The city of Cienfuegos, known in its beginnings as Villa Fernandina de Jagua, is 201 years old full of cultural and historic attractions for all.
The date remembers the moment when Don Luis De Clouet founded the colony and gave land to the first settlers, right in the place that marks the Rosette of the José Martí Park in Cienfuegos.
The city preserves a fairly homogeneous urban nucleus in terms of architecture, full of classic façades and slender columns that provide an atmosphere reminiscent of 19th-century France, on which it was inspired.
Among the many attractions of the city is the only existing Triumphal Arch in Cuba, in addition to the Tomas Terry Theater, one of the three most important theaters in the country in the 19th century and a silent witness to the passage of prominent figures from universal art like Enrico Caruso.
Likewise, the most emblematic building in Cienfuegos is Palacio de Valle (Valle Palace), whose construction was funded by a wealthy Spanish and which was built by an Italian engineer. The building combines elements from the Gothic, Romanesque, Byzantine and Baroque styles, with a preponderance of the Mudejar style.
The surroundings of the city are complemented by the Purísima Concepción Cathedral, famous for its altar, which was conceived with the elegance of the Corinthian order, and by the Twelve Apostles in stained glass, brought from France during the days of the Paris Commune.
For visitors, the Reina Cemetery also stands out. It was built in 1830 and was declared a National Monument, which constitutes a true museum of funeral art and shows the burial system of vertical niches in force at the time of the Spanish rule.
Cienfuegos is also known for its unique nature, with sites such as the centennial Botanical Gardens (created in 1901), which has an area of 97 hectares and holds one of the most complete collections of palms in the world.
Meanwhile, ecotourism lovers can visit El Nicho, a site that is accessed by a path that ascends the Guamuaya mountain range and crosses the Yaguanabo valley, with the unique image of the waterfalls of the El Negro stream.
Beach options are present in Rancho Luna, where a hotel awaits visitors, together with excellent conditions for practicing diving, due to the impressive beauty of its sea bottoms.
Visitors who come to Cienfuegos also find the reference to Jagua, which – according to indigenous traditions – was the deity who taught them the arts of fishing, hunting and agriculture.
The aforementioned elements, present in the history of the territory provide a unique touch to the options offered by the province for national and international tourism, with an increasing weight in this dynamic sector of the Cuban economy.
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