The Capitolio Nacional building on the Paseo de Marti in Havana, Cuba
The Capitolio is Havana's most grandiose and ambitious building. Similar to the US Capitol Building in Washington DC but taller and richer in detail. The work was started by Gerardo Machado (the US backed dictator) in 1926. It took 5000 workers three years, two months and twenty days to build at a cost of US$17 million. It used to be the seat of the Cuban Congress but, since 1959 it has been the home of the Cuban Academy of Sciences and the National Library of Science and Technology. It is built using white Capellania limestone and block granite. The entrance is guarded by six rounded Doric columns. A stone cupola rises 62 metres and is topped with a replica of the 16th century Florentine sculptor Giambologna"s bronze statue of Mercury. Directly below the dome is a copy of a 24 carat diamond set in the floor. Distances between Havana and all parts of Cuba are calculated from this point.
Size: 4201px × 2800px
Location: Capitolio Nacional, Paseo de Marti, Havana, Cuba.
Photo credit: © kevin marston / Alamy / Afripics
License: Licensed
Model Released: No
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