FORTALEZA DE SAN CARLOS DE LA CABAÑA

The name San Carlos de la Cabaña was given to it in honor of King Charles III of Spain, who ordered its construction on the hill known as La Cabaña, after having exchanged Florida for Cuba with the English. The work, begun in 1763, was carried out with great speed and was completed in 1774. The fortress is 700 meters long and occupies 10 hectares. It is said that the king was moved by it... "Give me a telescope," he is said to have ordered one day, "so that I can appreciate from Madrid this grandiose work La Cabaña is a huge balcony built on the hillside from which you can see, on one side, the city and the channel of the bay and, on the other, the sea. In 1859, 120 cannons, bronze shells and a garrison of 1,300 men, which could be reinforced up to 6,000, ensured a very dissuasive defense since it was never attacked. In the absence of feats of arms, it was therefore responsible for taking on the dirty work: it was used as a prison, and many patriots were shot there during the wars of independence. Then, under the tyrannies of Machado and Batista, it was the setting for many political crimes. In 1959, it was occupied by Che and his guerrillas. After being restored, it was opened to the public in 1986.

Ideal point of view on Havana. From the ramparts, the fortress offers a very beautiful view of Havana. It can be observed in its alignment from east to west with first La Habana Vieja, then Centro Habana, then Vedado and finally Miramar.