Castillo de la Real Fuerza: primer baluarte de América

El Castillo de la Real Fuerza es una imponente construcción situada frente a la Plaza de Armas en el corazón del centro histórico de La Habana. Levantado entre 1558 y 1577 remplazó la primitiva fortificación de madera destruida en 1555 por el ataque del corsario francés Jacques de Sores. Su perfecta planta cuadrada con un pequeño patio central y rodeada por un ancho foso, respondía a los cánones del Renacimiento basados en la proporción, la regularidad y el orden entonces en boga. En su cubierta se emplearon, también por primeva vez en La Habana, bóvedas de cañón. 

Erected by order of the Spanish Crown to the governor of the island, the Real Fuerza was the first fortress with a bastioned design to be built in America, a preamble to the vast plan of fortifications that the metropolis undertook in the Caribbean area to protect the route of the Spanish fleet through various maritime and commercial cities. 

The Royal Force through the centuries 

After its construction, the castle underwent successive extensions and remodelling over the centuries. Outbuildings were added to house the military garrison and residence for the colonial governors from 1590. But the most emblematic element of the complex is the bell tower, erected in the 17th century and topped by the famous weather vane known as "La Giraldilla". It is a bronze sculpture in the shape of a woman, the oldest work of its kind in Cuba and a symbol of the city of Havana. 

Un monumento nacional imponente

The Castillo de la Real Fuerza played a leading role in the defence of the city by resisting the incursions of pirates and corsairs that ravaged the region. Its strategic importance diminished well into the 19th century, when the city expanded its boundaries beyond the bay. The castle lost its original military purpose. 

Declared a National Monument due to its historical and symbolic importance, the Castillo de la Real Fuerza stands imposingly at the entrance to the bay, its perpetual sentinel. It houses an on-site museum dedicated to naval art, a feature that makes it one of the best places to visit if you are in Havana.