El Capitolio Habanero: El Kilómetro Cero. - The Havana Capitol: Kilometer Zero. [Esp-Eng]

Corría el año 1994 ó 1996, no recuerdo bien, del siglo y mileno pasados y yo entraba en la adolescencia, en esa primera y temprana juventud o en la niñez tardía, en ese limbo donde nos sabíamos hombres y todos los demás nos veían como pequeños niños. Por esos años yo era un guajirito desconocedor de cuanto había en el mundo, me creía un erudito por saber cuales eran las Siete Maravillas del Mundo Antiguo (esas que marcaron la grandeza de tiempos inmemoriales pero de las que solo quedan las Pirámides de Egipto) y, sin embargo, no tenía idea de cuales eran las maravillas de la Ingeniería Civil Cubana ni los símbolos que son íconos de mi tierra. Por aquel entonces cursaba los estudios secundarios en una pequeña escuela de la localidad de Bauta y fue allí, con aquel grupo intermitente donde me encontraba que me hicieron vivir experiencias que hoy atesoro y que nutrieron mis vivencias y las ganas de saber un poco más de la tierra que me vio nacer. Fue por aquella época que tuve el primer contacto con la Habana, su historia y los lugares emblemáticos. Hoy después de unos cuantos años (saquen la cuenta ustedes) recuerdo con imágenes claras todo lo que se hizo ese día, pero por ahora vamos a centrar nuestro relato en el Capitolio de la Habana, el Kilómetro Cero.

It was either 1994 or 1996, I cannot quite remember, in the century and millennium now long gone. I was stepping into adolescence, that first and early stage of youth, or perhaps the final stretch of childhood, that peculiar limbo where we saw ourselves as grown men while everyone else still regarded us as little boys.

In those years, I was a country boy with little knowledge of the world beyond my immediate surroundings. I fancied myself a scholar because I knew the names of the Seven Wonders of the Ancient World, those monuments that embodied the greatness of distant ages and of which only the Pyramids of Egypt remain. Yet I knew nothing about the marvels of Cuban civil engineering or the symbols that have become icons of my homeland.

At the time, I was attending secondary school in the small town of Bauta. It was there, among that ever-changing group of classmates, that I lived experiences I treasure to this day, experiences that enriched my life and awakened in me a desire to learn more about the land that had seen me born.

It was during those years that I first came into contact with Havana, its history, and its emblematic landmarks. Today, after quite a few years have passed since then (you can do the math yourselves), I can still recall with remarkable clarity everything we did that day. But for now, let us focus our story on Havana's Capitol Building, the very Kilometer Zero of Cuba.

El recorrido no comenzó por aquí, habíamos visitado anteriormente, en la mañana el Memorial José Martí y desde su altura divisamos todos los rincones de la Habana, pensábamos que después de aquello nada podía impresionarnos más (estábamos muy equivocados), el segundo lugar que visitamos fue el Capitolio, cuando aquello ni soñaba con retomar la sede del Parlamento, era la Academia de Ciencias un lugar donde los científicos más prestigiosos del país se reunían donde la crema y nata de la sociedad científica de Cuba tenía su sede. Al bajarnos de la guagua nos recibió la enorme escalinata custodiadas por las increibles estatuas de bronce a cada lado que representan El Progreso y La Virtud. Embelesado nos quedamos con el magnánimo escenario (no solo del Capitolio, todo al rededor era belleza: las casas coloniales, el Cine Pairet, el Gran Teatro de la Habana) el ambiente allí era otro, no el ambiente de campo que todos estábamos acostumbrados a contemplar donde solo sobresalía en cada pueblo la iglesia católica como referente arquitectónico. Boquiabierto estábamos.

The tour did not begin here. Earlier that morning, we had visited the José Martí Memorial, and from its heights we gazed upon every corner of Havana. We thought that after such an experience nothing else could possibly impress us more. How wrong we were.

The second place we visited was the Capitol Building. Back then, no one could have imagined it would once again become the seat of Parliament. It was home to the Academy of Sciences, a place where the country's most distinguished scientists gathered, where the very cream of Cuba's scientific community had its headquarters.

As we stepped off the bus, we were greeted by the immense staircase, guarded by the incredible bronze statues on either side representing Progress and Virtue. We stood mesmerized by such a magnificent setting. And it was not only the Capitol itself; beauty surrounded it everywhere: the colonial buildings, the Payret Cinema, the Great Theatre of Havana.

The atmosphere there was unlike anything we had ever known. It was far removed from the rural landscapes we were accustomed to, where in every town the Catholic church stood as the sole architectural landmark. Here, everything seemed grand, majestic, and alive with history.

We could only stand there, speechless, our mouths agape in wonder.

Recuerdo la cantidad de fotógrafos que hacían instantáneas a los visitantes con armatostes enormes y pesados pero que cumplían satisfactoriamente su misión: un hermoso recuerdo del viaje. El grupo completo se sentó en la escalinata y con el Capitolio de fondo nos hicimos la foto, después nos abalanzamos sobre el técnico para ver la imagen como surgía sobre el papel al aplicar todos su conocimiento y su magia. Aún conservo la foto, es la evidencia material de un recuerdo que aunque pasen los años no se borra. Después quedaba subir los escalones, atravesar las enormes y pesadas puertas y asombrarnos más al entrar al Salón de los Pasos Perdidos, recibidor de la construcción.

Aquello era otra historia, parecía como si hubiésemos saltado del Caribe tropical y caótico a la Europa de antaño: Un salón enorme que se perdía a cada lado, con un suelo extremadamente pulido y lustroso, candiles de cobre que revelaban los detalles a cada paso, el silencio que reinaba en el interior, los pasos ahogados por la inmensidad, las luz tenue que se colaba por las ventanas le entregaban al entorno un dramatismo insuperable, al centro la enorme estatua que representa a la República naciente, en el suelo delante de ella (justo al centro de la cúpula) un enorme diamante empotrado (un diamante que no ha estado libre de polémicas e involucrado en robos) dicen que procede de una zarina y que marca el kilómetro Cero de la Carretera Central.

I still remember the photographers who captured keepsake portraits of visitors with their enormous, cumbersome contraptions, bulky cameras that nevertheless fulfilled their purpose perfectly: preserving a beautiful memory of the journey.

Our entire group sat on the grand staircase, with the Capitol rising behind us, and there we posed for a photograph. Afterwards, we crowded around the photographer, eager to watch the image slowly emerge on the paper as he applied all his knowledge and a touch of what seemed like pure magic. I still have that photograph. It is the tangible proof of a memory that, no matter how many years pass, refuses to fade.

Then came the moment to climb the steps, pass through the enormous, heavy doors, and find ourselves even more astonished upon entering the Hall of Lost Steps, the grand reception hall of the building.

What awaited us there was an entirely different story. It felt as though we had leaped from the tropical, chaotic Caribbean into the Europe of another age. The vast hall seemed to stretch endlessly in every direction. The floor gleamed with an extraordinary polish, reflecting light at every angle. Copper chandeliers revealed intricate details with every glance. A profound silence reigned within, while footsteps were swallowed by the immensity of the space. The soft light filtering through the windows lent the surroundings an unparalleled sense of drama.

At the center stood the monumental statue representing the young Republic of Cuba. On the floor before it, directly beneath the dome, was an enormous diamond set into the marble. It is a diamond not without controversy, having been the subject of thefts and disputes over the years. Legend has it that it once belonged to a tsarina and that it marks the Kilometer Zero point of Cuba's Central Highway.

Standing there, surrounded by such grandeur, it was impossible not to feel that one had stepped into a place where history, power, and myth converged beneath a single magnificent dome.

Allí todo era lujo, detalle, esplendor, asombro y como muchachos inquietos nos dedicamos a recorrer todas las salas (a las que teníamos acceso, claro está). Allí encontramos juzgados, salones de conferencia, salas acomodadas para un protocolo de alto nivel, enormes obras de arte alrededor de los pasillos, escaleras marmoleadas que llevaban a patios interiores donde reinaba el silencio y el frescor que no se encuentra en las calles de la ciudad. Yo no he vuelto a ver nada igual en Cuba, he visitado después muchos lugares y creo que este concentra la exquisitez abrumadora que no se ha podido replicar (y con esto no quiero decir que no hayan lugares hermosos y extraordinarios en Cuba, simplemente que para mí el Capitolio de la Habana está en la cúspide de la belleza). Tampoco que yo sea una voz autorizada para darle tal categoría, solo me baso en mis gustos y en los recuerdos que tengo de esa visita lejana.

There, everything spoke of luxury, craftsmanship, splendor, and wonder. Like the restless youngsters we were, we devoted ourselves to exploring every room we were allowed to enter, of course.

We discovered courtrooms, conference halls, chambers arranged for the highest levels of protocol, and enormous works of art lining the corridors. Marble staircases led to interior courtyards where silence and coolness reigned, a refreshing calm impossible to find on the bustling streets outside.

I have never seen anything quite like it again in Cuba. Since then, I have visited many remarkable places, yet I believe the Capitol concentrates an overwhelming degree of refinement and grandeur that has never truly been replicated. And by this, I do not mean that there are no beautiful or extraordinary places elsewhere in Cuba. There certainly are. It is simply that, for me, the Havana Capitol stands at the very summit of beauty.

Nor do I claim to be an authority qualified to bestow such a distinction. My judgment rests solely upon my personal tastes and the memories I carry from that distant visit. Yet even now, after so many years, those memories remain vivid. Whenever I think back on that day, I can still feel the astonishment of a young country boy suddenly confronted with a scale of elegance, history, and architectural magnificence far beyond anything he had ever imagined possible.

Hoy regreso a sus alrededores y lo contemplo, renacen en mi aquellas memorias, nunca me deja de asombrar lo inmaculado y lustroso que se observa, con su cúpula de oro (no dorada sino de oro) que contrasta mucho con las realidad que se viven en la calle, se extraña mucho las personas por cientos sentadas en sus escalones haciéndose fotos o descansando de la gran caminata, desde que se reconvirtió en el Parlamento desalojaron a todos para mantener desierta su escalinata, la vida de antaño se perdió en sus alrededores, los fotógrafos abandonaron sus funciones pero él sigue allí acogiendo las miradas de todos los que transitan y se detienen a la contemplación obligatoria. También recuerdo el asombro de los extranjeros que atendí al despuntar por la calle Reina y llegar al Parque de la Fraternidad se asombraban al ver ese lugar caprichosamente bello.

Today I return to its surroundings and stand before it once more. As I do, those memories come rushing back to me. I never cease to be amazed by how immaculate and gleaming it appears, crowned by its dome of gold, not merely gilded, but made of gold itself. It stands in striking contrast to the realities unfolding in the streets around it.

What I miss most are the hundreds of people who once gathered on its steps, posing for photographs or simply resting after a long walk through the city. Since the building was restored as the seat of Parliament, everyone has been moved away in order to keep the grand staircase empty. The lively atmosphere that once surrounded it has disappeared. The photographers packed away their equipment and abandoned their trade. Yet the Capitol remains, patiently welcoming the gaze of all who pass by and pause for the almost obligatory act of contemplation.

I also remember the wonder of the foreign visitors I accompanied. As they emerged along Reina Street and reached Fraternity Park, they would suddenly catch sight of the Capitol and stop in astonishment before a place so capriciously beautiful. There was always a moment of silence, followed by admiration, as if the building had appeared unexpectedly from another world.

That same sensation still accompanies me today. No matter how many times I return, the Havana Capitol retains its ability to captivate. It is more than an architectural landmark; it is a repository of memories, a witness to changing times, and a symbol that remains firmly rooted in Havana's skyline, preserving a beauty that continues to inspire awe in all who behold it.

Detalles Técnicos
Cámara: Canon EOS 80D
Lente: Sigma Art 18-35mm f/1.8 DC, Canon EF 50mm f/1.4 USM
Trípode: K&F Concept K254C2

Texto traducido por Copilot/ Translated with Copilot.