Die Insel Cuba. General-Ansicht der Stadt Havanna…

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Article ID AMW1040

Title

Die Insel Cuba. General-Ansicht der Stadt Havanna…

Description

Very nice and decorative views of Havanna ( spanish Habana). 7 views on one sheet, a1 big total view of the city and 6 other inmoptant buildings and locations such as the theatrr and the harbour.

Year

ca. 1870

Artist

Blanchard

Historical Description

Havana was originally founded in 1514 or 1515 by the conquistador Diego Velázquez de Cuéllar near the present-day city of Batabanó, on the banks of the Mayabeque River on the south coast of the island. Between 1514 and 1519, the city had at least two different foundations on the north coast, one of them in La Chrorrera, in what is now the residential area of Puentes Grandes in the district of Playa. Finally, on November 16, 1519, Havana was relocated to the Puerto de Carenas bay, which today houses Havana's port, due to its extremely favorable location. As a result, it developed into an important trading and military port. Havana was one of six cities founded on the island by the Spaniards and was named by Pánfilo de Narváez San Cristóbal de la Habana, a combination of the city patron San Cristóbal with the original name of the settlement after the Taíno chief Habaguanex. Shortly after it was founded, Havana was the starting point for further conquests by the Spaniards. The city was originally a trading port and therefore suffered regular attacks from pirates, buccaneers and French corsairs who were attracted by the valuable Spanish ships. It was burned down in 1538 and looted by the French corsair Jacques de Sores in 1553/1555. As a result, the Spanish royal family financed the construction of the first fortresses in the city, which not only protected the city, but also limited the black market in the Caribbean created by the Spanish trade monopoly. In 1552, Santiago de Cuba was replaced by Havana as the capital, but it was not until 1592, when Philip II of Spain gave the city its city rights. From 1561, the Spaniards began to station the majority of their fleet in Havana to better protect the city. Ships from South and Central American ports first brought their cargo to Havana, in order to be transported to the home country by the Spanish fleet, including gold, silver and alpaca wool from the Andes, emeralds from Colombia and tropical woods and food from Cuba. This brisk shipping traffic contributed to the rapid economic boom in the city. Great Britain took the city during the Seven Years' War in 1762 with more than 50 ships and over 14,000 men in the Royal Navy through the siege of Havana. During the occupation, they forced trade with North America and their Caribbean colonies, which had a major impact on Cuban society. In the Peace of Paris, Great Britain, acting on the mediation of France, exchanged the city for Florida after less than a year of occupation. After it was again under Spanish ownership, it became the most heavily fortified city in America. Due to the steadily growing trade between the Caribbean and North America in the early 19th century, Havana quickly developed into a flourishing and elegant city in whose theaters the best actors of the time performed. At that time, Havana was also known as the “Paris of the Antilles”. The prosperity of the Cuban middle class led to the construction of many representative villas and the emergence of a Cuban national consciousness.

Dimensions (cm)33 x 51
ConditionVery good
Coloringcolored
TechniqueWood engraving

Reproduction:

52.50 €

( A reproduction can be ordered individually on request. )