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The San Pedro de la Roca Castle is a fortress situated 10 km
from Santiago de Cuba.
This
17th-century fortress, situated on a rocky promontory at the coast of Santiago city, is the
best-preserved monument of Spanish-American military architecture. Giovan Battista Antonelli, a
member of a Milanese family of military engineers, designed it in 1637, inspired by Italian and
Renaissance design principles.
It was
primarily established to guard against commercial and political rivals in the Caribbean region,
European colonies, and raiding pirates. It features a strong defensive series of forts,
barricades, citadels, armories, and batteries.
Due to
sporadic construction work, completion of the citadel took nearly 42 years. Despite many
overseas attacks and natural disasters like earthquakes, this massive historical complex of
fortifications still stands.
The
castle went through a massive restoration project in the 1960’s. Today it is one of the best
preserved castles in the America’s, as well as the best example of a renaissance fortress.
Since 1997, it is a World UNESCO heritage site too.
Visitor info
Castillo de San Pedro de la Roca (also known as El
Morro) houses an interesting Museum of the Pirates, a museum that details the pirate
attacks that Santiago went through over the course of history.
The
castle can be visited daily between 8:00 AM and 19:00 PM. Entrance fee for an adult is $4,
children under the age of 12 enter for free. For a camera a $1 fee is charged and a $5 fee is
charged for using a camcoder.
Castillo de San Pedro de la
Roca
Map
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