Kris Brooks.com

Most likely the most significant and stunning building in Havana City is the Capitol building. A visit to this amazing estate of the art palace is something you should not miss while visiting Havana.

Few are those that know that in the land that today the Havanan Capitol is, a swamp existed, dredged and converted in the first botanical garden that had the capital at the end of the 19th century.

Neither is it known that the definitive construction the Capitol was many time delayed because its high cost on one hand; and to the political indecisions, on the other. Then, on March 1926, the construction of the Capitol began finally.

The majestic building was inaugurated on Thursday May 20, in the afternoon, with the presence of the president of the Republic and the diplomatic corps accredited in the Island in that time.

The team that participated in the carrying out of the definitive plans of the Capitol was also integrated by engineers and Cuban architects under the artistic direction and technique of the architect Eugenio Raynieri Piedra. Its total cost was about 17 million pesos, equivalent to the same quantity in dollars.

To any pedestrian, the dome of the Capitol of Havana can easily draw his/her attention, fifth in the world of Renaissance style that, for its proportions and silhouettes, it remembers to San Pedro’s Basilica, in Rome. The dome is the second higher point of the city, preceded by the Monument to Mart in the Revolution Square.

A further detail that captivates everyone is the central piazza, which is escorted by 17 ionic columns of granite and in its facade; the three huge mahogany doors that give access to the main floor all three decorated with engraving recalling events of the history of Cuba.

The Capitol of Havana counts over seven decades since its opening in 1926. The colossal construction is regarded as the third in relevance in Latin America for its monolithic structure and certainly first in Cuba.

In the main hall there is a huge diamond which represents the starting point of the National High Way that goes all along the island. This project was also finished together with the construction of the Capitol.

The statue of the Republic of Cuba, inspired in the Havanan model Lily Vlty, has the third place in the world of the highest sculptures indoors. It was installed in 1929, in the room of the Lost Steps (Saln de los Pasos Perdidos). It was made by Angelo Zanelli who also used this model to sculpt the statues of the central piazza.

Visiting the Capitol of Havana it can only be an astounding experience. It doors, rooms and columns hide a lot of history. You must not missed the chance to see this stunning piece of architecture and archive of so many stories while on your holidays.

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