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  The Cuban and Scandinavian chapters of INTBAU in partnership with the Academy of Urbanism (UK) and C.E.U. - Council for European Urbanism invite you to join a one week tour of three Cuban cities and UNESCO World Heritage Sites: Havana, Trinidad and Cienfuegos. The one week Tour March 14 - 20 will include an introduction to the history of Urbanism and Architecture of Havana, Cienfuegos and Trinidad, all of them listed as UNESCO's World Heritage Sites. It will involve insights into the regeneration of Old Havana and one day tours by bus to two smaller historic cities, Trinidad and Cienfuegos. Our expert guide will be Prof. Julio Cesar Perez who has been a speaker at several I.N.T.B.A.U. and C.E.U. conferences. A Loeb Fellow at Harvard Graduate School of Design 2001-2002 and an Adjunct Professor at the School of Architecture in Havana he has lectured widely in the US, Europe, Canada and Bermuda about Cuban architecture. He is the author of a major book about Cuba, Inside Cuba, published worldwide by Taschen in 2006 and also of A Master Plan for a 21st Century Havana, a comprehensive urban plan aimed at the preservation of heritage values and the creation of new urban and economic qualities, registered at the Library of Congress in Washington D.C.
Who is it for Architects, planners, art historians, antiquarians, writers, students and others with an interest in the history of Cuban architecture, urbanism and culture, and anybody who wants to discover better ways to make cities for people. TOUR SCHEDULE Day 0 Saturday 13 March Arrival in Havana. Accomodation. Day 1 Sunday 14 March Morning. 9.30 am- 1.00 pm
Walking Tour of Old Havana by Dr. Professor Architect Orestes del Castillo (Office of the Historian) and Prof. Julio César Pérez. Visit the 4 oldest squares of Old Havana and the most representative colonial buildings: Plaza de San Francisco de Asís from 1628 with the baroque Church and Convent of Saint Francis of Assisi from 1735 and the 1908 Stock Exchange of Havana by Tomás Mur built by the famous US company Purdy and Henderson in a record time of only 16 months; the Custom House of Havana by Barclay, Parsons and Klapp from 1914. Plaza Vieja where the restoration process is best explained with a stop at a special corner restaurant which is the museum of beer in Havana. Visit to the 1735 Casa de Condes de Jaruco with the most beautiful stained glass windows in Havana and walls with the original friezes and a wonderful courtyard. Plaza de la Catedral. Visit the Casa de Condes de Bayona from 1725 - currently the Museum of Colonial Art of Cuba - and the Casa del Marqués de Arcos, Casa del Conde de Lombillo and Casa del Marqués de Aguas Claras, all from XVIII Century and the Cathedral, the greatest example of Cuban Baroque from 1777. Lunch: 1.00- 2.30 pm at Café del Oriente at Plaza San Francisco. Afternoon. 2.30 pm- 400 pm. FREE, Siesta, East Havana Beaches, etc. Evening suggestions: Live Jazz Music at "La Zorra y El Cuervo" Nightclub in La Rampa, El Vedado. Coppelia Ice Cream Parlor on the hottest place in town where youngsters hang out. Watching the old traditional ceremony of the 9.00 o' clock cannon shooting at the Fortress of San Carlos de la Cabaña across the bay. El Gato Tuerto bar. Dinner: La Torre restaurant on top of FOCSA Building in El Vedado, overlooking the city and the sea. Day 2 Monday 15 March Morning 9.30 am- 1.00 pm. Walking Tour of The Walls District (XIX century/ early XX century) by Prof. Julio César Pérez.Visit The Parque Central of Havana where the 1879 England hotel is, the Neo- Moorish 1908 Seville Hotel, the 1914 Casino Español, the 1915 Great Theater of Havana by Belgian architect Paul Belau who also designed the former Presidential Palace in 1920 - currently the Museum of the Revolution; the 1925 Centro Asturiano designed by Spanish Architect Manuel del Busto - currently the Fine Arts Museum. Walk along the world wide famous1929 promenade El Paseo del Prado, inspired in the elevated plaza concept and considered one of the best open spaces in the world by French Landscape designer J.C. N. Forestier who also designed the nearby Park of Fraternity and Avenida del Puerto (Harbor Avenue) and also the 1929 Capitolio gardens.
Visit the former home of President José Miguel Gómez from 1915 designed by Cuban architect Hilario del Castillo. Lunch: 12.30- 2.00 pm at Prado y Neptuno Italian Restaurant across Parque Central, designed in 1999 by Italian architect Roberto Gottardi, author of the Drama School at the Schools of Art Campus. Afternoon 2.30- 4.00 pm. Walking Tour of El Vedado district led by Prof. Julio César Pérez. Visit the City Garden of El Vedado- planned in 1859-60 but not developed until early in the XX century - according to modern planning principles that introduced the green in the city for the first time. Visit the 1906 - 1940 Universtity of Havana Campus, the 1926 Dolce Dimora mansion designed by Cuban architects Govantes and Cabarrocas, currently the Napoleon's Museum, La Rampa district, the very heart of modern Havana where the famous 1966 Coppelia Ice Cream Parlor is and the 1950s hotels, apartments, cinemas, restaurants and shops are. Visit the 1930 National Hotel designed by US architects McKim, Mead & White, designated best hotel in the world in 2006. Evening suggestions: Optional drinks at the Hotel Nacional gardens and terraces. Dinner at Paladar de Adela in El Vedado or at the Hotel Nacional. Late evening suggestions: Discotech at the Havana Café of the Melia Cohiba Hotel or Nightclub at the Riviera Hotel or Jazz café at Galerias Paseo. Day 3 Tuesday 16 March Morning 9.30 am - 1.00 pm. Bus Tour of West Havana. The suburbs, the new hotels. Visit the Miramar District (planned in the early XX century) and the big city model at the Group for Integral Development of the Capital. Learn from the bus about important landmarks as the 1980 Soviet Embassy - tallest building in Miramar - and the Miramar Trade Center office park and the new hotels area. Lunch: 1.30- 2.30 pm at Paladar VistaMar, a 1950s architect's home by the sea, in Miramar. Afternoon 2.30- 5.00 pm. From the bus see the westernmost suburbs inspired by the City beautiful movement from Frederick Law Olmstead with isolated villas in ample lots with huge gardens and eclectic and modern houses. On the way back, drive along the tree-lined avenues of Paseo and G Street (Avenue of the Presidents) and visit the 1927 Florentine style Baró - Lasa mansion designed by Cuban architects Govantes and Cabarrocas with Art Déco interiors by French designer René Lalique and the 1957 Riviera Hotel originally designed by Philip Johnson and formerly owned by mobster Meyer Lansky. Evening suggestion: Dinner at Paladar La Cocina de Lilian in Playa district. Day 4 Wednesday 17 March Morning 8.30- 12.30 am. Trip to Cienfuegos. Accommodation in private homes. Lunch 1.00- 2.30 pm at Palacio del Valle Restaurant by the sea. Afternoon 2.30- 5.00 pm.
Walking Tour of the Historic Center of Cienfuegos by Historiador Architect Irán Millán and Julio César Pérez. Evening: Dinner at the Cienfuegos Yatch Club by the sea. Overnight in Cienfuegos. Day 5 Thursday 18 March Morning 9.00- 10.30am Trip from Cienfuegos to Trinidad. Accommodation in private homes. Lunch Afternoon 2.30 - 5.00 pm Walking tour of the center of the city led by Historiador Nancy Gonzalez and Julio César Pérez. Plaza Mayor, Catholic Church, Palacio Cantero, Palacio Brunet, Regidor Ortiz, Casa del Cocodrilo, etc.
Evening 5.00 pm. at the beach. Dinner at a restaurant by the sea. Day 6 Friday 19 March Morning 9.00- 10.30 am Trip to the Sugar Mills Valley in Trinidad outskirts. Visit Hacienda Iznaga and Tower Iznaga on the way back to Havana. Lunch at Cienfuegos Yatch Club by the sea. Afternoon 2.00- 6.00 pm Return Trip to Havana Evening suggestions: Salsa Music at Casa de la Música in Miramar, Music at Hotel Riviera or at Hotel Nacional with Buena Vista Social Club members. Day 7 Saturday 20 March "Day on your own" in Havana. Optional departure in the afternoon. Meet Cuban practitioners
Orestes del Castillo
Mario Coyula We will also try our best to arrange a meeting with the Historiador of Havana: Eusebio Leal Spengler. But we cannot promise that we will manage to set up such a meeting, alternatively we will meet other key staff at the Historiador office such as Mr. del Castillo. Cienfuegos and Trinidad We will also meet several people involved with restoration / preservation / heritage / and urban development in the other cities we visit. In Cienfuegos we will meet the Historiador and Head Architect of the town Mr. Irán Millán, and in Trinidad we will meet the Historiador and Head Architect of the town Mr. Nancy González. Registration fee The cost of the tour program is as follows:
Before 20 February:
After 20 February: We can also arrange accommodation for additional nights in Havana if you arrive early or would like to stay longer. Please contact Audun Engh on audun.engh@gmail.com for details. The registration fee includes:
The registration fee does not include:
The participants are asked to arrange their own travel to Havana. Airlines with connections from Europe include Air France, British Airways, Iberia, and Virgin Atlantic (from London).
Some ATMs can be found, but they are rare compared to other countries. No cards issued by US banks will work in Cuba. It is recommended to bring cash for the trip. Euros, UK Pounds and Dollars are accepted in any currency exchange shop. US $ will be subject to a 10% tax when exchanged.
Registration
Please register and pay online.
Accommodation
Havana
Casa Particular (rooms for rent in private houses and apartments) is a uniquely Cuban form of accommodation. Most of the rooms are in apartment buildings from the 1950s, and all are located in the El Vedado area of Havana, just a few blocks from the famous Hotel Nacional. The living and dining rooms are shared with the Cuba family. If you wish, the family will provide you with breakfast and other meals (against a surcharge). All guests will have single rooms unless otherwise agreed. Some bathrooms might be shared with other guests. The buildings are just five minutes away from the Malecón waterfront. We have stayed in the same area as during our last two trips, and the location has proven a superb starting point for exploring Havana.
Cienfuegos
We will stay in private homes (Casa Particular). Not all the group will be accommodated in the same area due to the character of the city. We will split the group in two neighbourhoods, most of our guests will stay in old colonial houses close to the city centre while others will stay outside of the city centre in early modernist bungalows close to the sea. In most cases the rooms will have air conditioning and private bathrooms, but standards may vary as we will stay in private homes.
Trinidad
We will stay in private homes (Casa Particular).Some of the houses have truly spectacular interiors from the height of the colonial time in Cuba.
Visa
You will need a visa to visit Cuba. Please contact your local Cuban embassy. A tourist visa will be the simplest to obtain. New regulations require you to submit the name of the hotel or the address and registration number of the Casa Particular bed and breakfast) when applying for a visa. We will provide you with this information in due time if you prefer Casa Particular accomodation.
US Participants
We have had US participants for the previous tours and workshops. But due to the US trade embargo, US citizens will have to travel under either a general or a specific license. For further information, please go to the website of the United States Department of the Treasury Office of Foreign Assets Control www.ustreas.gov/offices/enforcement/ofac/programs/cuba/cuba.shtml.
You may email us or contact one of the travel agencies listed below for additional information on licenses.
You may also contact the Center for Constitutional Rights in New York (Phone: 212-614-6464; Fax: 212-614-6499; Email: ccr@igc.apc.org ), for free legal advice on travel regulations.
Havana Urban Design Charrette
Following the tour, we will arrange an urban design charrette in Havana 22 -27 March 2010. You are welcome to join one of the events, or both. For more information on the charrette, please go to the Havana charrette 2010 web page.
The Organisers
The tour is organised by the Cuban and Scandinavian chapters of INTBAU, in partnership with the Academy of Urbanism, UK, and Cuban and Norwegian chapters of C.E.U. - Council of European Urbanism. We have organised similar events in Norway, Germany, the UK, Romania and Italy.
Prof. Julio César Pérez Hernández, Havana, will be the expert guide.
Prof. Perez was a Loeb Fellow at Harvard Graduate School of Design 2001-2002 and adjunct professor at the School of Architecture in Havana (1998-2006), has lectured widely in the US, Canada and Europe about Cuban architecture. He is a member of the Union of Writers and Artists of Cuba and the recipient of several international and national awards. His writings have been published in the New York Times, Arquitectura Cuba and Arquitectura y Urbanismo.
Julio Cesar Perez is the author of a major new book on Cuban architecture and culture, "Inside Cuba", published byTaschen. He is the president of the Cuban chapters of INTBAU and C.E.U. and the author of "A Master plan for 21st century Havana".
INTBAU Scandinavia will be represented by Audun Engh, who is also a member of the INTBAU College of Chapters.
Further information
Havana
Trinidad
Cienfuegos
Julio Cesar Perez
Audun Engh
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