| Description |
The Prado or Martí Promenade, which Isabel de Segunda also used to call the promenade outside the walls, was for many years the most important and most beautiful avenue in Havana.
Its construction started in 1772 during the government of Marquis de la Torre and it stretches from the Malecon Promenade to Parque de la Fraternidad (Park of Fraternity), with a total length of nearly one kilometer. The tree-lined avenue also became one of the first American echoes of the Promenade of Madrid and the dry riverbed of Barcelona to a greater extent.
In the fourth decade of the XIX century, during the government of Don Miguel Tacón, the Prado Promenade lost its camping-like character and became a wide avenue with the main role of a communication line. During the second half of the XIX century, the construction of elegant mansions and great social facilities started on both of its sides.
Around 1902, asphalt was used for paving both of its lateral streets, for the first time in Havana, and its function was more devoted to pedestrians, incorporating afterwards the recreational tours of the new means of transportation, the automobile.
In 1928, Modespier decided that its final image should include the presence of stone benches with marble back support; iron lamps and bronze-made lions, resulting from the melting of old cannons, were also set up.
At the very beginning, you can see the monument in honor to the poet and martyr of the first independence war Juan Clemente Cenea. The Spanish sculptor Ramón Matur conceived this bronze-made statue and finished it in 1920.
We can also see in this place a bust of Manuel de la Cruz, historian, patriot, literary personality and collaborator of José Martí. |
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