San Severino Castle

San Severino Castle, locally known as Castillo de San Severino, is situated in the city of Matanzas on Cuba.

In 1682 the Spanish Crown approved the building of a fortress on the Bay of Matanzas to prevent pirate attacks on the newly founded town of Matanzas. Construction works started in 1693 only to be abandoned in 1697 due to lack of money and workforce. In 1731 the engineer Antonio Arredondo started over. In 1745 the fort was finished.

In 1762, when Cuba was occupied by the British, San Severino Castle was badly damaged by the Commander Antonio Garcia Solis with dynamite.

In 1772 reconstruction of the fort began by the engineer Joaquin de Perazas. Between 1774 and 1793 the fort was used as a Customs office. From 1821 until the 1980s the fort was used as a prison.

Originally water lapped at the main entrance of the fort but a road was built in front of it in 1910. The fort is surrounded by a dry moat.

At present the fort houses a small museum dedicated to its history and slavery in Cuba. The fort can be visited for a small fee which is almost tripled when you want to take/use your camera. When I visited, access to the courtyard and ground floors was closed.

A nice fort but the accessible area is way too small, even for the small fee.

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