The Castillo del Príncipe (Castle of the Prince) is a military fort located in the Loma de Aróstegui, in Havana, Cuba. In 1982, the fort was inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List, along with other historic sites in Old Havana, because of the city's importance in the European conquest of the New World, its fortifications, and its unique architecture.

History

The fort was built during the wave of military constructions in Cuba, after the end of the Capture of Havana, by the English that lasted almost a year, the Spanish government realized that the city was unprotected and transformed the "Key of the New World", in the most fortified city of the American continent. The castle owes its name to Charles of Bourbon, Prince of Asturias, son and future successor of King

Charles III of Spain it, Carlo Sebastiano di Borbone e Farnese , house = Bourbon-Anjou , father = Philip V of Spain , mother = Elisabeth Farnese , birth_date = 20 January 1716 , birth_place = Royal Alcazar of Madrid, Spain , death_d ...

. The construction was in charge of the colonel of engineers Silvestre Abarca, the same one who built the Fortress of San Carlos de La Cabaña in the bay. The works began in 1767 and concluded in 1779, although since 1771, the place had already been fortified, while the rest of the works of the military complex were finished. The fortification had different uses, among them that of prison, a function it performed from colonial times until the triumph of the Cuban Revolution, the castle became the most important in Havana. The fort continues to be a prison until the 1970s of the 20th century. Then the government transforms it into a unit of military ceremonies It housed common and political prisoners, including José Martí's teacher,

Rafael María de Mendive Rafael may refer to: * Rafael (given name) or Raphael, a name of Hebrew origin * Rafael, California * Rafael Advanced Defense Systems, Israeli manufacturer of weapons and military technology * Hurricane Rafael, a 2012 hurricane Fiction * ...

. Julio Antonio Mella, Eduardo Chibás, Raúl Roa, Juan Marinello and many other prominent revolutionaries were also imprisoned.

Structure

The castle has the shape of an irregular

pentagon In geometry, a pentagon (from the Greek πέντε ''pente'' meaning ''five'' and γωνία ''gonia'' meaning ''angle'') is any five-sided polygon or 5-gon. The sum of the internal angles in a simple pentagon is 540°. A pentagon may be simpl ...

and has two bastions, two semi-bastions and a redan (V-shaped protrusion), further comprises deep trenches, mine galleries, warehouses, offices, a water cistern and a housing area large enough to accommodate a garrison of 1000 soldiers. Its defensive artillery had 60 cannons of various calibers. It also has a system of tunnels built with red bricks that allow communication with all the outposts and most remote positions of the castle. The position of Castillo del Príncipe allowed a broad view of the city, to the remains of the old city wall, from Campus Martius. The fort overlooked Avenue Carlos III (today officially called Avenue Salvador Allende), which led to the house of rest and recreation of the Captains General, called

Quinta de los Molinos The Quinta de Los Molinois more than two centuries old and a national monument, an oasis in the heart of the city located at the intersection of one of Havana’s heaviest traffic arteries: Infanta, Carlos III, and Boyeros avenues. The Quinta si ...

Prison

The fortification had various uses including as a prison that served from colonial times until the triumph of the Cuban Revolution. After the arrival of the revolutionary forces, the fort became the home of a unit of military ceremonies. The fort was primarily used by Castro's revolutionary armed forces to hold common and political prisoners. During 1961-1962 it housed surviving members of the Bay of Pigs Invasion who were ransomed on Christmas Day 1962.

Detainees

The fortress housed detainees and prisoners including the teacher of José Martí, Rafael María de Mendive,

Julio Antonio Mella Julio Antonio Mella McPartland (25 March 1903 – 10 January 1929) was a Cuban political activist and one of the founders of the original Popular Socialist Party (Cuba), Communist Party of Cuba. Mella studied law at the University of Havana but ...

Eduardo Chibás Eduardo René Chibás Ribas (August 15, 1907 – August 16, 1951) was a Cuban politician who used radio to broadcast his political views to the public. He primarily denounced corruption and gangsterism rampant during the governments of Ramón Grau ...

Raúl Roa García Raúl Roa García (18 April 19076 July 1982) was a Cubans, Cuban intellectual, politician and diplomat. He served as Foreign relations of Cuba, Foreign Minister of Cuba from 1959 to 1976. He was a lawyer and was also a university professor in the ...

Juan Marinello Juan Marinello Vidaurreta (2 November 1898 – 27 March 1977) was a Cuban Communist intellectual, writer, poet essayist, lawyer and politician. He was one of the most prominent Cuban intellectual figures of the interwar period and post revolutiona ...

, and

El Caballero de Paris EL, El or el may refer to: Religion * El (deity), a Semitic word for "God" People * EL (rapper) (born 1983), stage name of Elorm Adablah, a Ghanaian rapper and sound engineer * El DeBarge, music artist * El Franco Lee (1949–2016), American p ...

Gallery

Quinta-de-Molinos-Havana.1841.jpg CastillodelPrincipe.jpg, El Castillo del Príncipe

References

Bibliography

The Bay of Pigs: The Leaders' Story of Brigade 2506 (9780393331202): Johnson, Haynes: Books

External links

CASTILLO DEL PRÍNCIPE PROMO MEMORIA DE LA HABANA 38
{{DEFAULTSORT:Castillo del Príncipe (Havana) Fortifications of Havana Spanish colonial fortifications in Cuba Buildings and structures completed in 1779