La Real Fuerza Castle

La Real Fuerza Castle, locally known as Castillo de la Real Fuerza, is situated in the center of the city of Havana in Cuba.

La Real Fuerza Castle is Cuba's oldest building and the second-oldest fort in the New World.

In 1555, Havana was raided after an attack by buccaneers led by the Frenchman Jacques de Sores. A predecessor of the current fort, located slightly further north, was badly damaged during that attack and was dismantled afterward. The Spanish king, Philip II, then ordered a new fort to be built. This became La Real Fuerza Castle. Construction began in 1558 under Bartolomé Sánchez, during the governorship of Diego de Mazariegos.

Since Cuba lacked enough resources to fund the fort's construction, the Spanish king ordered Mexico to pay for it. The people of Havana benefited from this influx of money because the government rented out their slaves as laborers and bought construction materials. Besides slaves, homeless blacks, mestizos, and mulattoes were also forced to work on the fort under threat of a $10 fine or 100 lashes with a whip. Even 14 captured French buccaneers were put to work.

The fort was completed 20 years later by Francisco de Calona during the governorship of Francisco de Carreño. At that time, it was the safest building in Havana and served as a residence for captains, generals, and governors.

In 1761, it was described as a rectangular fort with four bastions, small but sturdy because of its thick, high walls. One of the bastions has a small turret, which was used as a bell tower. Earlier, it also served for communication through light signals with San Carlos de la Cabaña Castle on the opposite side of the harbor.

In 1854, the Marquess de La Pezuela proposed demolishing the castle because it no longer served military purposes and was seen as an obstacle to the city's commercial activity at the waterfront.

This plan did not go through, and over the next 150 years, it was used as barracks, offices, a library, and a museum.

Today, La Real Fuerza Castle is a museum open to the public for a small fee. It is a charming small fort.

Gallery