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 the year of the celebration of the 500 years of the foundation of Havana! The Capitol is truly one of the must-sees of Havana and Cuba. Don't miss the guided tour, it's fascinating. However, you will have to register the same day and the wait can sometimes be very long. The organization was still approximate at the time of our visit, but the wait is worth it and you will be simply amazed by this building of a rare beauty whose interior has been superbly restored!

The Capitolio Nacional (National Capitol) was built between 1926 and 1929, by order of the dictator Gerardo Machado, who wanted to reproduce the one in Washington. It was built on the grounds of Havana's first railway station. Slightly larger than its namesake, it was inaugurated with great pomp on May 20, 1929. Seat of the House of Representatives and the Senate before the revolution, it now houses the offices of the Ministry of Science, Technology and Environment, as well as a scientific library. The vast granite staircase (39.5 m wide and 27 m long) leads to a monumental porch, where two bronze sculptures (about 7 m high and weighing 11 t) are enthroned. The one on the right represents Work, the one on the left, the Virtue of the people. They are the work of the Italian sculptor Angelo Zanelli. Behind the powerful columns, the three doors of the main entrance, also made of bronze, have bas-reliefs illustrating episodes of Cuban history: four allegories, from the pre-Columbian period to the inauguration of the Capitol. Another element of this gigantism is the dome (inspired by that of the Pantheon in Paris), 91.73 meters high. It is covered with gilded copper, which makes it visible from afar. Under the dome is one of the largest statues in the world, installed inside a building: 14 m and 30 t, due once again to the talent 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 lance. If the exterior is predominantly neoclassical, the interior is eclectic: an Andalusian patio, an Italian Renaissance salon, another Louis XIV style. The floors and columns are made of 58 different marbles. In the Salón de los Pasos Perdidos (the room of the lost steps), this time the reference is rather to be found in... Versailles. The room, designed for parties and official ceremonies, deserves its name: 48 meters long and 14.50 meters wide, not to mention its height. At the foot of the statue of the Republic, and in 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 started. As Alejo Carpentier recounts in his novel El Recurso del Método(The Methodist Remedy, Gallimard), the diamond was stolen during the presidency of Grau San Martín (1944-1948). If you want to know more, read the novel...! Let's just specify that it will be found in the private office of the president's sister-in-law. And shame on anyone who thinks badly! In the end, the authentic stone was integrated into the national heritage and remains today under good guard. The one that shines brightly at the foot of the statue is therefore fake, but it faithfully indicates Havana's kilometer 0.

During the guided tour, you will have the opportunity to discover the office of the President of the House of Representatives in imperial style and directly inspired by the Bonapartist style; it is the only French-style room in the whole Capitol and it is quite impressive. But remember that you will not be able to take pictures of it... Photos are only possible in the main hall of the Capitol. Another curiosity is the sixty bas-reliefs inlaid on the entrance doors, representing chronologically the most important events in Cuban history. You will also learn that no less than 20 kg of gold were used for all kinds of interior finishing of the building. Finally, in one of the courtyards of the Capitol there is a plaque commemorating five workers who died on the construction site.

Practical The visits are only done in groups of 15 people with a guide, in English or Spanish, and they last 45 minutes. The visiting hours are at 10:00, 11:00, 13:30, 14:30 and 15:30; on Wednesdays and Sundays, the visiting hours are at 10:30, 11:30, 13:30, 14:30 and 15:30. Please note that it is not possible to reserve a guided tour in advance. To participate in a tour, simply go to the ticket office and register for the next available tour. Registration is done at the bottom of the stairs, on the left side of the hallway (so don't go up the grand staircase for nothing because they will send you back down). The price for the guided tour is 10 € per person.