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Old Havana and its Fortifications

Cuba
Date of Inscription: 1982
Criteria: (iv)(v)
Core zone: 142.5 ha
Province of Ciudad de la Habana
N23 8 W82 21
Ref: 204

Brief Description

Havana was founded in 1519 by the Spanish. By the 17th century, it had become one of the Caribbean's main centres for ship-building. Although it is today a sprawling metropolis of 2 million inhabitants, its old centre retains an interesting mix of Baroque and neoclassical monuments, and a homogeneous ensemble of private houses with arcades, balconies, wrought-iron gates and internal courtyards.