About
Castillo de la Real Fuerza, also known as La Fuerza, stands in Old Havana on the Plaza de Armas, in Cuba. It is a star fort and the oldest stone fortress in the Americas, built by the Spanish in Havana between 1558 and 1577.
What to expect
The fort is a visit for anyone interested in military architecture and the colonial history of the city. Its low, angled walls show the star-shaped design that Spanish engineers used to defend harbours, and walking through its courtyards gives a clear sense of how the place was built to guard the entrance to Havana.
- Setting: Old Havana, on the Plaza de Armas, one of the historic squares of the city centre.
- Museum: The fortress now houses the Museum of Ceramics and Navigation, so the visit combines the building itself with its collections.
- Contact: +53 7 861 4358.
Around the fort
Because the castle sits on the Plaza de Armas, it is easy to combine with a walk through the surrounding streets of Old Havana. The square and its neighbourhood make a natural continuation of the visit, giving a fuller picture of the colonial city that grew up around the harbour the fort was built to protect.