Any Mounmental Communist Buildings/Structures?

[HopestobeCuban]

Does anyone on the site know of any large monumental communist buildings or structures in Cuba? The only one I know of is the Che monument/mausoleum in Santa Clara. Are there any others?

[beardo]

There's the offices on Plaza de la Revolucion with the full height image of Che - is that the sort ofthing you want ?

How about the Russian embassy ?

On structures, how about the road to Baracoa ?

[HopestobeCuban]

The offices on the Plaza de la Revolucion were built before communism in Cuba. The Russian embassy will work as it was built by the Soviet Union after communism in Cuba. As for the structures on the road to Baracoa...I know nothing about them, could you please explain them to me?

[masa]

What about Alamar? All those ugly shoebox style apartmant buildings were built after the revolution. And also Alta Habana is the same era, being there almost feels like your in Russia.

[beardo]

I wasn't talking about structures on the road, but the road itself. *The main road from the south goes through the mountains and was only built in the early 1960s (but was started before the revolution, so doesn't count.)

How about Jose Marti terminal 3 - that's pretty big ?

[HopestobeCuban]

I wouldn't consider the road a "monumental communist structure," but that's still a good idea.

I don't know anything about Jose Marti terminal 3. Could you please elaborate?

[beardo]

Airport terminal in Havana, built 1997 for the Pope's visit.

[mellisas]

hey l did'nt know that.
it's a great building.

[aguacate]

But maybe a bit too modern (steel and glass) for hopestobe's purposes - I assumed it was Western European designed - has some similarities in style with the Hotel Santiago de Cuba in (believe it or not) Santiago de Cuba which was Italian I heard.

Didn't there used to be some sort of Russian-era monument in Vedado (one of the streets that leads up to the university - comes out behind the Hotel Colina). I remember a small park there with a monument to something or other - all stark lines and concrete. I haven't been that way for a while so not sure what it is/was about - I'll ask

[Rick]

Heading eastward there is the huge monument of General Maceo with 23 huge machetes near the bus terminal in Santiago de Cuba. Not Communist but built with Soviet money paid for overpriced sugar. There is also the huge Monument to the Heroes in front of the Hotel Guantanamo, Guantanamo. It glorifies the Brigada Fronteriza that "defends socialism". Both rival the Che monument in size! [smiley=dizzy2.gif]

[HopestobeCuban]

Cool, I never knew about those monuments Rick. Thanks.

[beardo]

Of course - Guantanamo - isn't it called the Plaza de la Revoluccion. Definately meets the criteria.

Most provicial capitals have some sort of plaza - though usually not on quite such a scale.

[lafea99]

HI HOPESTOBECUBAN, IS THIS MAYBE WHAT YOU ARE ALSO LOOKING FOR?

JOSE ANTONIO ECHEVERRIA - LA HABANA AND CARDENAS
CAMILO CIENFUEGOS - LA HABANA
ANTONIO MACEO - LA HABANA
JOHN LENNON - LA HABANA, HE LOOKS SO REAL
NIÑO ELIAN - LA HABANA
MAXIMO GOMEZ - CARDENAS
VICTIMAS DE LA CUBRE - AVENIDA DEL PUERTO, LA HABANA
PAVELLON CUBA - LA RAMPA, VEDADO
JUAN MANUEL MARQUEZ - LA HABANA
MACHACO AMEJEIRA - MANZANA DE GOMEZ, LA HABANA
MARTIRES DE PLAYA GIRON - MATANZAS

HOPE THIS WILL ALSO HELP YOU IN YOUR QUEST.

[HopestobeCuban]

I'm not sure what you mean by naming famous liberal individuals and streets in cities. Are these statues?

[aguacate]

The place I had in mind was Memorial Mella (http://www.uh.cu/infogral/historia/memorial.html) at the junction of San Lázaro and Neptuno - Mella was a communist student leader who was assasinated at the behest of Machado in 1929.

I couldn't find out when the monument itself was erected - but I guess it would have been post revolution since no-one before then would have been much interested in erecting monuments to communists...

http://www.trabajadores.cubaweb.cu/muy_especial/centenario_natalicio_mella/fotos/f-monumento.jpg

Apparently when students from the university get married they leave flowers at the site.

[lafea99]

OF COURSE, ISN'T THAT WHAT YOU HAVE ASKED FOR? ???

[HopestobeCuban]

I asked for buildings or structures, but "monuments" are fine too. Thanks for the pic Aguacate, that's the kind of thing I was looking for.

[adiazpaz]

Unfortunately Cuba never had a great "communist architecture" showroom like Karl Marx Allee in Berlin. However, the Soviet Union Embassy in Miramar, Havana, is pretty interesting...

http://www.paul-jones.org/CubaTrip/images/Russ_embass.jpg

[mellisas]

l remember the taxi driver pointing this out to us on the way to marina hemmingway.
there are a lot of impressive buildings in miramar.