CUBA – CENTRAL (Trinidad, Cienfuegos, Camaguey, Varadero)
Tentative WHS
Ciénaga de Zapata National Park (28/02/2003) is a Biosphere Reserve on the southern coast of Cuba. The Zapata Swamp is one of the largest and most important wetlands in the Caribbean region with a marine southern borderline. Ramsar site in 2001. This reserve shows a great diversity of ecosystems and land cover types as grasslands, mangrove forests, Ciénaga forest, and semi-deciduous forest, evergreen coastal and sub-coastal forest; coastal and sub-coastal matorral, and coral reefs with principal coral species and coastal lagoons. The area also supports the main populations of the Cuban crocodile (Cocodrilus rhombifer) and American crocodile (C. acutus) and birds as the American flamingo (Phoenicopterus ruber).
As of 2001, some 9,000 people, mostly of Spanish origin, live permanently – silviculture, fisheries, community agriculture, tourism, handicraft and apiculture.
Parque Nacional Caguanes.
Sistema Arrefical del Caribe Cubano. (Cuban-Caribbean Reef System), a vast and significant coral fringing-barrier reef system, the largest in the insular Caribbean, known for its extensive marine biodiversity and conservation status, stretching along much of Cuba’s coastline and including vital protected areas.
Includes key protected areas like Guanahacabibes National Park and Jardines de la Reina Archipelago. The “crown jewel” of the Caribbean Sea.
Sites of Memory of Slavery in Cuba includes historic sugar mills, coffee plantations, forts like Castillo de San Severino, and symbolic monuments such as the Monument to Runaway Slaves (El Cimarron) near El Cobre, highlighting the profound impact of forced labor through landscapes and cultural sites that preserve African heritage and resistance, including ruins at Demajagua and the Viñales Valley.
The National Park Ciénaga de Zapata and the Speleological-Lacustrine System, Tentative WHS
– one of the largest, most diverse and exuberant mangrove ecosystems, marsh grasslands and lagoons on karst among the coastal islands ecosystems in the world.
– A large plateau of rocks and karst phenomena
– Highly unique coral reefs
– Outstanding speleological-lacustrine system due to the presence of overlapping aquiferous systems or levels which create marked life zones. 70 Km long and formed by an extended flooded cenote system
– Hollows close to underground waters form lakes usually fresh in the surface and saline when deep.
– Significantly deep cenotes (underground water reservoirs), such as the Casimba (spring) XXXV Aniversario, which is 73 metres below sea level near Playa Girón, and the Casimba Ilona, 70 metres deep. System of dolinas (cenotes) and numerous casimbas or springs in an outstanding matrix of lapies (“dog tooth rocks”), of the flat karst type covered by woods.
MATANZAS
Triolet French Drugstore Tentative WHS Museo Farmaceutico (Pharmacy Museum). The Pharmaceutical Museum in Matanzas preserves and treasures Dr. Ernesto Triolet’s French Drugstore, founded on the 1st of January 1882 at Arms Square, currently Place of Liberty, in Matanzas (Museo Farmaceutico in GM).
The pharmacy worked until January 16, 1964, and in May, it was inaugurated as the first Latin American Pharmaceutical Museum.
A three-story construction, one of the two mezzanines was a studio for Celia Triolet Figueroa, artist and daughter of the founder of the drugstore. The other was used as the administrative office of the drugstore and today is the Museum’s Director’s Office. The Triolet-Figueroa family residence was on the second floor, and the third level was occupied by the laboratory of Dr. Ernesto Triolet Lelievre and also used to dry the herbs to prepare medicines.
There are very old books, in several languages, on Pharmacy, Medicine, Chemistry and Botany, among other sciences. The Herbarium contains species of plants that have been collected in many other countries. Hundreds of glass bottles and vials with original products (earthenware jars) that still contain the products indicated by the label, handmade using gold powders and mineral dyes.
Particularly outstanding is the Document Collection of Recipes and Prescriptions, which records day by day the prescriptions and preparations made from the 1st of January, 1882 to January 16, 1964 more than a half million formulae prepared in the pharmacy, There are also products and medical drugs imported from several countries like France, Germany, England, Spain, Russia, China, Italy and the United States, tinctures, liquid extracts, balsams waters, wines, unguents, powders or ointments, pomades and cerates, as well as instruments dating from the end of the 19th century and beginning of the 20th century. The pharmacy has preserved a label chest of 150 drawers made of cedar wood,
Cathedral of San Carlos De Borromeo.
SANTA CLARA
Religious Temples: Santa Clara: Santa Clara Cathedral
Monuments
Santa Clara: Che Guevara Mausoleum
Santa Clara: Taking of the Armored Train
Museums – Decorative Arts, Design, Fashion: Santa Clara: Museo de Artes Decorativas
TRINIDAD
TRINIDAD and the VALLEY del los INGENIOS WHS Founded in the early 16th century in honour of the Holy Trinity, the city was a bridgehead for the conquest of the American continent. Its 18th- and 19th-century buildings, such as the Palacio Brunet and the Palacio Cantero, were built in its days of prosperity from the sugar trade.
Trinidad, located in central Cuba owes its existence to the sugar industry that flourished there and in the nearby Valley de los Ingenios (Valley of the Sugar Mills) from the late 18th century to the late 19th century. Buildings range from modest, vernacular variants to elaborate, luxurious edifices. The Valley de los Ingenios 75 former cane sugar mills, plantation houses, barracks and other facilities.
Domestic buildings are on small- to medium-sized lots, early 18th-century buildings with Andalusian and Moorish influences blend with more elaborate 19th-century models. Plaza Mayor, overlooked by the Convento de San Francisco, stand two noteworthy edifices: the Palacio Brunet, which provides the most authentic picture of the golden age of the city; and the neoclassical-style Palacio Cantero, which now houses the municipal history museum. The irregular system of squares and plazas, cobblestone streets and other historical and urban elements has been preserved.
Twelve kilometres northeast of Trinidad are three interconnected rural valleys – San Luis, Santa Rosa and Meyer – that make up the 225-km2 Valley de los Ingenios. More than fifty sugar mills were in operation here at the industry’s peak in the 19th century, and in 1827 more than 11,000 slaves were working in the mills. A long, gradual decline in Cuba’s sugar industry accelerated significantly in the 1990s.
Municipal History Museum
Palacio Brunet (Museo Romantico).
Palacio Cantero.
Colonial Architecture Museum.
Discoteca Ayala. Bizzarium
National Museum of the Struggle against Bandits
CAMAGLUEY
HISTORIC CENTRE OF CAMAGUEY WHS is known for its unique, labyrinthine urban layout with winding streets and squares, designed to confuse pirates, making it an outstanding example of a traditional Latin American colonial settlement, showcasing diverse architectural styles and a rich cultural heritage of blending Spanish, African, and local influences. It’s characterized by large clay pots (tinajones) for water storage, numerous churches, and a vibrant mix of monumental and domestic buildings, reflecting centuries of history from its 16th-century founding as a sugar and cattle hub.
A “living museum” reflecting Spanish colonization, African traditions, and local resilience, known as the “City of Jars”. Over 30 Catholic churches, including the Baroque Church of Nuestra Señora del Carmen. Hidden plazas like Plaza San Juan de Dios. Museums, traditional Cuban cuisine, music, and vibrant street life.
Ignacio Agramonte Provincial Museum.
San Juan de Dios Museum.
Martha Jimenez Perez Workshop Gallery.
Museo Casa Natal de Ignacio Agramonte.
Quinta Simoni Museum.
CIENFUEGOS
Provincial Museum.
URBAN HISTORIC CENTRE OF CIENFUEGOS WHS. The colonial town of Cienfuegos was founded in 1819, but was initially settled by immigrants of French origin (from Bordeaux and French colonies such as Louisiana). It became a trading place for sugar cane, mango, tobacco and coffee. Its prosperity was primarily linked to the 19th-century sugar boom. Situated on the Caribbean coast of southern-central Cuba, the town first developed in the neoclassical style. The city’s original centre was composed of 25 blocks, laid out in a grid plan with absolute geometric regularity. It later became more eclectic but retained a harmonious overall townscape.
Public functions were focused on Parque José Martí (formerly Square of Arms), the site of the church and public and government buildings. Notable amongst the 19th-century Neoclassical buildings are the Santa Iglesia Catedral de la Purísima Concepción (Holy Church Pure Concepción Cathedral), the Tomás Terry Theatre, the Spanish Casino, Palatino Tavern (or White Palace), the House Lions, “The Union” Hotel, the house-warehouse of the Spanish merchant José García of the Noceda, and the Customs Building. Among buildings of particular interest are the Government Palace (City Hall), San Lorenzo School, the Bishopric, the Ferrer Palace, the former lyceum, and some residential houses. Cienfuegos is the first, and an outstanding example of an architectural ensemble representing the new ideas of modernity, hygiene and order in urban planning as developed in Latin America from the 19th century. Stylistic features include one or two storey’s in height with plain facades, generally without porches. Masterful metalwork of wrought and cast iron is present in elegant grills, railings and fences.
Jagua Castle.
Architectural Delights
Cienfuegos. Architectural Delights
Palacio de Valle. Architectural Delights
Cathedral of Cienfuegos.
Statue of Benny Moré.
Jardin Botanico.
Museo Historico Naval Nacional.
Cienfuegos Dolphinarium.
SANCTI SPIRITUS
Art Museums: Sancti Spiritus: Colonial Art Museum
VARADERO
House and Biographical Museums: Villa Dupont
Varadero Beach
Cueva de Ambrosio
World of Nature
Caguanes NP Tentative WHS
Ciénaga de Zapata NP Tentative WHS
Jardines del la Reina NP
Leaping Caburní National Reserve
Mogotes de Jumagua Ecological Reserve
Topes de Collantes NP
Waterfalls: El Nicho Waterfall, Leaping Caburní
Caves, Sinkholes and Saltmines
Cueva de Saturno
Cuevas de bellamar
Lakes: Laguna de Leche
Rivers: Sagua la Grande River
Trails 1 – Treks: Topes de Collantes Trail
Aquariums: Playa Rancho Luna:
Beaches
Cayo Coco
Jardines del Rey: Playa Pilar
Playa Ancon
Villages and Small Towns
Caibarien
Remedios
Airports: Camaguey (CMW), Cayo Coco (CCC), Santa Clara (SNU), Varadero (VRA)
Hershey Electric Railway (Havana to Matanzas) is a standard-gauge electric interurban railway that runs from Casablanca, Havana, to Matanzas, approximately 92 kilometres (57 mi) to the east. There are a number of intermediate halts and a station and depot at the town of Camilo Cienfuegos, better known by its pre-revolutionary name of Hershey. The railway is the only surviving electric line in Cuba. The railway was built by The Hershey Company to transport sugar to the port of Havana. The original electric interurban cars were bought from the JG Brill Company, but these were replaced by 60-year old cars from the Ferrocarrils de la Generalitat de Catalunya in the 1990s.
There are usually three trains per day, each way, between Casablanca and Matanzas, meeting at Hershey Station, the midpoint. The early morning and later afternoon trains allow commuters to go to work at the end-points, and the mid-day provides supplementary service. The end-to-end time is approximately 3+1⁄2 hours. The service can be irregular, and journeys may be truncated without prior notice. The main stops are at Guanabo, Hershey, San Mateo, Jibaco, Canasi, San Antonio and Matanzas, which have modest station buildings.
Ties are concrete, rails are jointed (not continuous/welded) and power poles wooden, usually on the south side. To minimize construction costs, the scenic roadbed tends to follow the contours of the land, with many curves to minimize grades. The line serves communities and regions roughly midway between the Carretera Central and coastal Via Blanca highways, between Havana and Matanzas. These areas would otherwise have no public transportation and poor road service.
After Hurricane Irma in September 2017, the railway suspended all its services until further notice. Only since spring 2018 have some trains been running again on the Hershey (Camilo Cienfuegos) – Jaruco branch. Due to increased tourism numbers, other Hershey lines are about to reopen.
Roads, Road Bridges and Tunnels
Road – Causeway Crossing to Cayos Santa Maria
Road – Circuito Norte (Mantua-Sagua la Grande-Baracoa)
Road – Circuito Sur (Artemisa-Cienfuegos-Sancti Spiritus)
Military, War and Police Museums: Playa Girón: Museo Girón
Museums – Various: Remedios: Museo de la Agroindustria Azucarera
DARE places
Cuba – Jardines del Rey Archipelago
Cuba – Jardines de la Reina Archipelago
Islands
Cayo Coco
Cayo Guajaba
Cayo Romano
Cayo Sabinal
Cuba
Ernst Thalmann Island
Jardines de la Reina Archipelago
CARDENAS
CIEGO DEL AVILA
FLORIDA
MORON
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CUBA -ISLA de la JUVENTAD
Tentative WHS
Sistema Arrefical del Caribe Cubano
Islands
CAYO LARGO del SUR
Beaches: Playa Paraiso
ISLA de la JUVENTUD
NUEVA GERONA
History, Culture, National and City Museums: Nueva Gerona: Municipal Museum
The Dark Side: Nueva Gerona: Presidio Modelo
Airports: Cayo Largo del Sur (CYO)
World of Nature
Punta Frances Marine
Punta Francés Punta Pedernales Marine Park
DARE places Cuba – Canarreos Archipelago (except isla de la Juventud)
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CUBA – EAST (Holguín, Santiago de Cuba, Las Tunas)
ALEJANDRO de HUMBOLDT NATIONAL PARK WHS
Known for its size, altitude range, complex lithology, landform diversity, and wealth of endemic flora and fauna. The rivers that flow off the peaks of the park are some of the largest in the insular Caribbean. The park is said to be the most humid place in Cuba and this causes a high biological diversity. The park has an area of 711.38 km2 (274.67 sq mi), of which 685.72 km2 (264.76 sq mi) is land area and 22.63 km2 (8.74 sq mi) is marine area. Elevation ranges from sea level to 1,168 m (3,832 ft) on El Toldo Peak. The region around Alejandro de Humboldt National Park is geologically complex, containing karst landscapes that originated from oceanic crust in the Cretaceous period.
With a relatively stable climate through the repeated glaciation events, this allowed for remarkably high rates of endemism and biodiversity. In addition, the ultra-basic rocks are relatively toxic to plants, driving rapid speciation. 16 of Cuba’s 28 endemic plant species are protected in the park, including such flora as Dracaena cubensis and Podocarpus ekmanii. Fauna present in the park includes various species of parrots, lizards, hummingbirds, the endangered Cuban solenodon (endemic), hutia and snails. Over 900 total plant species have been recorded at the park, along with 45 species of reptiles, 21 amphibian species, and 10 mammal species.
The park has been recognized as an Important Bird Area
ARCHAEOLOGICAL LANDSCAPE of the FIRST COFFEE PLANTAIONS in the SOUTH-EAST OF CUBA WHS. Pioneer agriculture in difficult terrain. Colonial coffee production from the 19th to early 20th centuries. Architectural 171 old coffee plantations or cafetales, the infrastructure for irrigation and water management, and the transportation network of mountain roads and bridges connecting the plantations internally and with coffee export points. The topography, dominated by the steep and rugged slopes of the Sierra Maestra foothills, speaks to the plantation owners’ (primarily of French and Haitian origin) ingenuity in their exploitation of the natural environment through the sweat and blood of their African slaves.
Individual plantations exist in varying states of preservation, from the restored museum of La Isabelica coffee plantation farm to plantation ruins that are no more than archaeological sites. Typically, plantations include the owner’s house, terraced drying floors, production areas for milling and roasting, and workers’ quarters. The coffee processing system of wet pulping, developed exclusively by the French in this area, required specific hydraulic infrastructure of cisterns, aqueducts and viaducts. A form of agricultural exploitation of virgin forest, the traces of which have disappeared elsewhere in the world.
DESEMBARCO del GRANMA NATIONAL PARK WHS. World’s largest and best preserved coastal limestone terrace system. Around Cabo Cruz in south-east Cuba, includes spectacular terraces and the most pristine and impressive coastal cliffs bordering the western Atlantic. A series of these elevated terraces extends from 180 meters below to 360 meters above sea level. The total surface area is 32,576 ha, of which 26,180 ha are terrestrial and 6,396 ha marine area. The marine limestone terraces were formed by tectonic uplift and sea level fluctuations. Karst phenomena include giant sinkholes, cliffs, canyons and caves. Extraordinary visual ensemble of forms, contours, color and texture within a spectacular coastal setting. The karst forms include escarpments, cliffs, cave systems, river canyons and large sinkholes known as dolines in most diverse sizes and shapes.
Tentative WHS. Sites of Memory of Slavery in Cuba
Vestiges of the Past: El Chorro de Maíta
HOLGUIN
Provincial Museum of History
Iglesia San Jose
St. Isidore Cathedral
Natural History Museum
LAS TUNAS
Las Tunas Botanical Garden
SANTIAGO DE CUBA
SAN PEDRO de la ROCA CASTLE WHS. Santiago de Cuba is a fortress located on the coast about 6 miles (10 km) southwest of the city centre. Cited as the best preserved and most complete example of Spanish-American military architecture.
A ravelin and battery were constructed at the site between 1590 and 1610. Built as a defence against raiding pirates, it was built on the steep sides of the promontory (the morro) reaching into the bay. It was constructed on a series of 4 terraces and three large bulwarks. Supplies would be delivered by sea. The top level housed the citadel (1638-1700). It was again used as a fortress in 1898 when the United States’ fleet attacked Santiago de Cuba during the Spanish–American War. During the 20th century, the fort fell into disrepair, but it was restored during the 1960s by Francisco Prat Puig.
SANTIAGO de CUBA- SUS ESCENARIOS HISTÓRICOS Tentative WHS
Historic urban centre and monument compound: The core and oldest part of the foundation site, which comprises the historic area built and developed between 1515 and 1898, between 0 and 55 m above sea level, on the slopes and the hills of the town. This area is the oldest core of the city, and it comprises a series of monuments related to several historic events in colonial time and the Revolution.
Cementerio patrimonial Santa Ifigenia. Established in first revolutionary war, it has heroes and martyrs: Carlos Manuel de Céspedes (Father of the Cuban Nation); Perucho Figueredo (author of the National Anthem), Mariana Grajales (Mother of the Cuban Nation), the martyrs of the expeditions of San Juan de Wilson and of the Virginius; José Martí Pérez (Cuban National Hero); as well as other 60 Generals of the Wars for Independence like Guillermón Moncada, José Maceo and Flor Crombet.
During the period of the Revolution in the 1950s, in the Cemetery were buried several of the Moncada Barracks attackers, the young revolutionaries that participated in the uprising on the 30th of November, 1956, and others who participated in other important events in Santiago de Cuba, for example Frank País. More recently, Commander in Chief Fidel Castro Ruz was interred at Santa Ifigenia.
Sistema de fortificaciones y sitios arqueológicos subacuáticos de la batalla naval de Santiago de Cuba. Fortresses built during colonial rule for the protection of the narrow entrance to the harbour of Santiago de Cuba: Castle of Fortress of el Morro San Pedro de la Roca; La Estrella; the forts La Avanzada 1 and 2; the Communications Casemate, the archaeological remain at the Batería Alta and Batería Baja of la Socapa. In the Spanish-Cuban-American War, the final battle resulted in the sinking of the Spanish fleet commanded by Admiral Pascual Cervera and Topete. This defeat meant the loss of Spain’s last possessions in America for the Spanish Empire.
As a result of the battle, the site treasures several shipwrecks, such as battle ships Vizcaya, Cristóbal Colón, Almirante Oquendo, destroyers Furor and Plutón, and also USS Merrimac sunk in the mouth of the canal of the harbour to impede the Spanish Armada from exiting the harbour.
Paisaje cultural El Cobre. The small town and settlement is 20 kilometres from the city and is known for slavery, mining and religion. Shrine of the Virgin of la Caridad del Cobre, is a place of pilgrimage to the Cuban Patron Saint. Founded by Spanish colonizers, the wars of pirates and privateers for the control of the Caribbean, slaves uprisings, migrations caused by international events, the Spanish-Cuban-American war for Cuban independence, the uprisings related to the revolutionary process in the 20th century, among others, forged a rebellious identity and a special awareness about the city’s history and heroism.
Santiago was founded during colonization and was the seventh town founded by conquistador Diego Velázquez de Cuellar in Cuba in the summer of 1515. 1522, the Bishopric of Cuba was transferred here. A foundational square had the City Council and the Church were built. The attack in 1953 on the Moncada Barracks, carried out by a group of young revolutionaries under the leadership of Fidel Castro.
On the 1st of January 1959, dictator Fulgencio Batista fled and Fidel chose Santiago for the triumphant entrance of the Rebel Army. From the central balcony of the City Hall, Fidel proclaimed the triumph of the Cuban Revolution.
The Peace Tree, the historic park of the Hill of San Juan, the Fort El Viso, and Las Guásimas had the three major battles during the Spanish-Cuban-American. The battles during the siege of the city ended on the 16th of July, 1898, when Spanish troops surrendered under the so-called Peace Tree
Museo de Historia 26 de Julio
Castillo de San Pedro de la Roca
Helechos Garden
Santiago de Cuba: Zoo
Orisha Market
Carnival Museum
Rum Museum
Cementerio de Santa Ifigenia. The Dark Side:
Valle de la Prehistoria. Bizzarium
Art Museums: Santiago de Cuba: Emilio Bacardi Moreau Museum
House and Biographical Museums
Santiago de Cuba: Casa-Natal de Antonio Maceo
Santiago de Cuba: Casa Museo de Frank y Josue Pais
Santiago de Cuba: Diego Velasquez House
Religious Temples: Santiago de Cuba: Catedral de Santiago de Cuba
Military, War and Police Museums: Santiago de Cuba: Museo de la Lucha Clandestina
DARE places
Cuba – Maisí municipality (Guantanamo province easternmost
Cuba – Guamá municipality (Santiago de Cuba province extreme southwest)
House and Biographical Museums: Biran: Casa Natal de Fidel Castro
MANZANILLO
MOA
PALMA SORIANO
BAYAMO
CONTRAMAESTRE
GUANTANAMO
Monuments: Pico Turquino: José Martí bust
Villages and Small Towns:
Baracoa
Gibara
Airports: Holguín (HOG), Santiago de Cuba (SCU)
Roads, Road Bridges and Tunnels: Road – Circuito Sur de Oriente (Bayamo-Niquero-Santiago de Cuba)
World of Nature: Alejandro de Humboldt NP, Baconao National Reserve, Cuchillas del Toa Reserve. Desembarco del Granma National Park, Sierra Cristal NP, Turquino NP (Sierra Maestra NP)
Mountains: El Yunque, La Gran Piedra, Pico Turquino
Rivers: Cauto River, Toa River
Aquariums: Baconao Park Aquarium
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