Old maps, navigation instruments, all kinds of gear, and even real treasures raised from the seabed. Here, visitors will be introduced to the history of the Royal Shipyards of Havana - over the three centuries of belonging to Spain, about 200 ships were built here.

Havana is able to surprise inquisitive tourists with a variety of various attractions and architectural monuments. Among them, the fortress de la Real Fuersa stands out, which has survived to our time. The unique fortress de la Real Fuersa in Havana is the oldest defensive structure not only in Cuba, but in all Latin American countries.

History of the fortress

The idea of ​​building a fortress de la Real Fuersa appeared in 1540. Previously, the Fuersa Vieja fortress was located here, which was captured and destroyed by pirates. In this regard, there was an urgent need to build new defensive fortifications on this site. The solution to this issue was approached thoroughly and deliberately. For these purposes, in 1558, an architect of world renown, Bartolomeo Sanchez, was invited.
But, despite the fact that Havana was in dire need of a "stone defender", the necessary defensive structure appeared only many years later. For more than ten years, the city authorities have been arguing about what the fortress should be like. They hired a new engineer Francisco Carreno, under whose management things went much faster. The fortress was built by black slaves; significant funds were invested in the construction.
And ten years later locals saw the massive fortress de la Real Fuersa. Since its construction, it has become the basis for the successful development of the city and a symbol of the defensive architecture of Havana. And the strict architecture of the fortress served as a model for the construction of military buildings of this type for a long time.

Modern view of the fortress

Fortress de la Real Fuersa in Havana surprises numerous tourists with its power and severity. The powerful ten-meter walls of the castle are six meters thick. They were built from limestone, which was mined in Cuba. Its size is impressive. No wonder the main task of the fortress is to protect the city from attacks from the sea.
During the construction of the fortress, exact symmetry was taken into account. This defensive structure is presented in the form of a square, which is divided into nine identical parts and four bastions are installed at the corners. The ideal symmetry of the building is taken from Italian and French architecture of the 16th century.
Inside the fortress de la Real Fuerza are spacious basements where ammunition was stored. Huge caches were also laid here, where the city authorities hid wealth brought from Spain - huge reserves of jewelry: gold, silver and other treasures.
A wide moat was dug around the fortress and filled with water. The road to the fortress led along two wooden bridges, which were attached to powerful chains. It was possible to observe the surroundings through narrow loopholes carved into the walls.

New life for the fortress

Nowadays, the fortress de la Real Fuerza is historical monument architecture of Havana, the oldest building in Latin America. The weather vane of the fortress de la Real Fuersa has become a symbol of Havana, and the fortress itself has become its decoration.
Today, the fortress houses Art Museum, which houses unique works of local artists. It should be noted that the fortress of La Fuerza in Havana - beautiful place for walks with children. This place is especially impressive for boys of different ages. All of them, being in the fortress, imagine themselves as knights or pirates and dream of distant sea voyages. While children are playing, adults have great opportunity from the height of this architectural monument of Havana, enjoy the beauty of the magnificent sea expanses.

Address: La Habana, O "Reilly. Opening hours: from 09:30 to 17:00, from Tuesday to Sunday. Entrance fee: 2 CUP.

The history of the creation of the fortress of La Fuerza

Not far from the center of Havana is the most old fortress City: La Fuerza. From Plaza de Armas, you can walk to it in a few minutes. Path along the San Pedro promenade (from railway station) is longer. According to the year of foundation - 1558, it is considered the oldest of the port fortifications in South and North America. Real Fuersa once protected Havana from pirate raids. It has been perfectly preserved and now it houses the expositions of the Maritime Museum.
At the time of the founding of Havana, the impregnability and reliability of fortifications were important for any city. And the bay, so convenient for ships coming from Spain, had to be secured from pirate ships that teemed with the Caribbean. This made it necessary to strengthen the defensive structures, build new towers. For more than two hundred years, La Fuerza has been rebuilt, justifying its full name of the "Castle of the King's Power" or "Castillo de la Real Fuerza".
During the first nineteen years, walls were built from local sandstone with towers at the corners, surrounded by a deep moat. The construction used the labor of captured French sailors and slaves brought from Africa. The fortress seemed impregnable - the walls 10 meters high could only be climbed by rope ladders from the inside. The four-meter thickness could not be broken through with cannonballs. Even the ventilation openings were made safe - they were given a conical shape, the narrow end went into the inside of the fortress, and the wide one towards the sea. This design improved the movement of air and did not allow to penetrate inside. Not far away is the house of the Spanish governor.
Since those years, a coat of arms carved from a marble slab has been preserved above the entrance arch. Later, at the beginning of the 17th century, the corner bastion was supplemented with a two-story small tower. A weather vane is installed on the roof - a female figurine made of bronze. It is called La Giraldilla and is considered the symbol of Old Havana. A legend has been created about her - allegedly the model was the wife of the governor de Soto - Ines (or Isabel) de Bobadilla. She had to replace her husband, the governor, who left the city for several years. Throughout the existence of Havana, she was the only woman who ruled it. In fact, the real La Giraldilla moved to the museum a long time ago. The capture of the fortress by the British, which happened in the XVIII century, deprived the city of its symbol. They found the figure much later and, not wanting to lose it again, placed it in the museum. And on the spire they installed one made according to the old model. The image of the bronze heroine adorns the labels of the famous "Havana Club" - Cuban rum with a hundred-year history.

The history of the creation of the Maritime Museum

When the defensive value of la Fuerza lost importance, it was transferred to the National Archives. He stayed there until 1899. In 1938 the National Library was placed there. After the revolution, the old building was empty for several years. And on the four hundredth anniversary (at the end of the seventies) it hosts expositions of the Museum of Modern Art. From 1990 to 2010, the Museum of Ceramics was located in the premises, after which they were transferred to the Maritime Museum. It has 5 halls open - the central, the largest and in all the bastions.
The exhibition presents exhibits related to the history of navigation before the voyage of Columbus, the history of the Royal Shipyard of Havana. During its existence, more than two hundred different ships came out of there, mainly for the navy. One of the most interesting exhibits is a small copy of the "Nuestra Señora de la Santísima Trinidad", a ship launched in 1769 in the city's harbor. At one time it was the largest of the warships. On a four-meter vessel, you can visit the holds and cabins. In addition to real navigational instruments that served the sailors of those years, visitors will see numerous items found at the bottom of the sea.
There are models of ships, from dugouts of wood and reed-bonded Aboriginal boats, to sailboats and steamships of later eras. No less interesting are the collections of bladed and firearms, military uniforms and awards. In two halls there is gold from pirate treasures and raised from the bottom of the sea. Photography is allowed only in one room (with dummies). La Fuerza was added to the World Heritage List in 1982.