| National Capitol of Cuba | |
|---|---|
Capitolio Nacional de Cuba | |
 The National Capitol of Cuba from a rooftop to the southeast | |
 Interactive map of National Capitol of Cuba | |
| General information | |
| Location | Havana,Cuba |
| Coordinates | 23°08′07″N82°21′34″W / 23.13528°N 82.35944°W /23.13528; -82.35944 |
| Construction started | 1 April 1926 |
| Completed | 20 May 1929 |
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TheNational Capitol of Cuba, also known asCapitolio Nacional de La Habana (National Capitol of La Habana), and often simply referred to asEl Capitolio(The Capitol), is a public edifice inHavana, the capital ofCuba. The building was commissioned by Cuban presidentGerardo Machado and built from 1926 to 1929 under the direction ofEugenio Rayneri Piedra.
The Havana Capitol building was built on land that was a railroad terminal and used to belong to the Villanueva Railway.The project began in April 1926, during theGerardo Machado administration. Construction was overseen by the U.S. firm ofPurdy and Henderson.
"El Capitolio" is 207 meters long and 91 meters wide. Although its design is often compared to theUnited States Capitol, it is not a replica.[1] To finish its construction they needed more than 5000 workers, 3 years, 3 months and 20 days; as well as approximately 17 million American dollars".[2] Completed in 1929, it was the tallest building in Havana until the 1950s. It houses the world's third largest indoor statue.[3]
On August 30, 2019, the historian of the cityEusebio Leal proclaimed the end of the renovation with the unveiling of the dome.[4]
The cupola, which is stone-clad around a steel frame that was constructed in the United States, is set planimetrically forward on the building to allow for theapse that containsLa Republica, the "Statue of the Republic". At almost 92 m (302 ft) high, the dome was the highest point in the city of Havana until 1956 when theFOCSA Building was built reaching a height of 121 meters (397 ft). The Capitolio had the third-highest dome in the world at the time of its construction. According toEugenio Rayneri Piedra, the inspiration for thecupola came from thePanthéon inParis by way ofBramante'sTempietto in San Pietro in Montorio.[5]
The 56 steps leading to the main entrance,La Escalinata, is flanked by 6.5 m (21 ft) statues by the Italian artistAngelo Zanelli. To the left isWork (El Trabajo) and to the rightThe Tutelary Virtue (La Virtud Tutelar). The steps lead up to the centralportico, which is 36 m (118 ft) wide and more than 16 m (52+1⁄2 ft) tall. There are 12granite columns in theionic order arranged in two rows and each over 14 m (46 ft) tall.
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The inside of the main hall under the cupola is theStatue of the Republic (La Estatua de la República).
The statue, also by Zanelli, was cast in bronze in Rome in three pieces and assembled inside the building after its arrival in Cuba. It is covered with 22 carat (92%)gold leaf and weighs 49 tons. At15 m (49+1⁄4 ft) tall, it was the second highest statue under cover in the world at the time, with only theGreat Buddha of Nara being taller. The statue stands on a plinth2.5 m (8+1⁄4 ft) high bringing the total height to17.54 m (57+1⁄2 ft).
Embedded in the floor in the center of the main hall is a replica 25carat (5 g) diamond, which marksKilometre Zero for Cuba. The original diamond, said to have belonged toTsarNicholas II of Russia and have been sold to the Cuban state by a Turkish merchant, was stolen on 25 March 1946 and mysteriously returned to the President,Ramón Grau San Martín, on 2 June 1947. To either side of the main hall is theSalón de Pasos Perdidos (Hall of Lost Steps), named for its acoustic properties. These halls, with inlaid marble floors and gilded lamps, lead to the two semicircular chambers that formerly housed the Parliament and Chamber of Deputies. A range of different lamps is seen throughout the building.
In the center of the building are two patios which provide light and ventilation for the offices on the first (ground), third and fourth floors. The north patio features another statueThe Rebellious Angel (El Ángel Rebelde) which was donated to the building after the inauguration.
A wide granite staircase of 56 steps, 36 meters wide and 16 meters high, leads to the portico of the building. There are two rows of six columns of the Ionic order. The pillars stand out with a diameter of 1.55 meters and a height of 14.10 meters.
Located in the apse, the Statue of the Republic is the figure of a young woman standing, dressed in a tunic, with a helmet, shield and lance; it weighs 30 tons, is 14.60 meters high, and rests on a marble pedestal of 2.50 meters. It was sculpted byAngelo Zanelli, author of theAltare della Patria, part of the monument toKing Victor Emmanuel II, in Rome. It is the third largest indoor statue in the world, surpassed only by theBuddha of Nara, Japan and the Abraham Lincoln statue in theLincoln Memorial in Washington. D.C.[6]
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