El Capitolio - Havana, Cuba - Wikipedia Entries on Waymarking.com

A major feature of the Havana skyline, the Capitolio Nacional is a splendid monument to pre-revolutionary Cuban history and a great place to visit.

Completed in 1929, the neoclassical building has some resemblance to the U.S. Capitol, although according to the architect Eugenio Raynieri, the inspiration for the cupola came from the Panthéon in Paris.

The 55 steps leading to the main entrance, known as La Escalinata are flanked on either side by 6.5 m statues by the Italian artist Angelo Zanelli. To the left is "Work" and to the right "The Tutelary Virtue" (see our pictures). There are also 12 granite Roman style columns arranged in two rows and each over 14 m tall.

The inside of the main hall under the cupola is dominated by the huge Statue of the Republic (La Estatua de la República), an idealized representation of Cuban nationalism modeled after a beautiful Cuban female model, Lily Valty. The statue, also by Zanelli, was cast in bronze in Rome in three pieces and assembled inside the building after its arrival in Cuba. It is covered with 22 carat gold leaf and weighs 49 tons. At 15 m tall, it was the second highest statue under cover in the world at the time, with only the Great Buddha of Nara being taller. The statue stands on a plinth 2.5 m high bringing the total height to 17.54 m.

Since the 1960s, the architectural splendor in the capital city of Cuba has housed the Ministry of Science, Technology, and the Environment. The National Library of Science and Technology is housed in the rear of the building. The bottom floor of the Capitolio Nacional is open to the public. The impressive building in the capital of Cuba has become one of Havana’s most popular tourist attractions.

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