The Cuban city of Cienfuegos, the capital of the central province of the same name, was founded two centuries and it is an ideal space for culture and leisure in the country.

The territory has two dozens of libraries, 11 museums, more than 30 cinemas and five theaters, which are complemented by houses of culture, art galleries and diverse monuments to bring the best traditions to national and foreign visitors.

The city has the Jose Marti park, which is located on the site where the foundation of the Fernandina de Jagua colony became official in April 1819, and holds stone and bronze busts that recall the most important personalities of the city.

In addition, since 1902, Cienfuegos has had the only existing Arc de Triumph in Cuba, to which is added the Tomas Terry Theater, one of the three most important in the country in the 19th century and a silent witness to the passing of outstanding figures from universal art like Enrico Caruso.

However, the most emblematic building in Cienfuegos is Palacio de Valle (Valle's Palace), which was financed by a wealthy Spaniard and built by an Italian engineer, combining in its architecture elements of the Gothic, Romanesque, Byzantine and Baroque styles, with a preponderance of the Mudejar style.

Among the most unique sites for visitors is the Reina Cemetery, built in 1830 and declared a National Monument, which constitutes a true museum of funeral art and shows the burial system by vertical niches in force at the time of the Spanish ruling.

Another of the relevant monuments, the Tomas Acea Cemetery, is considered by experts as the necropolis with the richest history in the country, with a gate at the entrance that is a replica of the Parthenon. It was built in 1926.

Cienfuegos also adds to its attractions the model of the city, which has all the façades of the premises and homes, parapets, columns, balconies, ceilings, patios and green areas.

To do this, a survey was made, dwelling by dwelling, on a scale of one centimeter in 500 meters with brown, yellow and beige colors to identify the different periods.

Visitors who come to Cienfuegos also found references to the character of Jagua, who -according to indigenous traditions- was the deity that taught them the arts of fishing, hunting and agriculture.

The province also has its natural treasure at the Botanical Gardens, which has a centennial history (it was created in 1901) with a collection of palms that is among the ten most important in the world.

With an area of 97 hectares, it holds some 2,000 species (70 percent of which are exotic), with 23 varieties of bamboo, 65 of jagüey and 280 of cork palms and big-belly palms.