The City Museum, Cradle of Havana's Symbols
By Danil Ren, representative of the agency, translated from Spanish by Danil Ren.
The City Museum is located in the historical Palacio de los Capitanes Generales (General Captains' Palace), which was the seat of Habana's government for centuries and is currently also the headquarters of the Historian's Office. Today, it is one of the most valued tourist places, as can also be observed in the YouTube video included below.
The General Captains' Palace
Besides being a historical palace that today houses the Museum of the City's Relics, one of the most important museums in Cuba, it is also the most important work of Baroque architecture in Havana. It is located in Plaza de Armas, in front of the Templete, the Santa Isabel Hotel and the Castillo de la Real Fuerza. In its interior courtyard there is a statue of the discoverer of Cuba, Christopher Columbus.
The Palace occupies an entire city block, and formerly, the old Parish Church of Havana stood in its place. Its construction began in 1776, and upon its completion, it served as the seat for 65 governors of Cuba. From 1899 to 1902, it was the headquarters for the United States military governors and, finally, during the Republican era, it functioned as the presidential palace until 1920.
It also served as the town council/city hall and prison throughout the entire colonial period until 1835, in addition to housing many government offices and those of merchants who rented them for a term. Meanwhile, the upper floor overlooking the Plaza de Armas housed the General Captaincy.
After 1920, it was assigned to the Havana City Hall until December 11, 1967, during the revolutionary period, when it finally became what it is today, the city's museum.
The City Museum
The City Museum has forty permanent exhibition rooms whose objective is to preserve and exhibit relics of the Cuban history, especially from the colonial era. For this very reason, it is considered the most important museum in Old Havana. The most relevant of these exhibition rooms are listed below.
"Giraldilla"
This is where the original statue of the Giraldilla is kept, which was swept away by a cyclone in 1926 from one of the towers of the already cited Real Force Castle. Now, what is in the castle is a replica, being the original kept here, in the City Museum. For more details about the legend of the Giraldilla, see this page.
Heraldry
This room shows the symbols, objects, customs and documents of the Cuban nobility, not only from the colonial period, but also and especially from the 19th century. As this room shows, the Cuban nobility attached great importance to heraldic symbolism. This room bears witness to the symbols, objects, customs, and documents of the Cuban nobility, not only from the colonial era but also, and especially, from the 19th century. As this room illustrates, the Cuban nobility placed great importance on heraldic symbolism.
The Carriage House of the Palace
Carriages were one of the first industries in Cuba, together with the sugar industry and the railroads. This room is a testimony of this industry. It contains a showcase with locks, keys and metal supports from the 17th, 18th and 19th centuries.
The Carriage House is almost exclusively devoted to the carriages that were used in the history of Havana, most of them dating back to the 19th century, especially the Quintín and the English station wagon, which was able to carry more people.
However, it is not only carriages; there are also driver’s suits and various accessories related to transportation of the time. There is also a relic that represents the first locomotive that operated in Cuba in 1837 at the Villanueva station. This Cagney 15 type piece, although it was manufactured in the United States in 1905, is a gem of Cuban railway heritage. On the other hand, the classic cars of Cuba, which are now considered a national relic, are actually vehicles of American construction.
Parish
The Major Parish was the first cathedral that was built in the Plaza de Armas, which occupied the place now occupied by the General Captains' Palace. It was destroyed in 1941 by a lightning strike and this room contains all the relics and testimonies that remain from this first parish of Havana. Among the exhibits are architectural remains of the building, portraits of the first bishops, pieces from convents, jewelry and other objects.
19th Century Room
This room showcases the luxury, artistic trends, fashion, decorations and souvenirs of the Cuban society in the 19th century - a time of great wealth and prosperity in Cuba due to the development and exploitation of the sugar industry.
Image Gallery
This room contains a series of plastic works, mainly from the 19th century. Among the artists exhibited, there are Víctor Manuel, Leopoldo Romañach, Armando Menocal, Amelia Peláez, Mariano Rodríguez, and René Portocarrero. Most of them were great names of the academy and depicted scenes of the Cuban life at that time.
Emilie Roig's Room
Roig (1889-1964) was the historian of Havana City, before Eusevio Leal. He was the promoter of several museums and works in the historic center and founded the office of the historian. The Emilio Roig Room commemorates the office and professional affairs of this famous historian, with collection pieces, including a caricature made by Conrado Walter Massaguer that recreates the members of the Grupo Minorista, important figures of the Cuban culture in the first half of the 20th century.
Brass Room
Blacksmithing was one of the most important trades in Havana's history. This room showcases some of the most ingenious objects crafted by Cuban blacksmiths from the colonial period through the 19th century.
Hall of Statues and Lapidary
All the works of art and construction in marble, created during the 19th century due to the marble boom in Cuba, are exhibited here. Large quantities of marble entered the country, attracting visits from prominent Italian sculptors. Notably, the Giraldilla is featured in this exhibition. Most of the sculptures in this room are made of Carrara marble, which was readily available in the 19th century. During this period, Italian artistic influences flourished through neoclassicism, providing both a scholarly and commercial stimulus.
Finally, the room contains the pieces that were collected in various avenues, parks, gardens and monuments and are now preserved for all history lovers.
Spanish Uniform Room
All the complete costumes of Spanish soldiers from all eras, according to their ranks and functions.
Chapter House
The cabildo was a form of government widely used in Spain and was obviously applied in the colonies, including Cuba. This room exhibits elements related to this form of government and the ceremonies associated with it.
Heroic Cuba
This room bears witness to all the anti-colonial and liberating actions carried out by Cubans over the centuries. From the liberation of the colonies to the abolition of slavery on October 10, 1868. There are also elements that testify to the Cuban wars of independence. There are no elements of the Cuban Revolution, as a separate museum is dedicated to this event.
Hall of Flags
The flags that have been used throughout the history of Cuba are on display, from the Spanish flag to the various flags that have represented Cuba. Additionally, personal items of the independence leaders, including José Martí, are showcased. You can also see the painting depicting the fall in battle of Antonio Maceo, among other objects and works.
Room of Thought
It contains objects and testimonies of the dominant ideologies of the 19th century. The covered themes are: independence, the discontent of the slave-owning bourgeoisie with the regime imposed by Spain on Cuba, the annexationist movement of those who support the United States, and finally the supporters of total independence.
Espada Cemetery Hall
The funerary, like other things, has been an art, and the funerary of the nineteenth century is related to sculpture and foundry. All this is visible in this room that recalls the first cemetery of the city, the Cemetery of Espada. It contains bisque flowers and glass beads, beautifully carved tombstones, iron coffins and historical events of the political life that took place there. Founded in 1806 by the illustrious bishop Juan José Díaz de Espada y Fernández de Landa.
This room is quite large and deserves to be observed closely, it also contains the wall of niches and the tomb of the French painter Jean B. Vermay.
Hall of Metallurgy
Copper has always been an abundant metal in Cuba, followed by bronze and iron, so metallurgy has always found an appropriate place to be exhibited in this museum. It is possible to find a valuable and unique collection of Spanish-American vessels, dated between the 16th and 19th centuries, a legacy of the Catalan blacksmith Ricardo Soler.
United States Intervention Room
This piece bears witness to the American domination of Cuba. The United States used the pretext of a naval explosion to intervene, in 1898, in the war between Cuba and Spain. This war ended with the Treaty of Paris, which consisted in the handing over of power over Cuba to the United States. This room contains relics of all these events.
Dinning Room
A colonial salon is a faithful reproduction of the dining rooms of 19th century colonial palaces.
The Wicker Room
It reflects the atmosphere that reigned in the palace during the last decades of the 19th century: it presents mainly French and European works of art, especially Art Nouveau and Art Deco.
Sculpture
It contains luxurious 19th century tableware, portraits of the American painter Elias Metcalf.
Coffee Room
In this room, the captains general were received and shared coffee during their meetings. You can find a set of pearls from the 19th century, oriental art pieces and fans used by the ladies during the colonial period. It is also possible to appreciate the works of various foreign painters.
The Infanta's Room
In Spain, the king's daughters were called infantas. This room is dedicated to the visit of the Infanta Eulalia de Borbón who visited Havana in 1893, staying in that room. It contains objects commemorating the event and paintings.
Bathroom
Glassware, Chinese porcelain and Italian marble bathtubs are displayed in this room.
Room Adapted to the 19th Century
Nineteenth-century aristocratic environments were often extremely elegant and characterized by a mix of various influences, including foreign ones. This room is an example.
White Room
This room served as a complement to receive guests on festival days, and was also used as a space to listen to music.
Mirrors Room
It was in this room that the most important political events took place. It was here that the Treaty of Paris was signed, the neo-colonial republic was born among many other important events.
Conclusion
This article lacks photos but has a very informative video on all the topics covered and more. The city museum is very large and it can take a whole morning or more to visit. Photos would not be enough to show all the spaces and would make this page very slow to load. That's why, instead of photos, we preferred to provide a video.
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