At a glance

Type

National capitol building; seat of government (historic) and National Assembly (current)

Period

Construction 1926–1929; opened 20 May 1929; restored and reopened 2018

Style

Eclectic Neoclassical

Location

Paseo del Prado, Centro Habana, Havana, Cuba · 23.1353° N, 82.3597° W

Overview

El Capitolio stands at the boundary between Old Havana and Centro Habana, its great dome visible from across the bay and from much of the city centre. The building was constructed during the Cuban Republic’s most prosperous decade, funded in part by sugar revenues and U.S. financial investment, and it expressed the nation’s ambition to project an image of modernity and civic grandeur. Today it functions as both a working legislative building and a major tourist landmark, drawing visitors to its ornate halls and the massive bronze Statue of the Republic in its central chamber.

History

President Gerardo Machado commissioned El Capitolio in 1926 as a centrepiece of his public works programme, hiring architect Eugenio Rayneri Piedra to design a building on the scale of the great European and American capitols. Over 5,000 workers built the structure in approximately three years — an extraordinary pace for a building of this complexity — and it opened on 20 May 1929, the anniversary of Cuban independence. The Congress of Cuba met here until Fidel Castro’s revolutionary government dissolved it in 1959; the building was subsequently assigned to the Cuban Academy of Sciences, which used it for research and public exhibitions for nearly six decades. A major restoration project, begun in the 2010s, returned the building to its 1929 appearance and culminated in its reopening as the seat of the National Assembly in 2018.

What you see

The 62-metre dome dominates Havana’s urban horizon and shelters the Hall of Lost Steps, an enormous barrel-vaulted reception hall whose acoustics carry sound across its full length. At the hall’s centre stands the bronze Estatua de la República, a 17-metre figure of a woman representing the Cuban nation — one of the tallest indoor sculptures in the world. Embedded in the floor beneath the dome is a replica of a 24-carat diamond that once served as the zero-kilometre marker for all Cuban highways. The Senate chamber and House of Representatives chamber, both richly furnished, flank the central hall and are accessible on guided tours.

Cultural significance

El Capitolio is the most recognisable building in Cuba and one of the most visited structures in the Caribbean. Its design consciously engages with the architectural heritage of European and North American democracy, yet its fate — seized by revolution, restored by the revolutionary state — makes it a uniquely layered monument to the turbulent history of Cuban self-governance. The 2018 restoration has renewed its role as a living symbol of Cuban national identity.

Practical information

Address

Paseo del Prado esq. San Martín, Centro Habana, Havana, Cuba

Hours & admission

Open to guided tours; check with local tourist offices or your accommodation for current hours and entry fees

Note

As an active seat of the National Assembly, access to certain areas may be restricted on legislative days

Getting there

El Capitolio is located in central Havana at the terminus of the Paseo del Prado, a short walk from Old Havana and the Parque Central. Taxis and coco-taxis are readily available throughout the city centre. The building is easily reached on foot from most hotels in Vedado and Old Havana.

Sources & resources

• El Capitolio — Wikipedia
• Cultural Heritage Online