NATIONAL CAPITOLIO

We almost didn't believe it anymore, but the Cuban Capitol reopened to the public in March 2018 after almost 10 years of restoration work! The upper part of the Capitol (the dome) underwent longer renovations, but the work was completed on time: in 2019, right in time for the celebration of the 500th anniversary of the founding of Havana! The Capitol is truly one of Havana's and Cuba's must-sees. Don't miss the guided tour, it's fascinating. However, you'll need to sign up on the day, and the wait can be very long. The organization was still sketchy at the time of our visit, but it's well worth the wait, and you'll be simply blown away by this building of rare beauty, whose interior has been superbly restored!

The Capitolio Nacional (National Capitol) was built between 1926 and 1929, on the orders of dictator Gerardo Machado, who wanted to replicate the one in Washington. It was built on the site of Havana's first railway station. Slightly larger than its namesake, it was inaugurated with great fanfare on May 20, 1929. The seat of the House of Representatives and the Senate before the revolution, it now houses the offices of the Ministry of Science, Technology and the Environment, as well as a scientific library. The vast granite staircase (39.5 m wide by 27 m long) leads to a monumental porch, featuring two bronze sculptures (around 7 m high, weighing 11 t). The one on the right represents Work, the one on the left, Virtue, the protector of the people. They are the work of Italian sculptor Angelo Zanelli. Behind the powerful columns, the three main entrance doors, also in bronze, feature bas-reliefs illustrating episodes in Cuban history: four allegories, from the pre-Columbian era to the inauguration of the Capitol. Another element of this gigantism is the dome (inspired by that of the Pantheon in Paris), 91.73 m high. It is clad in gilded copper, making it visible from afar. Beneath the dome is one of the largest statues in the world, installed inside a building: 14 m and 30 t, once again the work of Zanelli. The statue of Minerva symbolizes the Republic, in the guise of a young woman wearing a tunic and carrying a helmet, shield and spear. While the exterior is predominantly neoclassical, the interior is eclectic: an Andalusian patio, an Italian Renaissance salon and another in the style of Louis XIV. Floors and columns are in 58 different marbles. In the Salón de los Pasos Perdidos (Room of Lost Footsteps), this time the reference is more to the side of... Versailles. The room, designed for festivities and official ceremonies, lives up to its name: 48 m long and 14.50 m wide, not to mention high. At the foot of the statue of the Republic, and at the center of the circle drawn by marble of different colors, was placed a 24-carat diamond that indicated kilometer 0 of Havana, the point from which all roads in Cuba departed. As Alejo Carpentier aptly recounts in his novel El Recurso del Método(The Recourse of the Method, Gallimard), the diamond was stolen during the presidency of Grau San Martín (1944-1948). If you want to know more, read the novel...! Suffice it to say that it was found in the private office of the president's sister-in-law. And shame on anyone who thinks wrong! In the end, the authentic stone became part of the national heritage and remains in safekeeping today. The one that shines brightly at the foot of the statue is therefore a fake, but faithfully indicates Havana's kilometer 0.

One of the highlights of the guided tour is the imperial-style, Bonapartist-inspired office of the Speaker of the House of Representatives, the only French-style room in the entire Capitol, which is quite impressive. But remember, you won't be able to take photos... Photos can only be taken in the main hall of the Capitol. Another curiosity is the sixty bas-reliefs inlaid on the entrance doors, chronologically representing the most significant events in Cuban history. You'll also learn that no less than 20 kg of gold were used to finish the interior of the building. Last but not least, in one of the Capitol's courtyards is a plaque commemorating five workers who died on the construction site.

Practical Information Tours are only available in groups of 15, in English or Spanish, and last between 45 minutes and 1 hour. Opening times are Tuesday to Saturday at 10am, 11am, 2pm and 3pm. Please note that guided tours cannot be booked in advance. To join a tour, simply go to the ticket office and sign up for the next available guided tour. Registration takes place at the bottom of the stairs, on the left at corridor level (so don't go up the grand staircase for nothing, as you'll be sent back down). The cost of the guided tour is €4 per person.