Urban Historic Centre of Cienfuegos

Neoclassical porticoes and a grid of airy streets give Cienfuegos a character unlike any other Cuban city. Laid out in 1819 by settlers of French descent on Cuba's southern Caribbean shore, the town grew wealthy shipping sugar, coffee and tobacco, and its planners embraced the era's fresh thinking about order and public space. Landmarks such as the Ferrer Palace and the old Government Palace anchor an ensemble so coherent that UNESCO inscribed the historic centre on the World Heritage List in 2005.