Cienfuegos city’s urban center celebrates its cultural heritage status

CIENFUEGOS, Cuba, Jul 15 (ACN) The people of Cienfuegos celebrate today the 16th anniversary of the declaration of the urban center of this seaside city as Cultural Heritage of Humanity, granted by UNESCO, for its imperishable attributes of beauty, harmony and originality.

Maide Garcia Martinez, a specialist in cultural programs with the Office of the City Curator, told ACN that the epidemiological situation in the country forced to organized the celebrations in the social networks.

“We have a monthly YouTube channel, called Fernandina Conecta, dedicated to the historic urban center, to display the city’s monumental wealth, marked by buildings such as the Cathedral Church of Our Lady of the Immaculate Conception, the Palace of Government, and the San Lorenzo College, which outstand in terms of their condition, management, social use, and architectural and urban values,” she said.

The historic urban center of the Pearl of the South—as the city is known—with almost a hundred blocks, boasts a neoclassical style and eclectic buildings and public spaces in an environment excellently preserved through hard works of salvage and conservation.

Cienfuegos stands out for its attention to identity processes, and it is recognized as one of the best preserved Latin American cities. Its historic center depicts the spirit of 19th century traditions in its perfect balance with modernity and a harmonious relationship between past and present.

The former Fernandina de Jagua colony, today the city of Cienfuegos, became the only Latin American territory founded in the 19th century to hold since 2005 the status of Cultural Heritage of Humanity.