Perhaps it’s because it’s a coastal town, but the truth is that when you arrive in the city of Gibara, the first thing you do is breathe in the delicious smell of saltpeter. Then, as you enter, you feel like you’re traveling back in time, as it still preserves the fortresses of the Spanish colony. As well as some mansions converted into museums and hostels for the tourists who choose this beautiful spot in the province of Holguin.
This city is the capital of the municipality of the same name and was founded in 1817. There is a battery known as Ferdinand VII, a military fortress built to protect it from attacks by English and Dutch corsairs and pirates. Who were determined to seize Madrid’s wealth in the Americas. At that time, it was known as Punta de Yarey.
Historians say that another compelling reason was the pressure from the Holguin jurisdiction to use the port for foreign trade. It was also the first Cuban settlement liberated by the Mambi Army during the War of Independence in 1895.
Entering its Museum of Decorative Arts is like beginning a journey through colonial history. Revealing the magic that emanates from its construction. Classified as one of the most significant within the neoclassical style.
The glazed tile baseboards originating from Seville, Spain, floors crafted in precious woods, polychrome half-points with crystals imported from the then-metropolis and from Belgium. And screens dazzling with their unusual designs make this the most magnificent mansion in what is also known as the White Village.
Geographically, it is bordered to the north by the Atlantic Ocean, to the south by the municipality of Holguin. To the east by the municipality of Rafael Freyre, and to the west by the municipality of Calixto Garcia and the province of Las Tunas. It has two main rivers: Cacoyogüín and Gibara, and its coastal resources include Gibara Bay and Caletones Beach.
The city of Gibara is the international headquarters of the Festival of Poor Cinema, whose first celebration was a success beyond the borders of this Caribbean nation. Velasco Castle, a few kilometers from the municipal capital, is a major institution. Housing the House of Culture, where poets, decimists, and singers, as well as painters and writers, have a place to display their various artistic expressions.
The municipality’s inhabitants develop agriculture in the Velasco area. Also known as the Breadbasket of Cuba. Because the finest beans, garlic, tomatoes, and root vegetables are grown there, which, along with pork, constitute the staple diet of Cubans.
Returning on this trip to the city of Gibara, we find a fishing village. The livelihood of many families who eat and sell snapper, bonito, marlin, guaguancho, and delicious seafood.
In the summer, we can take a dip in the sea at Caletones Beach and in the so-called blue tanks, a kind of natural lagoon with underwater caverns that also have their own stories.
Gibara is a place to escape the daily stress of modern life, and when we arrive, we are always captivated by the charm of its history, its sea, and the beautiful people we meet when we arrive at this beautiful place in our archipelago.
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