Fortaleza San Carlos de La Cabaña

It is said that already in the sixteenth century, the engineer Juan Bautista Antonelli, builder of El Morro, had warned the island authorities about the strategic value of the hill of La Cabaña. However, the hill remained unprotected and it was the gap that the English troops took advantage of, in 1762, to attack El Morro and then surrender Havana. After the defeat against the English troops the king Carlos III ordered the immediate fortification of that high bank, task that was entrusted to the military engineer Silvestre Abarca.

The name Fortaleza San Carlos de la Cabaña is in honor of the Spanish King Carlos III. It began to be built in 1763, under the direction of military engineer Silvestre Abarca. He got up on the high bank of the Port of Havana, an area that had been defenseless until then. Upon completion of its construction, in 1774, it was the largest Spanish fortress built in America.

To visit this attraction we recommend to drive with a car.