Napoleonic Museum, Havana. Cuba

• ( 18 reviews)
• Calle San Miguel No. 1159 esq. a Ronda, Havana City. Cuba
• Daily
• (537) 8791412
• Destination: Havana

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On a side of the walls of the bicentennial University of Havana and very close to the highest populated spot in the city there is a renaissance mansion, that treasures one of the most complete collections of objects, weapons, works of art and jewellery, which belonged to Napoleon Bonaparte or were somehow linked to his life.

The Napoleonic Museum is considered to be one of the most important of the world, It is unique in its type in Latin America.

The genesis of this singular place includes the private collection of Cuban millionaire Julio Lobo, Napoleon admirer, who obtained each of his pieces in diverse auctions in Europe and the United States of America.

After the triumph of the Revolution, led by Fidel Castro in 1959, and the nationalization process, the Lobo family immigrated to the United States of America.

His collection remained under the care of the National Museum of Fine Arts until it was placed in the former residence of the lawyer and Italian politician Orestes Ferrara.

In the 20´s he had himself made a copy of the Palace of Médicis, whose ambient with interior gardens, balconies, terrace and his four plants turned out ideal to expose the works he treasured.

The Napoleonic Museum opened to the public in December 1961. In 1991, after a complete restoration it was set so for the visitors to better understand of the tour from a historical point of view.

The tour begins the moment you go through the double Iron Gate lion head shape with bronze knocker, guiding you on a tour from the end of the French monarchy until the Second Empire. Over 7 000 pieces comprise the wealthy collection, among which the outstanding ones are the pistols Napoleon carried to the Battle of Borodino, the mortuary mask of the Emperor, the most valuable set of furniture, Sevres porcelain, paintings of the finest neo-classicist French artists and over four thousand books.

Napoleonic Museum Map

Napoleonic Museum 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 Museums: Napoleonic Museum