Colloquially called La Cabana, the Fort of Saint Charles was built in the 18th Century on the eastern side of Havana Bay, following the attack on the Morro Castle by the British. Like the Morro Castle, La Cabana also stands on a large rock overlooking the sea. By the time it was completed, it was the second largest colonial military installation in the New World.
Over the next couple of centuries, the fort served as a base for Spain and later Cuba. Today, it houses several museums and is a popular tourist spot.
It cost so much that King Carlos III requested a spyglass to see it, claiming that such an expensive project–approximately 14 million gold pesos–could surely be seen from Madrid.
During the wars of independence, this fortress was used as a prison and prisoners faced firing squads in its pits. In the 20th century, it was used as a prison and storage facility, and shortly after the triumph of the 1959 Revolution, Ernesto ‘Che’ Guevara established his command headquarters here.
Picture Credit : Google