Hershey (officially known as Camilo Cienfuegos) is a

Cuba Cuba, officially the Republic of Cuba, is an island country, comprising the island of Cuba (largest island), Isla de la Juventud, and List of islands of Cuba, 4,195 islands, islets and cays surrounding the main island. It is located where the ...

n village and ''

consejo popular In Cuba, a consejo popular (; ; sometimes shortened to CP) is an electoral ward or political-administrative demarcation of the National Assembly of People's Power of Cuba Cuba, officially the Republic of Cuba, is an island country, compri ...

'' ("popular council", i.e. hamlet) of the municipality of

Santa Cruz del Norte Santa Cruz del Norte is a town and municipality in the Mayabeque Province of Cuba. Before 2011 it was part of La Habana Province. It is located on the north shore, between the cities of Havana and Matanzas, at the mouth of the Santa Cruz River. ...

, in

Mayabeque Province Mayabeque Province is one of two new provinces created from the former La Habana Province, whose creation was approved by the Cuban National Assembly on August 1, 2010, the other being Artemisa Province. The new provinces came in to existence on J ...

History

Milton Hershey Milton Snavely Hershey (September 13, 1857 – October 13, 1945) was an American chocolatier, businessman, and philanthropist. Trained in the confectionery business, Hershey pioneered the manufacture of caramel, using fresh milk. He launched ...

, the famous American chocolatier and businessman, visited Cuba in 1916. Hershey decided to buy sugar plantations and mills in Cuba to supply the growing Pennsylvania-based

Hershey Company The Hershey Company, often called just Hershey or Hershey's, is an American multinational confectionery company headquartered in Hershey, Pennsylvania, which is also home to Hersheypark and Hershey's Chocolate World. The Hershey Company is one ...

. He built an adjoining town for the workers and their families to live, which he named Hershey. The village grew to 160 homes and had high standards of living, a public school, medical clinic, stores, a movie theater, and a golf course. There is also a baseball stadium where a team sponsored by the Hershey Company played home games. The factory was one of the most productive sugar refineries in Cuba and Latin America. The Hershey Company sold their holdings in Cuba in 1948. Hershey was renamed after the

Cuban Revolution The Cuban Revolution () was the military and political movement that overthrew the dictatorship of Fulgencio Batista, who had ruled Cuba from 1952 to 1959. The revolution began after the 1952 Cuban coup d'état, in which Batista overthrew ...

in honor of

Camilo Cienfuegos Camilo Cienfuegos Gorriarán (; 6 February 1932 – 28 October 1959) was a Cuban revolutionary. One of the major figures of the Cuban Revolution, he was considered second only to Fidel Castro among the revolutionary leadership. The son of An ...

. The sugar refinery was nationalized, wages were lowered, and the golf course was demolished. The mill was closed in 2002 under the pretense that the factory had become inefficient. Residents still refer to the town as Hershey (pronounced as her-see) and Hershey signs still hang at the town's train station.

Geography

Hershey, located between the cities of

Havana Havana (; ) is the capital and largest city of Cuba. The heart of La Habana Province, Havana is the country's main port and commercial center.Matanzas Matanzas (Cuban ; ) is the capital of the Cuban province of Matanzas Province, Matanzas. Known for its poets, culture, and Afro-American religions, Afro-Cuban folklore, it is located on the northern shore of the island of Cuba, on the Bay of Mat ...

, is 3 km from Santa Cruz del Norte and the Atlantic coast. Other nearby villages are La Sierra,

Jibacoa Jibacoa, or more properly Playa Jibacoa, is a fishing village A fishing village is a village, usually located near a fishing ground, with an economy based on catching fish and harvesting seafood. The continents and islands around the world h ...

, San Antonio del Río Blanco, and Loma de Travieso. The village has a station on the main line of the

Hershey Electric Railway The Hershey Electric Railway, also known as the Hershey Railway, is a standard-gauge electric interurban railway that runs from Casablanca, Havana, to the city of Matanzas, approximately to the east. There are a number of intermediate halts an ...

, with a branch to

Jaruco Jaruco is a municipality and town in the Mayabeque Province of Cuba. Geography The town is located in the east of Havana, between San José de las Lajas and Santa Cruz del Norte. The municipality borders with Habana del Este (municipal boroug ...

, and is 5 km from the "

Vía Blanca Vía Blanca (I-3) is a highway in northern Cuba, connecting the capital city of Havana and the city of Matanzas. A second section extends eastwards from Matanzas to the tourist town of Varadero and to Cárdenas. Even if it is a motorwa ...

" highway that connects Havana to

Varadero Varadero (), also referred to as ''Playa Azul'' (Blue Beach), is a resort town in the province of Matanzas, Cuba, and one of the largest resort areas in the Caribbean. Varadero Beach is rated one of the world's best beaches in TripAdvisor's Travel ...

References

External links

{{commons category-inline, Camilo Cienfuegos (Santa Cruz del Norte), Camilo Cienfuegos (Hershey) Populated places in Mayabeque Province Populated places established in 1916 Central Camilo Cienfuegos Sugar industry of Cuba The Hershey Company

History

Geography

See also

References

External links