San Salvador de la Punta History

San Salvador de la Punta is a remarkable fortress built between late 1590 through the middle of the 17th century to safeguard the main entranceway to the bay and harbor of Havana.

The fortress was commissioned by Felipe II and the design and construction were handled by the famous Italian engineer Juan Bautista Antonelli.

Although the fortress first served as a storehouse for weapons and artillery, it was soon connected to El Morro in 1630 via a heavy copper chain held by strong wood beams.

The Fortress Today
The San Salvador de la Punta now houses remains of the chain mechanism, four esplanades, huge canons fixed in the rocks, a memorial park paved with scarlet ceramic tiles, and a highly distinctive but wrecked Spanish ship with heavy cargo.

The castle underwent massive restoration works in 1997 and today it shines in its true splendor. The entrance fee to the castle costs $3.

Castillo de San Salvador de la Punta Location

San Salvador de la Punta is located in Malecón, Havana, Cuba

Castillo de San Salvador de la Punta Map

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Situated on a natural rocky elevation at the mouth of Havana Harbor, the picturesque Morro Castle was designed by Juan Bautista Antonelli (an Italian engineer) and built during the late 16th century.

Morro castle, especially its lighthouse is a symbol of Havana.

Morro Castle History

Built-in the late 16th century, it was conquered by the British in 1762. During that time the castle was badly damaged, but later it underwent remodeling after it got back to Spain. A new lighthouse, still functioning today was erected in 1844.

Although the castle is an irregular polygon, the stonecutting works on its walls are very attractive.

The castle houses a beautiful lighthouse, an exhibition on the lighthouses of Cuba, a small underwater archaeology exhibition, a 20-meter-deep (66 feet) moat, central barracks, old cannons, guns and batteries, dungeons, a church, the office of the current harbormaster, wells, and very old bathrooms.

Morro Castle – Visitor info

Access to the castle costs $4, and access to the lighthouse costs $2.

Morro Castle is open daily between 9:00 AM to 17:30 PM. There is a drawbridge mechanism connecting Morro with La Cabaña, making it convenient for tourists to visit both historic sites.

Morro Castle Location

Castillo de los Tres Reyes Magos del Morro is located in Havan, next to the La Cabaña Castle (La Habana del Este, Havana, Cuba). Get help with directions:

Morro Castle Map

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Fortaleza de San Carlos de la Cabaña, or simply La Cabaña is the biggest castle in the Americas. It is located in Havana, next to Morro Castle. Since 1982 La Cabaña fortress is a UNESCO World Heritage Site.

La Cabaña History

La Cabaña was established during 1763-1774 by King Carlos III of Spain and served as a very powerful defensive structure against terrestrial attacks. This colonial military enclave occupies an area of 10 hectares (25 acres) at Havana’s harbor entrance.

Fortaleza de San Carlos de la Cabana is 750 meters long, and it could have hosted 6000 men in the case of a battle. However, it wasn’t needed as the la Cabaña fortress was never involved in any war. Its grandeur discouraged any attempts at war.

La Cabana fortress is an outstanding example of an eclectic architectural style and includes curves, flanks, and lobes. Tall lush trees and bushes on the bay side, a deep dry moat around the crown-shaped polygon, and pretty lawns adorn its exterior.

The interior consists of barracks, bunkers, huge brass cannons, and fortifications called .caponiers and ravelins The Cannon Shot Ceremony that takes place here every night commemorates the memories of prehistoric Havana and colonial military dominions.

La Cabaña Facts

Since the 18th century, a shot was fired every day from the fortress to signal the opening or the closure of the Havana gates. That shot is fired even today, every morning at 9 AM and every night at 20:30 PM.

Fortaleza de San Carlos de la Cabana hosts one of the biggest weapon collections in the Americas. Also, visitors can see a permanent exhibition of Che Guevara’s objects here.

The entrance fee to the fortress costs $5. Children under 12 years have free access.

La Cabaña Location

La Cabaña is located in Regla, Havana, Cuba. Get help with directions using the map provided below:

La Cabaña Map

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The San Pedro de la Roca Castle is a fortress situated 10 km from Santiago de Cuba.

Castillo de San Pedro de la Roca History

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 1960s. Today it is one of the best-preserved castles in America, as well as the best example of a Renaissance fortress. Since 1997, it is a World UNESCO heritage site too.

Visitor Information

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. The entrance fee for an adult is $4, and 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 camcorder.

San Pedro de la Roca Location

Castillo de San Pedro de la Roca (El Morro) is located in Santiago de Cuba, Cuba. Get help with directions using the map provided below:

San Pedro de la Roca Map

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The Castillo de la Real Fuerza is one of Latin America’s most beautiful castles. It is a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1982.

Castillo de la Real Fuerza History

Construction of the castle started in 1555 and by 1577 it was completed. This makes the Real Fuerza castle the oldest Spanish stone fortress in Latin America.

The Castle of the Royal Force was primarily constructed to defend against pirate attacks but soon became the official residence of the Governor of Havana.

The historic monument is most famous for its watchtower (added in 1634 and now a symbol of Havana city), adorned with a bronze statuette in the shape of a woman (replica of La Giraldilla of the Seville Cathedral, Spain) that is used as a weather vane.

The fortress’s exterior consists of a square segregated into nine equal sections with four regular bastions reminiscent of Italian and French Renaissance architecture and a pit with a perimetral wall.

Visitor Information

The interior of the castle hosts some museums and a café. The most interesting museum of all is the Museum de la Ceramica, a museum of pottery. It is open daily and the entrance fee is $1.

The castle also hosts the Cuban Maritime Museum which is also worth a visit.

Castillo de la Real Fuerza Location

Castillo de la Real Fuerza Address: O’Reilly, Havana, Cuba. Get help with directions using the map provided below:

Castillo de la Real Fuerza Map

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This spectacular Spanish fortress was founded in 1745 by King Carlos V of Spain. The fortress then acted as a defensive system against Caribbean pirates and other overseas dominions.

Castillo de Jagua History

Situated on a rock at the entrance of Cienfuegos Bay, it is now a National Monument and affords visitors a scenic view of the surrounding blue waters and thick forests.

It is particularly noticeable for its architectonic style, including the rectangular form and walls with stonecutting works.

It also houses a multipurpose museum with six permanent exhibitions about the history and development of the fortress, one temporary exhibition hall, and a restaurant offering exotic cuisines.

Castillo de Jagua Location

Castillo de Jagua is located in Jagua, Cienfuegos, Cuba. Get help with directions using the map provided below:

Castillo de Jagua Map

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