|
Santa Clara

Capital of Villa
Clara Province
City most famous because
of Che Guevara and
the history of Cuba's revolution
The
capital of Villa Clara, about 300 km south-east from Habana, can
be easily reach by autopista and the Carreta Central. 300.000
inhabitants who are mostly young because of the University.
The
city square Parque Vidal, with the frequently performences of orchestras.
In the earlier years this parque has seperate walking areas for
black and white divided by a fence. The colonial house among the
parque are from the end of the 19e and begin of the 20e century.
You can find here aswell the Casa de la Trova for daily life music.
To
Do in Santa Clara
|
| Cigars |
 |
Calle
Maceo 181
Santa Clara
Tel: 42/20-2211 |
Santa
Clara has an excellent Fábrica de Tabacos. The
factory occupies a full city block and produces high-quality
Montecristo, Partagas, Romeo & Julieta, Punch, and
Robaina cigars. It's open Monday through Friday from
7am to noon and 1 to 4pm. A 45-minute guided tour costs
$3 per person.
Across
the street, there's a well-stocked shop, La Casa del
Tabaco, Ron y Café La Veguita, Maceo 176-A (tel.
42/20-8952). The cigar sommelier here, Marilín
Morales Bauta, is quite charming and one of the premier
experts in the field.
|
| Monumento
a la Toma y Acción del Tren Blindado |

|
Ave.
Liberación
Santa Clara |
Another
very interesting place is site of the last battle of
the Cuban revolution. The capture of the train was the
decisive factor in the triumph of the revolution and
it is now a major tourist attraction. Batista was on
the point of sending an armored train with military
supplies and soldiers to Santiago de Cuba to counter
attack revolutionaries.
Che
Guevara use American bulldogger to
stop the train, now part of museum exposition.
The soldiers on the train surrendered quickly and the
fighting for the train was soon over. There is a museum
inside the wagons, shows weapons carried on train.
|
| Museo Memorial
Ernesto Che Guevara
|

|
Ave.
de los Desfiles
Santa Clara |
The
Ernesto Che Guevara
monument complex was declared a national monument yesterday,
the 45th anniversary of Che being granted the status
of a Cuban citizen. Nilson Acosta, executive secretary
of the National Monuments Commission, read the resolution
approving that just initiative, which took into account
the extraordinary merits of the heroic guerrilla, whose
name has been given to the monument complex of a plaza,
a bronze sculpture and its base and other facilities.
This singular work was built in 1988 with the participation
of the people.
From
October 1997 to the present day, more than 1,060,000
people have visited the memorial-museum, which houses
Che’s remains as well as those of his comrades
who fell in Bolivia. One third of those visitors have
come from the four corners of the Earth to express their
admiration and pay tribute.
Ernesto
Che Guevara was a revolutionary of universal
stature, who became a symbol of humanism, solidarity
and internationalism for the world. He was a central
leader in Cuba’s war of national liberation and
led the victory of the Battle of Santa Clara. Roberto
López Hernández, first secretary of the
Communist Party in Villa Clara, and Mercedes Piñon,
the monument’s director, unveiled the plaque with
the inscription of National Monument. It is located
at the entrance to the museum that houses the documents,
photos and other objets of historical value recounting
the life and work of the legendary guerrilla.
-
More Info >>
|
Museo
de Artes Decorativas
Marta Abreu
Santa Clara
It
is located in the very core of the city, across from
the beautiful Parque Vidal. It treasures excellent furniture
or highly valuable artistic pieces dating back to the
18 th century. Moving along its halls allows the visitor
to appreciate the development of furniture design through
time.
| Museo
Provincial de Historia |
 |
Ciudad
Escolar Abel Santamaría,
Santa Clara |
The
visitor will be able to know all the details about
the facts that took place in the final battle of
the Rebel Army during the takeover of the city of
Santa Clara in 1959. In its halls, we find a harmonious
collection of artwork, varied documents, furniture,
and other utensils from the 19 th and 20 th centuries
|
|
| Palacio
de Justicia |
 |
Monument
Carretera Central
Santa Clara |
|
Parque
Leoncio Vidal
Marta Abreu
Santa Clara
The
heart of the city is the central Parque Vidal. The double-wide
streets ringing the park are pedestrian-only and often
crowded with locals and lovers strolling in leisurely
circles.
Its history dates back to the founding of the Villa,
when a square of 1 600 metres was marked out in order
to build the Plaza de Armas. In the area of the present
day park, bull fights, equitation competitions, plays
and all kinds of games, such as cards and dice, are
held. Every 15th of July, on the anniversary of the
Villa’s founding, the people of Santa Clara celebrate
with huge parties in this place, where there were four
pine trees and almond trees marking the four cardinal
points. From being the Plaza de Armas, it later became
the Plaza Mayor and afterwards, Plaza Constitucional,
until it was remodelled in 187l by order of the Chapter
House and renamed Recreation Plaza (Plaza de Recreo).
Its current name, dates back to the XIX century in honour
of the deceased independent Colonel Leoncio Vidal.
|
Santa
Iglesia Catedral Santa Clara de Asís
Marta Abreu #113
Santa Clara
|
Teatro
La Caridad
Parque Vidal
Santa Clara
Tel: 42/20-5548
A
unique architectural building located in the heart of
the city of Santa Clara (276 kilometres east of Havana)
which opened on September 8th of 1885 and was declared
a National Monument of Cuba in 1981. The building was
constructed thanks to the generosity of Marta Abreu
de Estévez, a member of an illustrious and wealthy
family of the area, who financed it’s building
and later on donated it to the city so that part of
its income would be destined to the poor. For years
famous actors and actresses have performed on its stage,
such as Enrico Caruso, Libertad Lamarque, Jorge Negrete,
Rosita Fornés, Lola Flores, Chucho Valdés,
Alicia Alonso and the Cuban National Ballet. Today it
is still open to the public as a theatre that offers
the visitor the possibility of being transported back
in time.
You'll find a series of shops and restaurants aimed
at travelers and dollar-spending Cubans. The active
and ornate 19th-century theater, modeled after the Paris
Opera, often features concerts and shows, and is worth
a quick tour ($1) during the day.
|
|
| Banks |
Bandec
Rafael Trista y Cuba
Open Ma/Fri 8am to 2pm
Sat 8am to 11am |
Banco Financiero
Internacional
Cuba #8
Open Ma/Fri 8am to 3pm |
Cadeca (Casas de
Cambio)
Rafael Trista y Cuba
Mo/Fri 8.30am to 6pm
Sat 8.30 am to 12.30 |
Post Office |
|
|
DHL
in the post office |
Phone |
Etecsa
Esq Cuba y Eduardo Machado |
Emergency |
| Policlinico Docente Jose R Leon
Acosta Sefarin Garcia Oeste #167 |
Farmacia
Campa
Indepencia Este Y Luis Estevez |
Optica |
Óptica Miramar
Santa Clara
Óptica
Colón 106, e/. San Miguel y Candelaria, Santa Clara |
Shops |
Casa del Tabaco
La Veguita
Tabaquería
Maceo No. 163,
e/. J. Jover y Berenguer,
Santa Clara |
Hanabanilla
Tienda Departamental
Hotel Hanabanilla
Manicaragua |
La Isla
Tienda Departamental
Colón, e/. Parque y San
Cristóbal, Santa Clara |
Novedades
Centro Comercial
Colón, e/. Mujica y
Parque Vidal, Sta. Clara |
El Pescador
Tienda Departamental
Mar Azul, Caibarién |
La Reina
Tienda Departamental
Máximo Gómez, e/. Martí e
Indep., Santa Clara |
La Casa Grande
Tienda Departamental
Indep. No. 82 y R. Morales,
Santo Domingo |
Photoservice Sta. Clara
Fotografía
Boulevard de Santa Clara,
Santa Clara |
Villa de París
Tienda Departamental
Maceo No. 62,
Sagua la Grande |
Fondo Cubano de
Bienes Culturales
Artesanías
Indep., e/. Horda y Máximo
Gómez, Santa Clara |
La Fragancia Universo
Tienda Departamental
Carmen Ribalta, e/. Clara y
Martí, Sagua la Grande |
London City
Tienda Departamental
Máximo Gómez No. 84,
Remedios |
Tienda ARTex
Música
Maceo, e/. Carmen
Ribalta y Céspedes,
Sagua la Grande |
Foto Vídeo
Santa Clara
Fotografía
Villuenda, e/. Boulevard y
Martí, Santa Clara |
La Granjita
Tienda Departamental
Hotel La Granjita,
Santa Clara |
Los Caneyes
Tienda Departamental
Hotel Los Caneyes,
Santa Clara |
Tienda ARtex
Música
Parque Vidal No. 5,
Santa Clara |
Links
& Sources:
|