Timegun at the Municipality of East Havana in the Republic of Cuba
From an early stereoscopic photograph - note the rail permitting easy traverse to the target
La Cabaña, with its 750 meters long and ten hectares of surface, was considered as the summit of the fortification system of the Spanish military constructions and its eclectic style is given by the influence that received from the best of the military engineering of the time, when taking from France the curves flanks, the lobes of the bastions, and the external works, from Italy the ramparts and from Holland the hydraulic works.
The combination of all these elements guaranteed its functionality, modernity and dynamics, when being adapted to the land, in function of the defensive necessities of preserving the city before a terrestrial attack from the east.
In the 18th century a cannon shot was fired to warn the town that the city gates were about to open or close. Originally the cannon signal was fired from a ship then at La Cabaña. Every day at 9.00 pm a single shot is fired from the castle which still had a deep historical meaning for the people of Havana.
with the 'twa Eddies