Hotels - Beltran de Santa Cruz

About  Beltran de Santa Cruz

The mansion restored and converted by the Office of the City Historian of Havana into the Hotel Beltrán de Santa Cruz is only a moment’s walk down San Ignacio Street from one of Old Havana’s most beautiful squares, the Plaza Vieja. The Plaza is the old city’s only purely residential square. It was laid out in the late sixteenth century by the disgruntled citizenry after the commander of the Fuerza Castle had appropriated the Plaza de Armas for military exercises, thus depriving the habaneros of their public promenade-ground.

Plaza Vieja is surrounded by pretty colonial palaces and the Hotel Beltrán de Santa Cruz dates from the same period. It was built by the parents of Gabriel Beltrán de Santa Cruz y Aranda, who in 1770 received the title of Count of Jaruco and set up house nearby in the beautiful palace still known as the Casa de los Condes de Jaruco.

The mansion which was to become the Hotel Beltrán de Santa Cruz subsequently passed to the descendants of one of Havana’s most illustrious citizens, the Marquis of Cárdenas de Monte Hermoso. His guests over the years included the eminent German scientist Baron Alexander von Humboldt and three French princes: the Count of Beaujolais, the Duke of Montpensier and the Duke of Orleans, who later became Louis Philippe I of France.

Hotel Beltrán de Santa Cruz's gracious colonial architecture and interior design, and its proximity to the heart of the city’s historical centre, make it an extremely attractive option for aficionados of history and architecture.

 

Calle Oficios, esq Muralla, Plaza de San Francisco de Asís, La Habana

Alejandro de Humboldt Museum

The Museo Alejandro de Humboldt (Alejandro de Humboldt Museum) is located in a Colonial house in Plaza de San Francisco de Asís Square, in Old Havana, Cuba. Its name comes from the German scientist Alejandro von Humboldt, who is seen as the second person to discover Cuba. This is a scientific museum dedicated to biology and its main objective is to preserve research and promote the historical Humboldt’s legacy. This institution enhances the labor of Cuban and international personalities whose contributions are considered relevant for the development of culture in general terms. It exhibits the historical trajectory of the scientific and botanic data he compiled throughout the island at the beginning of the 19th century, as well as a botanic exhibition which is fundamentally made up of ferns. In this museum there is a perfect copy of a Kritosaurus skeleton found in the desert and donated by the Mexican government, as well as an enormous Pterosaur skeleton, which is around 10 meters length. The House also has a conference room with capacity for 100 persons and a specialized library on German literature.

Calle Leonor Pérez No. 314, La Habana

Museo Casa Natal de José Martí

The Museo Casa Natal de José Martí (Birthplace Museum) is the house in which José Martí was born, a 19th century politician, intellectual and national hero of the Republic of Cuba. This humble two-floor house was converted into a museum in 1925 and declared a National Monument in 1949. It exhibits personal objects of José Martí, whose spirit is felt in every corner of the restored house. It was built at the beginning of the 19th century, rather close to the city walls, and has typical features of many houses in the area: a tiled roof and mortar walls.  The house was restored and its collection enriched in a community process in 1959. It is interesting to know that this museum contains the only known Oil Portrait of José Martí.

Calle Cuba No. 610 e / Sol y Luz, Habana Vieja, La Habana

Santa Clara Convent

The Convento de Santa Clara (Santa Clara Convent) is located at the south of Plaza Vieja Square of Havana. This is the biggest and oldest convent in all of Cuba, built between 1638 and 1643, and it is a good example of early Spanish influenced architecture. It was actually the first female convent in the city. The temple stopped serving for religious purposes in 1920, housing for some time the Ministry of Public Works. It is currently part of the restoration team of Old Havana. It being recommended to visit the Colonial-style interior patio, where the first public fountain of the city was found; the cloister, the cells of the nuns and the small cemetery.

Ave Carlos Manuel Céspedes y Santa Clara, Habana Vieja, La Habana

Nuestra Señora de Kazán Orthodox Cathedral

The Catedral Ortodoxa de Nuestra Señora de Kazán (Nuestra Señora de Kazán Orthodox Cathedral), declared World Heritage Site by UNESCO, is one of the newest constructions in Havana, being built in 2000. This Russian Orthodox church is Byzantine in style. It has six beautiful domes, two of which (the biggest and smallest) are gold-sheeted, and the rest are made of bronze. Its staircase entrance calls our attention and is considered the second largest staircase of all outside Russia. From the interior, its golden altar stands out, built in Trinidad and the San Sergio Monastery, Russia; and the murals adorning its walls.

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