Morro Castle, Havana. Cuba

• ( 28 reviews)
• Carretera de La Cabana, Eastern Havana, Havana City. Cuba
• 3,4,5,6,7
• (537) 863-7941
• Destination: Havana

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From the 16th century on, the advantages of the natural rocky elevation that lay by the bay’s entrance, called El Morro, became evident. At the beginning two lookouts were posted in this place to watch over the area. They had a slate roofed hut. In 1563, the authorities built a stone and mortar watchtower. The arrival of Tejeda and Antonelli gave El Morro a new importance. Alongside Antonelli worked his nephew Cristóbal de Roda as the engineer’s assistant. He takes the credit for drawing the first layout of Havana in 1603. In December 1588 the king appointed a keeper in charge of the fortress that was to be called ‘de los Tres Reyes’ (‘of the Three Kings’). Morro FortressBy 1594 El Morro already had a big moat and other changes that had been brought about by the survey made by the Fleet’s Captain Francisco Coloma, who had found El Morro too weak on the land side due to its low walls and the shallowness of the moat. Late in 1602 the wall facing the sea was erected by the entrance of the bay. Soon after a gun battery having twelve cannons was placed on a platform. From that time on they were known as Los Doce Apóstoles (The Apostles). Near the fortress another twelve were placed, known as La Pastora (The Shepherdess). Construction works ended by 1630. Morro FortressEl Morro is designed to fit in the sharp accidents of the elevation holding it, and to create successive levels of defensive fire all the way to sea level. It is an irregular polygon. The stones used in its construction were cut on the spot, dug out from the area of the moats. El Morro has wells, barracks, dungeons and a church. In the structure of the fortress there was a turret called El Morrillo used as watchtower. The number of ships within sight was announced with the tolling of the bell and with flags hanging over the gate of the castle. In December, 1845 a tower 30 meters high and 5 meters in diameter was inaugurated. It would become a symbol and a beacon of the city. The light of the lighthouse has a range of 35 miles. El Morro was the main scenario of the battle when the English attacked and captured the city with a powerful fleet in 1762. As a result of that battle, the bastions and walls were practically razed, having received the impact of forty thousand bombs and projectiles, as stated in British documents of the time. Then the Spanish flag was pulled down and substituted by the English one until the next year, when the city was again under Spanish rule. The fortress was rebuilt. Morro Fortress Morro Fortress is itself a large museum piece which tells us about the solutions of the renaissance architecture applied on the military strategy. Two theme halls show the visitors the history of navigation in Havana harbour, where objects rescued from a sunken ship at the entrance of Havana Bay in the 19th Century can be seen. Several temporary expositions with a number of themes are simultaneously displayed. The Three Morro Kings Fortress is included in the system of fortress that along with Old Havana was declared by the UNESCO World Heritage Site. Permanent exposition and a visit to the top of the beacon to enjoy the best views of the city are among its main attractions. In the evening the ceremony of lifting the flag takes place, according to the maritime traditions.

Morro Castle Map

Morro Castle is located in Havana

Capital of Cuba and the country's administrative, political, cultural and scientific center, it is also the capital of two provinces: City of Havana and Havana. Though only around 280 square miles (727 square kilometers) in size-0.65 percent of the archipelago's total area.

The Old Havana and system of forts led UNESCO to declare it a part of world heritage in 1982. Founded on its present site in 1519, the settlement of San Cristobal de La Habana prospered mainly due to its bay, which was a natural port of call for ships sailing to and from the New World. Starting in 1634, because of its strategic location, San Cristobal de La Habana was considered the key to the New World-as attested to by royal letters patent-and the main defense of the West Indies.

The Cuban capital consists of an immense number of buildings in a wide range of architectural styles, built in the course of nearly five centuries. These styles range from the pre-baroque to the baroque, neo-Gothic, neoclassical, eclectic, art noveau and art-deco, to the modern.

Alejo Carpentier, one of Cuba's most famous authors, called it "the city of columns" and focused attention on its streets, which he considered a perennially rich show of life, humanity and contrasts that was bound to entertain any observer.

Over 14 kilometers of excellent beaches lie to the east of the Cuban capital. To the south, a green belt contributes to a healthful atmosphere.

Review about Colonial Fortress: Morro Castle