The University of Havana, or Universidad de la Habana as it is known in Spanish, is the largest center for higher learning in Cuba and, having been founded in 1721, one of the oldest in the Americas. View this Havana landmark, which is identifiable by its distinctive stone steps that lead up to the colonnaded main building.
Start your tour of the university at the main building where, half way up the monumental flight of steps, sits a bronze statue of Alma Mater (nourishing mother) crafted by Czech sculptor Mario Korbel. The steps themselves date to 1927 and were created during the reign of dictator Gerardo Machado.
Venture through the porticoes of the ornate main building, where you will find several frescoes created by Armando Menocal y Menocal. Each of the frescoes represents one of the university’s founding areas of study: Liberal Arts, Thought, Law, Literature, Science, Art and Medicine.
Soak up the scholarly atmosphere of the university, where alumni such as Fidel Castro, who studied law here in the 1940s, once walked the corridors. Today some 60,000 students, including many from overseas, study an ever-increasing number of subjects including politics, literature, philosophy, sociology and international relations.
Wander around the different university buildings to get a better understanding of the history and architecture. While it was originally founded as a religious institution, and known as Real y Pontificia Universidad de San Gerónimo de la Habana, it changed its status in 1842 to become a secular, royal and literary university. Originally located in Old Havana’s Villa de San Cristobal, the building moved to Vedado in 1902 and its buildings were constructed throughout the following decades.
Find the main building of the university in Plaza Cadenas where it rises unmistakably above the city in all its architectural glory. Regular buses from around the city stop in front of the university. No trip to Havana is complete without setting eyes on this important part of the city’s historical landscape.
