Current Time in Holguín, Cuba

Holguín is a city in eastern Cuba and the capital of the province of the same name. It lies inland on a plain ringed by low green hills, about seventy kilometres from the northern coast, in a region of sugar cane, pasture and fruit farms. The hill of Loma de la Cruz rises directly above the town and gives the classic view over its grid of streets and red roofs.

With a population of around three hundred and fifty thousand, Holguín is the fourth largest city in Cuba. It is the commercial and administrative centre for a province that combines agriculture with the country's most valuable mineral resource, since the nickel and cobalt mines at Moa and Nicaro lie within its territory and are Cuba's leading export earner. Tourism on the northern beaches adds substantially to the regional economy.

The area was densely settled by Taíno people when Christopher Columbus landed on this coast in October 1492, at a bay usually identified as Bariay, where he wrote that it was the most beautiful land human eyes had ever seen. The Spanish settlement was founded in 1545 on land granted to Captain García Holguín and grew slowly as a cattle-raising centre. It gained city status in 1752 and expanded in the nineteenth century, when its distinctive plan of open squares along a single axis was laid out. The Castro brothers grew up at Birán, a farm south-east of the city, now preserved as a museum.

Holguín is known as the city of parks, and its chain of leafy squares gives it its character. Parque Calixto García, the largest, is lined with colonnaded buildings including the provincial museum, housed in a mansion nicknamed La Periquera. Parque Céspedes and Parque San José have their own churches and cafés. The climb of 458 steps to the top of Loma de la Cruz, where a cross has stood since 1790, is a local ritual rewarded by a wide panorama. Outside the city, the beaches at Guardalavaca and Playa Esmeralda are among the finest in Cuba, the colonial fishing town of Gibara sits on the coast, and the Chorro de Maíta site preserves an important indigenous burial ground.

Cultural life is lively and locally rooted. The Romerías de Mayo, a festival of young artists held each May, has grown into one of the most important cultural gatherings in the country, combining processions to the cross with music, theatre and visual art. Son and changüí music from the eastern provinces are played everywhere, and baseball commands enormous loyalty.

Transport is served by Frank País International Airport, which handles charter flights bringing visitors to the beach resorts, by the national railway and highway, and by buses to Havana, Santiago de Cuba and Camagüey.

The University of Holguín offers a broad range of subjects and, with medical and pedagogical faculties, makes the city a regional centre of education.

Holguín is important as the gateway to the beaches and history of eastern Cuba, and its open squares and hilltop views make it one of the most pleasant provincial cities on the island.