Neo-Baroque front
Towers and marble statues.
Knomrm — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Knomrm — CC BY-SA 4.0 · Knomrm — CC BY-SA 4.0 · enrique1363 — CC BY-SA 3.0 · Tony Hisgett from Birmingham, UK — CC BY 2.0
The Gran Teatro de La Habana is a grand, ornate building on the Paseo del Prado in central Havana and home to the Cuban National Ballet. It stands about 220 metres in a straight line from the Capitol. It was designed by the Belgian architect Paul Belau and built in 1914 on the site of the old Teatro Tacón, opened in 1838, keeping that theatre's concert hall inside. Havana's Galician immigrants paid for it as their social centre, and it was known as the Centro Gallego. Artists such as Enrico Caruso, Sarah Bernhardt and Anna Pavlova performed here, and since 1960 it has hosted the International Ballet Festival of Havana every two years. The Neo-Baroque front is crowned with ornate towers and white marble sculptures by Giuseppe Moretti representing charity, education, music and theatre. At night the front is floodlit and every detail glows. Inside are the García Lorca Auditorium, seating about 1,500, a painted ceiling and a grand marble stair. Ask about guided tours of the building or catch a ballet. The UK Foreign Office advises against all but essential travel to Cuba because of fuel, power and water shortages, so read the current advice before you plan.
Towers and marble statues.
Every detail aglow.
About 1,500 seats.
Paseo del Prado, central Havana, Cuba
National CapitolThe National Capitol, known as El Capitolio, is a huge public building in centra3 minutes walk
Old HavanaOld Havana is the original heart of the city, bounded by the line of its old wal11 minutes walk
Havana CathedralHavana Cathedral is a stone church on the Plaza de la Catedral in Old Havana and11 minutes walk
Plaza ViejaPlaza Vieja, the Old Square, is a broad square in Old Havana lined with colourfu12 minutes walk
Castillo de la Real FuerzaThe Castillo de la Real Fuerza, the «Castle of the Royal Force», is a bastion fo14 minutes walkYes, it is the national company's home; check the programme.
The Capitol, about 220 metres away.