Cienfuegos

Cienfuegos on the map of Cuba

Cienfuegos is the capital of the eponymous province in central Cuba. With 171 946 inhabitants ( census 2012) it is the sixth largest city in Cuba. It is located on the 88 km ² third largest bay in Cuba, the Jagua Bay (Spanish: Bahía de Jagua ). Due to their attractiveness, the city is called in Cuba " Pearl of the South " because of its location once called " The Great American port ." In 2005, the historic center of the UNESCO declared a World Heritage Site.

History

1494 the bay was first described by Christopher Columbus and the neighboring region " Cacicazgo de Jagua " named. In addition to the resident natives Spaniards began to colonize the area. Around 1745, the fort of Nuestra Señora de los Ángeles de Jagua was built to defend against pirate raids. The first sugar mill in the vicinity of the place was built in 1751. After the end of the 18th century had begun with the extension of the now resulting settlement and the harbor, settled in April 1819 at the instigation of the Spanish lieutenant colonel Fernandina de Jagua 46 families from France and the nearby French colonies in the shelter of the fortress down. The standing further under Spanish rule place was named after the Spanish King Ferdinand VII " Fernandina de Jagua ''. As in 1825, a severe storm had destroyed large parts of the resort, the reconstruction was initiated under the leadership of immigrant French urban planner D' Clouet. It was still the city formative checkered road network today. Subsequently in 1829 renamed after the Spanish Governor-General José Cienfuegos.

The historical French influence in the city is still visible today, so by the single in Cuba to-find triumphal arch, which the former settlers had erected in memory of the distant home. He now represents the western border of the Parque Jose Marti, one of the most attractive places of the city. There is also the Teatro Tomás Terry, a 900 -seat theater forming. It was built in the late 19th century from the property of the Venezuelan sugar baron Tomás Terry in the neoclassical style.

1881 Cienfuegos received its town charter, making it one of the youngest cities in Cuba. By the harbor established export benefits and in 1860 took place after the Cuban railway network, the city came to economic success, with the nearby city of Trinidad could not keep up and so forfeited the regional supremacy over Cienfuegos. On May 11, 1898 skirmish between American and Spanish troops took place near Cienfuegos. On September 5, 1957 for a short time occupied Cuban naval officers with the support of the Castro rebels the military base in the city to protest against the Batista regime.

Economy

Since the 19th century, Cienfuegos was a center of the sugar industry. Since sugar was one of the most important exports of Cuba, Cienfuegos was born in the world's largest sugar export port. The tobacco industry and the crab fishing are other important sectors of the city. 1983 they began to build the only nuclear power plant in Cuba with Soviet aid in the Bay of Cienfuegos. Because of the collapse of the Soviet Union it was never completed. This also by Soviet specialists built in Cienfuegos early 1990s petrochemical plant had to cease operations due to a lack of oil supplies. After the repair of the system in April 2006, a joint venture by the oil company Petroleos de Venezuela and Cuba Petroleo was founded.

Known citizens and artists

• Magali Alabau ( born 1945 ), actress and writer, lives in exile
• Carlos Fariñas (1934-2002), composer
• Baby Lores, musician, composer and producer
• Benny Moré (1912-1963), musician
• Mateo Torri Duck (1910-1966), sculptor
• Orquestra Aragon, Cha -Cha- Chá - group
• Los Naranjos, oldest musical group in Cuba

Twinning

• Bahía Blanca, Argentina
• Tacoma, USA