A look at the glorious past of what was Candelaria Street, today called Independencia, has been the starting point for the development of a project, that, for two years, has been developed by the Office of the Historian of Camagüey city (OHCC, by its acronym in Spanish) to turn this important artery into a Hallway about Camagüey Culture.

The objective of the proposal is to remodel the blocks between Hermanos Agüero and Ignacio Agramonte Street, to close the so-called golden triangle of the historic center, where the unevenness of the ground, the improper uses of properties with high patrimonial value, as well as the circulation of cars will be eliminated.

Independencia Street treasures many architectural and historical values. It was named Independencia on February 13th, 1899, to honor the memory of so many patriots who fought for our liberty and lived in that location; but also the numerous commercial and service emporiums, which for years gave mobility and prosperity to the town. All of them located in that street.

It is therefore worth honoring the historical and cultural values ​​of the degraded area, with a restoration of its facades and sidewalks, the opening of new services linked to the various artistic manifestations to offer a better use of the public spaces of the street.

For its part, the street itself, by becoming a pedestrian walkway, free of noise and environmental pollution, with a lane for pedestrians with their hand bike, will provide a greater opportunity to enjoy the urban landscape, while enjoying a good coffee, a piece of cake or just a walk.

Technological news

The proposal, developed by the Master Plan and Projects departments, advised by the OHCC Historical Research Center, will bring technological innovations to the historic center, such as electronic graphics, totems with QR codes to offer cultural programming and information in Braille, to include the visually impaired and blind.

A look into the past will be available at the entrance of the street at the corner of Ignacio Agramonte, where a window will be set up that will simulate electronically on glass, the silhouette of the house that occupied that area in the middle of the last century, the San José Bar.

Ballet, theater, music and visual arts themes, radio and gastronomy will join the setting of this walk that will depict the values ​​that define us.

Queries

All this information comes to us from queries with the population and with specialists from the OHCC together with the media, always avoiding meetings with a great number of people, to respect the isolation protocol due to the pandemic. The objective: to get feedback from everyone and to make the pertinent changes that will allow us to travel from La Candelaria to Independencia Street.

Translated by: Aileen Álvarez García