Havana's Forts

Fuerza Real

Fuerza Real on the Plaza de Armas, Ave del Puerto and Calle O’Reily, is south of the malecón at the entrance to the bay. Built between 1558 and 1578, it was the city’s first fort used for strategic purposes. The need for protection was realized in 1538, when locals watched as two French pirate ships came into the harbor, burned the palmthatched huts and demanded 600-ducat ransom before they would leave. They sailed away with the Spanish ships in hot pursuit, but the Spanish flubbed that chase and the French returned to loot and pillage again. The result of this fiasco was the building of the fort. The first one, built in haste, protected only the seaward side of the city. Pirates soon spread the word that Havana was easy to enter and rob from the back. One such pirate was Jacques Sores who came to Havana in 1555 and for a month robbed, killed and burned everything in sight. Finally, King Felipe II of Spain ordered the fort to be rebuilt so that it could truly defend the city. The fort protected many governors living within its walls before the Palace of the Captains General was built. On its northwest corner is a statue of a woman showing a bit of leg. She is called La Giraldilla and she represents Doña Isabel de Bobadilla, wife of Governor de Soto. He died on the banks of the Mississippi River, and she is supposed to be looking out to sea for her husband’s return.

El Castillo del Morro

El Castillo del Morro was built between 1589 and 1610 and guards Havana’s harbor. It was considered the optimum in security, but the British tore this myth down in 1762 when they sailed past the fort undetected and entered Havana from the east. The Bacuranao Tower, built where the Bacuranao River enters the Caribbean, is where the British hit shore back in 1762. The fort next to El Morro, called San Carlos de la Cabaña, was constructed as added protection after the British left. The lighthouse at the point was built in the 1900s and is still used today to guide sailors into the harbor. The fort is open daily, 9 am until late. You should time your visit to see the changing of the guard, the firing of the canon, and the raising of the chain across the mouth of the bay. The cannon announces the closing of the city’s gates for the night. If you go around 6 or 7 pm, you will have time to visit the shops, and tour the buildings and museum before getting a good vantage point from which to see the events. After the firing of the cannon (cañonazo), a band often plays in the parade grounds and young and old dance together until the guards decide it is time for everyone to leave. This is usually before 11 pm. It is amazing to sit on the walls of the fort or on the rocks below at the entrance to the bay and watch the activities of the harbor.

Castillo de San Salvador de la Punta

Castillo de San Salvador de la Punta is across the bay from El Morro and along the malecón where the tunnel is located. This was supposed to do what El Morro and San Carlos forts eventually did – protect the city from invasion. This fort was built between 1590 and 1600. Little remains of the fort. Shortly after it was completed, the city erected a protective stone wall around its center because the fort itself did not offer enough protection. As the city grew, the walls were torn down and today, only a few corner and sentry posts can be located.