Cienfuegos |
PARQUE MARTÍ
Main square of the city around which are located some of the most important buildings in the city such as the Tomás Terry Theater, Ferrer Palace and the Provincial Historical Museum.
PASEO DEL PRADO
Known as the longest meadow in Cuba, it runs through the city to Punta Gorda and among its main attractions are the Casa de los Leones, as well as restaurants and shops.
PALACIO DE VALLE
Impressive Mudejar-style palace whose construction was considered one of the most expensive of its time. It currently hosts a restaurant.
CEMENTERIO DE REINA
Considered an authentic openair museum, it was declared a National Monument, noted for the beauty of its sculptures.
CEMENTERIO DE TOMÁS ACEA
Conceived as a large garden, it is chaired by a large neoclassical porch. It is considered a jewel of Cuban funeral architecture.
JARDÍN BOTÁNICO
Considered as one of the most important gardens on the Island, it has unique specimens of Cuban flora.
FORTALEZA DE NUESTRA SEÑORA DE LOS ÁNGELES DE JAGUA
Fortress designed to protect the entrance of the bay from attacks by privateers and pirates. Currently it houses collections related to the history of this castle.
EL NICHO
Widely known for its impressive waterfalls and natural pools of crystalline and cold waters, bird watching and hiking can be done in its surroundings.
Recognized as one of the most beautiful provinces of Cuba, its capital, Cienfuegos, is located in one of the most important bays of the country. Popularly called “La Perla del Sur” (The Pearl of the South,) it was founded in 1819 by French immigrant Luis D'clouet, from Louisiana, and named Fernandina de Jagua.
Capital: Cienfuegos
Extension: 4 180 sq. km
Municipalities: Cienfuegos, Cruces, Palmira, Lajas, Aguada de Pasajeros, Rodas, Abreu y Cumanayagua.
Denonym: cienfueguero/a Limits: it limits to the north with the province of Villa Clara, to the east with the province of Sancti Spíritus, to the south with the Caribbean Sea, and to the west with the province of Matanzas. Access: it can be accessed by air through Jaime González Airport, while by land its main accesses are the Autopista Nacional (National Highway) and the Carretera Central (Central Road) in addition to the national rail network. It has a secondary network of roads and highways that links all urban settlements and places of interest.
PLACES OF INTEREST 1 PARQUE MARTÍ (PARK)
Avenidas 54 and 56 between 25th y 29th streets
Founded on April 22, 1819, it is bordered by the main city buildings and has busts and statues of the city's illustrious sons, as well as a statue of Jose Marti flanked by two marble lions. On its west side, it has an arch of triumph unveiled on May 20, 1902, in commemoration of the proclamation of the Republic.
2 DE LA PURÍSIMA CONCEPCIÓN
Calle 29 between 54th y 56th streets, Tel 043 52 5297 Located on the east side of the square, its construction dates back to 1870. It has a splendid interior with marble floors and a colorful altar with Corinthian columns. In its windows, you can see stained glass windows imported from France after 1789 and representing the 12 apostles.
TEATRO TOMÁS FERRY 3
2703 Ave. 56 and. 27th street, Tel 043 51 3361
Built between 1890 and 1895, it bears the name of its patron, Don Tomas Terry, a wealthy sugar tycoon from this region. The proscenium is sumptuously decorated and has a bas-relief with the figure of Dionysus in the center. With a 900-seat
capacity, it is considered one of the main theaters in the country, where figures such as Enrico Caruso, Sarah Benhardt, Ballet Bolshoi and Mexican singer Jorge Negrete have been presented.
4 MUSEO HISTÓRICO PROVINCIAL
2702 Ave. 54 and 27th street, Tel 043 51 9722
Located to the south of the square, in the old building of the Spanish Club, whose construction dates from 1898, it exhibits a modest collection of antiquities, as well as a room dedicated to the archaeological findings related to the first inhabitants of America.
5 CASA DEL FUNDADOR
Ave. 54 and. 29th streets,
Tel 043 55 2144
The former residence of the founder of the city Don Luis D'clouet, it treasures original objects of its owner as well as documents related to the history of the city and its foundation. Paseo del Prado (Calle 37)
As the central urban walk that crosses the city almost all along and ends up where Cienfuegos seafront begins, it is characterized to have in its center inscriptions, statues and busts in honor of the illustrious sons of the city, such as the case of a statue of Bartolomé Maximiliano Moré, Benny Moré, "El Bárbaro del Ritmo", one of
the emblematic figures of Cuban music and world renowned for his peculiar way of singing and conducting his orchestra, the Banda Gigante, in addition to his beautiful songs. Made in bronze, the statue is located at the intersection of Prado with Ave. 54 and was sculpted by José Villa Soberón.
6 PALACIO DE VALLE
Calle 37 and Ave. 2,
Tel 043 51 1003 Considered as the jewel and pride of Cienfuegos architecture, it arose from a modest house belonging to merchant Celestino Cáceres. Later it was the wedding gift of the father of Amparo Suero Rodríguez for his daughter and his son-in-law Acisclo del Valle Blanco. The couple, after their honeymoon in Spain, decided to build a unique villa of eclectic style, at the cost of one and a half million pesos. Between 1913 and 1917, craftsmen from France, Arabia, Italy and Cuba worked in the building and imported materials from Spain, Italy and the United States (marble, alabaster, bronze, glass and ceramics). Similar to Mughal style buildings, it has delicate floral motifs, polilobed arches, bulb-shaped domes and delicate alabaster arabesques. It currently hosts a restaurant attached to Hotel Jagua, and an inn.
7 CEMENTERIO DE REINA
Ave. 50 and calle 7 Considered a true museum of funerary art, it is located at the western end of the city and was declared a National Monument. It has a gallery of French and Italian baroque statuary that has among its main pieces the statue of the Sleeping Beauty, around which have arisen several stories. In 1839, it was placed in its present place to move it away from the city center and thus protect the population from possible contagion by corpses of deceased from cholera or other diseases.
CEMENTERIO DE TOMÁS ACEA (CEMETERY)
Ave. 5 de Septiembre,
Tel 043 52 5257
Located 2 km east of the city on the road to Rancho Luna, it has impressive neoclassical structures. Considered a jewel of Cuban funerary architecture, in 1926 it replaced the Reina Cemetery and was conceived as a
large garden with trails and fruit trees. Its elegant management building, which functions as an entrance, is supported by 64 Doric columns. It was designed by engineers Pablo Donato Carbonell and Luis Felipe Ros and constitutes a valuable sample of the use of the most modern North American constructive concepts of his time.
BALNEARIO CIEGO MONTERO (SPA)
Located in a beautiful spot in the vicinity of the town of Ciego Montero, 27 km from the city of Cienfuegos, this center has mineral-medicinal chlorides, bicarbonated, sodium and calcium waters, classified as sulfur silica and containing bromine. Its temperature ranges between 32 and 43 ° C. It has inside 2 collective swimming pools, 5 individual swimming pools and 2 dermatological pools. It has hot showers and a hot tub. The center has 24 rooms and a capacity for 53 people.
JARDÍN BOTÁNICO (BOTANICAL GARDEN)
Calle Central 136, Pepito Tey, Tel 043 54 5115 Considered one of the most important gardens of the island,
not only for its antiquity but also for the valuable collections of unique plants of its kind in America. It occupies an area of 97 hectares and was founded by American businessman Edwin F. Atkins, who at the end of the 19th century purchased the sugar mill “Soledad.” With the intention of improving sugar cane varieties and obtaining greater benefits from his possessions, in 1901, the botanical garden was built under his patronage under the name Harvard Botanical Station for Tropical Research and Sugar Cane Investigation. Harvard University ran the center from 1919 to 1960. It currently houses more than 1 417 plant species and more than 500 of them are unique specimens.
PLAYA RANCHO LUNA (BEACH)
About 15 km southeast of Cienfuegos is the peaceful Rancho Luna beach. It has, among its attractions, the Dolphinarium (Tel 043 548120) that puts on shows twice a day as well as the possibility to touch and swim with the dolphins. The visitor can do scuba diving, rent catamarans and water bikes, as well as visit the Refugio
Guanaroca Punta Gavilán
(Carretera Cienfuegos-rancho Luna km 12 / Tel 04354 8117), created in 2013 for the protection of a flock of about 50 young flamingos that emigrated from the Ciénaga de Zapata and the north of Camaguey to the area.
FORTALEZA NUESTRA SEÑORA DE JAGUA (FORTRESS)
Poblado del Castillo de Jagua, Tel 043 96 5402
It protects the entrance of Cienfuegos bay. The construction of the original fortress was started in 1733 to protect the area from privateer and pirate attacks, as well as from the Royal English Navy. The design was commissioned to engineer Joseph Tantete and was concluded 12 years later and named Castillo de Nuestra Señora de los Ángeles de Jagua. Nestled on a small height, the fortress finally restored is available to visitors, who may also learn about the legend of the lady dressed in blue: a mysterious woman who, at night, would run around the castle frightening the guards. One of them is said to have been found in a state of shock holding in his hands a piece of blue cloth and that he could never recover from this experience.
EL NICHO (RESORT)
Tel 043 43 3351
Located 48 km east of Cienfuegos, it is a recreational resort belonging to Cumanayagua. Widely known for its spectacular waterfalls and natural pools of cold turquoise waters, it is one of the best places for practicing nature tourism in places of singular beauty. In the surroundings it is possible to do bird watching and trekking.