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Castillo El Morro |
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| Castillo El Morro, Santiago de Cuba |
The Castillo El Morro, Santiago de Cuba is a fortress standing at the at the entrance of the Bay of Santiago at the edge of the country. It lies about 10 Km south west of the city of Santiago de Cuba. The fort is on the top of a rocky foreland. Castillo El Morro, Santiago de Cuba is a unique place to visit during sightseeing in Cuba.
The castle was designed by the famous Italian architect, Giovanni Antonelli and it took a long period of time to complete the fortress, almost the end of the 17th century.
The main purpose of building the fort was to protect Santiago de Cuba from the threat of the pirates. Though once, one of the swaggering pirates, Henry Morgan ransacked the fort completely. The Spanish reconstructed it by 1800. Later on it served as a prison for the revolutionaries who fought for the liberation of Spain from Colonial Imperialism .
The Castillo El Morro, Santiago de Cuba is one of the eminent tourist attractions in Santiago de Cuba and has been declared as the UNESCO World Heritage Site.
The structure of Castillo El Morro, Santiago de Cuba, follows the Medieval-Renaissance style. There
is a warren of passageways, pedestals, passageways and cells in the fort. All the cells are protected by very thick walls
There is a naval museum inside the fort, which depicts the histiry of piracy, El Morro and Santiago de Cuba. There are also exhibits from the 1898 Spanish American War, fought at the Bay of Santiago.
The Museum of Piracy is also located there, this museum will give you detailed history of the pirates attack between 1538 and 1562. There is a fine collection of weapons used at that time.
The fort also gives a fascinating view of the harbour and the rocky Caribbean coastlines stretching towards the peaks of the Sierra Maestra.
Every day after sunset, a ceremony, named, “Puestra del Sol”, takes place here, in the memory of the past. The young boys dressed up like the 'manmbises', or members of the Cuban Rebel Army, lower the flag and shoot the 1805 Spanish Canon, crying, “Viva Cuba libre”. It is an excellent experience to view the ceremony.
So, arrange an excursion to this grand Fort of Santiago de Cuba, during your Cuba travel and relive the history again.
For more information on Castillo El Morro, Santiago de Cuba visit travel.mapsofworld
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