Vedado in Havana

Wednesday, 16 December 2015 - 01:00 pm (CET/MEZ) Berlin | Author/Destination:
Category/Kategorie: General
Reading Time:  4 minutes

John Lennon Memorial in Cuba © Christopher Hughes/cc-by-sa-3.0-us

John Lennon Memorial in Cuba © Christopher Hughes/cc-by-sa-3.0-us

Vedado is a central business district and urban neighborhood in the city of Havana, Cuba. Bordered on the east by Central Havana, and on the west by the Miramar / Playa district. Vedado is the most modern part of the city, developed in the first half of the 20th century, during the Republic period. The main street running east to west is Calle 23, also known as “La Rampa”. The northern edge of the district is the waterfront seawall known as the Malecón, a famous and popular place for social gatherings in the city. Vedado is a ward (consejo popular) of the municipality Plaza de la Revolución.

Among the notable sites in Vedado are the hotels: Hotel Nacional de Cuba (National Hotel), the Havana Libre (former Hilton), Melia Cohiba Hotel and Hotel Riviera. There are several other notable places, like the US Embassy, the University of Havana, Monument to the Victims of the USS Maine and John Lennon Park, named for the statue of Lennon located there.

Hotel Nacional de Cuba © Jongleur100 FOCSA Building, the tallest building in Cuba © Hmaglione10/cc-by-sa-4.0 Hotel Habana Libre © Sandino235/cc-by-2.5 Hotel Habana Riviera © flickr.com - Leandro Neumann Ciuffo/cc-by-2.0 Cine Yara © Sandino235/cc-by-sa-2.5 Melia Cohiba Hotel © flickr.com - Phil Guest/cc-by-sa-2.0 John Lennon Memorial in Cuba © Christopher Hughes/cc-by-sa-3.0-us
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FOCSA Building, the tallest building in Cuba © Hmaglione10/cc-by-sa-4.0
The Plaza de la Revolución is 31st largest city square in the world (largest city squares), measuring 72,000 square meters. The square is notable as being where many political rallies take place and Fidel Castro and other political figures address Cubans. Fidel Castro has addressed more than a million Cubans on many important occasions, such as 1 May and 26 July each year. Saint Pope John Paul II, during his 1998 first visit by a Pope, and Pope Francis in 2015, both held large Masses there during papal visits to Cuba. The square is dominated by the José Martí Memorial, which features a 109 m (358 ft) tall tower and an 18 m (59 ft) statue. The National Library, many government ministries, and other buildings are located in and around the Plaza. Located behind the memorial are the closely guarded offices of former President Fidel Castro. Opposite the memorial on the far side of the square is the famous Che Guevara image with his well known slogan of “Hasta la Victoria Siempre” (Until the Everlasting Victory, Always) that identifies the Ministry of the Interior building. Construction of the square and the José Martí monument commenced during the Presidency of Fulgencio Batista. The square and the memorial were completed in 1959 (the year Fidel Castro came to power). It was originally called Plaza Cívica (Civic Square). After the Cuban Revolution (1959), it was renamed “Plaza de la Revolución” or “Revolution Square.” An elevator allows access the top of the memorial, at 109 m one the tallest points in the city.

The Malecón is a broad esplanade, roadway and seawall which stretches for 8 km (5 miles) along the coast, from the mouth of Havana Harbor in Old Havana, along the north side of the Centro Habana neighborhood, ending in the Vedado neighborhood. New businesses are appearing on the esplanade due to economic reforms in Cuba that now allow Cubans to own private businesses.

Read more on bestcubaguide.com – Top Things to Do in Vedado and Wikipedia Vedado (Smart Traveler App by U.S. Department of State - Weather report by weather.com - Global Passport Power Rank - Travel Risk Map - Democracy Index - GDP according to IMF, UN, and World Bank - Global Competitiveness Report - Corruption Perceptions Index - Press Freedom Index - World Justice Project - Rule of Law Index - UN Human Development Index - Global Peace Index - Travel & Tourism Competitiveness Index). Photos by Wikimedia Commons. If you have a suggestion, critique, review or comment to this blog entry, we are looking forward to receive your e-mail at comment@wingsch.net. Please name the headline of the blog post to which your e-mail refers to in the subject line.






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