The best museums La Havane

The former presidential palace is now the Museum of the Revolution. Designed by two architects, the Cuban Rodolfo Maruri and the Belgian Paul Belau, it was built between 1912 and 1919. From 1917 onwards, it was used as a residence for presidents. Between its inauguration in 1920 and the revolution in 1959, twenty-one presidents passed through it. This four-story building is built entirely of white stone. The sober elegance of the exterior contrasts with the luxury of the interior, where marble, columns and salons abound, including the Salón de los Espejos, a replica of the famous Versailles gallery, and the Salón Dorado, all in yellow marble.

On March 13, 1957, a group of young revolutionaries attacked the presidential palace with the aim of assassinating President Fulgencio Batista, who had taken power five years earlier in a coup. The operation failed. Batista managed to escape through a secret door in his office. Most of the attackers were killed, while the president of the Student Federation, José Antonio Echeverría, who had successfully participated in the seizure of Radio Reloj to spread the news, was killed by the police as he tried to reach the university. To honor these young revolutionaries, the park in front of the palace was named Parque Trece de Marzo. Fidel Castro, in January 1959, gave his first big speech in Havana on the terrace of the north wing of the palace. He never lived there, probably wanting to distinguish himself from all the presidents who preceded him. But it was the close relationship of this place with recent history that designated it, in 1974, for its new function, that of the Museum of the Revolution.

With documents, photos, objects, maps, models, etc., the Museum of the Revolution offers, on three levels, a complete and chronological vision of the history of the Cubans' struggle for independence. Don't miss it under any circumstances and plan at least 1 hour and a half because of its richness. You will go from the aboriginal rebellions against the conquistadores to the independence wars of the 19th century against the slavery of the Spanish colonial power. The twentieth century is not to be outdone with the highlighting of social and political demands, naturally. Linger on the fascinating history of the labor movement in the 1920s and 1930s and the emergence of the revolutionary process. Don't miss the sections devoted to guerrilla warfare, including the two life-size sculptures of Camilo Cienfuegos and Che Guevara in the Sierra Maestra. The last part of the museum is dedicated to the consolidation of the gains of the 1959 revolution.

You can also visit the presidential office where the different Cuban presidents succeeded each other until Batista.

Then go outside the museum to visit the Granma memorial, where the eponymous yacht on which Fidel Castro and 81 fighters left Mexico to wage the last revolutionary war is on display. The overloaded boat sailed painfully for a week before running aground in Las Coloradas on December 2, 1956. Spotted by Batista's troops, many of them were killed immediately. However, Fidel Castro and some of them managed to reach the Sierra Maestra mountains, home of the insurrectional struggle that ended in victory on January¹, 1959.

Long under renovation, this museum reopened in March 2011 and the inauguration ceremony took place in the presence of Princess Napoleon herself, as the museum is largely dedicated to Napoleon. The history of the museum is linked to that of Julio Lobo, a Cuban billionaire nicknamed the Sugar Czar, who lived in a residence in Vedado, now the headquarters of the Ministry of Culture. A great admirer of Napoleon, he was not afraid to claim that he was his reincarnation... His passion for the Emperor led him to buy objects from all over the world that belonged to him or were related to his time. You will see a death mask of the Emperor made by Dr. Antommarchi, who ended his days in the island of Cuba. After the revolution, in 1960, Julio Lobo preferred to leave Cuba. The government decided to exhibit his collection in the former residence of Ferrara, a minister under the Machado regime, and the museum was opened to the public on December 2, 1961.

Architecturally, the residence was inspired by a Florentine Renaissance palace (Medicci Ricardi). In addition to the attractiveness of the exhibits, the museum enjoys a breathtaking view of the entire city. On the first floor, linger over the ancient engravings dating from the time of the French Revolution and Napoleon. The first and second floors contain an office, a bedroom, a dining room, a living room, all furnished with period furniture. Finally, the top floor is occupied by a library, containing all the great classics of universal literature.

The Havana Club Foundation, located in the heart of Habana Vieja, offers through its museum an encounter with the history of Cuban rum from its origins. The lively museum reconstructs the life of a rum factory, from its most traditional origins: planting, harvesting, manufacturing process. Through a model, the spectator is transported to the middle of a plantation for a few moments! Tasting of old rum offered to close the visit!

In an old neoclassical palace, probably built between 1806 and 1817, you can discover works of art related to the life of the most famous great man in American history: Simón Bolívar. An art gallery with numerous pieces donated by Venezuelan artists completes the ensemble. In the 19th century, the house was owned by Santiago B. Burnham. The central patio, full of green plants and multicolored birds, is very welcoming.

This magnificent residence, the oldest in the plaza, is also known as the Casa de don Luis Chacón, the military governor who had it built in the very early 18th century. Don Luis Chacón was entrusted three times with the office of military governor of Cuba, an honor and above all a responsibility that was almost never in the hands of criollos, those descendants of Spaniards born in Cuba, whom the crown preferred to be pure Spaniards... The Casa-Bayona palace has one of the most harmonious facades of Cuban colonial architecture. Its red marble floor, its ceilings of precious wood seem to have been destined to higher functions than those that were assigned to it. It was the headquarters of the Chamber of Notaries until 1933, and later became the editorial office of the newspaper La Discusión. It was during this time of republic that it was named Casa-Bayona, to honor the memory of the former noble family to which it never belonged..

Museo de Arte Colonial. After the Cuban revolution and the restoration of the place, the palace became a Museum of Colonial Art. Seven marvelous exhibition halls give a glimpse of the luxury that surrounded the wealthiest classes of the colonial era: precious wood furniture, sumptuous dishes, Sevres vases, Murano crystals, silverware... We should also mention some typical Cuban furniture, such as the taburete, an upholstered chair with a narrow back.