Havana - Plaza de la Revolucion

As with all good revolutions, the Cuban revolution’s first task was to stop using all the buildings and build all new ones. The place where the Cubans built their new city is the Plaza de la Revolucion. Prior to the Revolution, it was just the Plaza de la Republica, so Revolution has a much better zing!

The main feature of the square is the memorial to the father of the revolution, Jose Marti. It’s a rather funky tower. It’s featured on the one peso note and is the tallest building Havana. It’s a kind of star shape, but with a lot of cool ornamentation up the sides. Best of all, you can catch an elevator to the top.

From the top, you get a great view over all of the city. Directly behind the tower, is the central office of the Communist party. This contains Fidel’s office amongst others. It’s a pretty nondescript building. The only outstanding feature is the large number of guards patrolling the area.

At the top, you also get a really good look at the vultures. Did I say vultures? Yes, yes I did! These birds congregate around any tall building in Havana. They seem to spend the entire day aimlessly circling around the tower. When they get tired, they land on one of the ledges of the tower, have a bit of a squawk and then go to sleep. It’s really cool to watch them up close riding the wind eddies.

Back at ground level, there is another attraction. It’s probably one of the most iconic buildings in Havana. It’s the Ministry of the Interior, but it looks like a block of flats. On the side is a massive portrait of Che Guevera. It’s a reproduction of the photo that is on just about every shirt for sale in Cuba. Along with it, is the slogan “Hasta la Victoria Siempre” or “Always towards victory”. Because of its scale and the stern look on Che’s face, it’s a very striking image. It’s not something I’ll soon forget.

The square itself is pretty barren. It’s just a big cement paved area. Not on the scale of Tiananmen Square in Beijing, it is still pretty large. There are a few power poles holding lights, but that’s it. Not exactly that inspiring.

The Plaza de la Revolucion is a taxi ride out of town, but definitely worth the trip!