Fotos

Machado, the president under whom the capitol was build, from April 1, 1926 to 1929, was proud of saying that havana capitol was bigger than Washington capitolio. Figures are also impressive, since the building cost nearly 17 million pesos, a very high amount of money at the time, and 8,000 specialized workers took part in its construction. Regarding construction materials, five million bricks, 38,000 cubic meters of sand, 40,000 cubic meters of rocks, 150,000 bags of cement, 3,500 tons of structural steel and 2,000 tons of iron bars were used in the works. It is precisely this condition which attracts the attention of both Cubans and foreigners, also interested in posing in front of old cameras, one century old, true photographic relics on their tripods, which allow them to perpetuate in an image the memory of a building of monumental architecture. Artists of photography proliferate around the building, ready to meet the demands of passersby, and to manipulate, in a very professional way, their cameras, which bear the imprint left by the passage of several decades. The Capitol houses treasures such as the statue that represents the Republic, which was made by Italian artist Angelo Zanelli and is considered the world's third largest sculpture indoors. The building has played its role in Cuba's history, since its halls hosted the Constituent Assembly and witnessed the enactment of the Constitution in 1940. After the triumph of the Revolution in 1959, the Capitol became the headquarters of the Academy of Sciences of Cuba, first, and of the Ministry of Science, Technology and Environment (CITMA), later. Among the activities held in the spacious halls of the Capitol are meetings, exhibitions, solemn acts and business events, and the personnel working there is embarked in spreading the historic and architectonic heritage of the building.