El Capitolio

A striking and faithful replica of its Washington counterpart, El Capitolio is one of Havana’s most iconic landmarks. Built on the site of the city’s first railway station, this monumental structure was inaugurated in style on May 20, 1929 — after just three years of construction. Originally the seat of the Cuban Senate and House of Representatives until 1959, it now houses the Cuban Academy of Sciences, Technology and Environment, and a scientific library. As grand as the political power it once represented, this neoclassical masterpiece is packed with intricate details. One of the first things you’ll notice is the imposing granite staircase, flanked by two bronze statues, symbolising Work on the right and Virtue on the left. Behind the towering columns stand the building’s three main entrance doors, each adorned with bas-reliefs depicting major episodes from Cuban history — from the pre-Columbian era to the Capitol’s inauguration. Finally, there’s the dome, rising 62 meters above the city skyline. Beneath it lie two remarkable treasures. First, the colossal statue of Minerva, a symbol of the Republic and the third-largest indoor statue in the world, after Japan’s Golden Buddha and the Lincoln Memorial in the U.S. Second, a 24-carat diamond set into the floor, once used as a reference point from which all distances in Cuba were measured. Declared a national monument in 2010, it’s literally a gem worth seeing.