Old Havana and its Fortification System

World Heritage

Cuba

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Havana was founded by the Spanish in 1519. By the 17th century it had become one of the main shipbuilding centres in the Caribbean. Although today Havana is a sprawling metropolis of 2 million inhabitants, its old centre still retains interesting Baroque and Neoclassical buildings, as well as clusters of private houses with arcades, balconies, cast-iron gates and interior courtyards.

# Neoclassical architecture