Napoleonic Museum of Havana.
Although you may not believe it, here in the middle of the Caribbean, in a nation that had no direct contact with France, and whose roots are firmly in Spain and Africa, the memory and figure of the Great Corsican is preserved in a museum, regarded as one of the best of its kind in the world.
The Emperor Napoleon Bonaparte, had his followers and fans on this island, who compiled paraphernalia related to the man more than a century after his death, which you can see if you visit the Napoleonic Museum.
It opened its doors in 1961, and is located in a converted mansion, with a 17th century Florentine Renaissance style.
The museum holds more than 7,000 pieces, all of which are first rate and of incalculable value. One little-known fact is that in the 60’s, the museum was the site of a commercial guarantee for the purchase (at a sum of around a million dollars), of a fleet of buses to a well-known British automaker.
Among the items on display are the death mask worn by Napoleon, made by his attending physician at the time of his death, Doctor Francesco Antommarchi, who brought it to Cuba after a long voyage. The doctor ended up passing away in Santiago de Cuba, where he had taken refuge.
The sculptures, the paintings, clothing, furniture, weaponry and many historical objects are all catalogued in the museum. Many items belonged to Napoleon himself, others belonged to those in his inner circle. A wealthy sugar plantation owner, Julio Lobo, held most of the items in his private collection, and others were acquired through donations and purchases after 1959.
The museum also has an interesting collection of rare books in English, French and Spanish, as well as galleries on all four stories of the building, as well as a lovely central garden.
The museum is a great place to learn much more about one of the greatest figures of modern history, one who will be studied for generations: Napoleon Bonaparte.
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