One of the most recognizable symbols of the Cuban capital. Erected in the 1920s in the wake of the construction of monumental government buildings – analogues of the Capitol in Washington – the Capitol in Havana was even one meter taller than the American one, which gave the ruling Gerardo Machado an additional reason to declare the superiority of the island state over Western imperialists.

Construction of the future building of the National Assembly started in 1926 under the leadership of the famous Cuban architect E.R. Piedra. The grandiose facility was put into operation less than three years later – in May 1929, on the day of celebrating independence from Spain. The parliament of the republic met within the walls of the Capitol for about 30 years – in 1959, after the victory of the leader of the social revolution F. Castro, the building became a conference center. Today, the Ministry of Science, the History Museum and the library are located within its walls.

The author of the Capitol did not set himself the task of copying the American project: the architecture of the building bears features characteristic of the Italian Renaissance, and is reminiscent of St. Peter’s Temple in the Vatican and the Paris Pantheon. In addition, the Havana Capitol surpasses the American one in height, and in general the 92-meter dome of the building is the third tallest in the world among buildings with similar architecture.

The Capitol in Havana amazes with its splendor. The first thing that opens before the visitor’s eyes is massive bronze doors, decorated with bas-reliefs depicting scenes of national history – from the moment of the landing of H. Columbus until the period of construction of the building. In the main hall there is an 11-meter gilded sculpture of a woman holding a pike and a shield. The statue is a kind of symbol of the Cuban Revolution.

The Capitol consists of six halls, the last of which allows you to get close to the famous gilded dome. Here everyone can appreciate the craftsmanship of the design. The dome is crowned with an exact copy of a bronze statue of Mercury (16th century) from the Bargello Palace in Florence. The interiors of other halls and offices are also amazing. The library is remarkable. The book depository room is decorated with noble mahogany and fancy lamps made by Cuban designers.

On the sides of the central structure there are two semicircular buildings. For three decades, the Republican Council and the Representative Chamber met in them. Both buildings are stylized with 10 artistically decorated columns, each of which has a sacred meaning.

One of the main attractions of the Capitol is a copy of a 25-carat diamond that belonged to the last Russian Emperor Nicholas II. The historical jewel came to Liberty Island thanks to a Turkish jeweler, who in turn purchased the stone in France. One day the diamond was stolen, but later it was returned to its place and replaced with an exact copy.