Cuba has works of art of incomparable value, which compete in terms of magnificence with others overseas, and are added to the natural beauties of our green archipelago, the benefits of our climate and the friendly, cheerful and hospitable nature of Cubans, to turn the archipelago into a major tourist destination.

In this review we focus on an important sculpture located in Havana, the Statue of the Republic located on the Capitol, considered to be the third largest among the sculptures placed indoors worldwide.

The huge effigy is the work of Italian sculptor Angelo Zanetti and only two are bigger: the Golden Buddha of Nova, in Japan, the biggest, and the statue of Abraham Lincoln in the memorial that bears his name, in Washington, second in terms of size.

The Statue of the Republic is 14.60 meters high and stands on a marble pedestal of 2.50 meters. It depicts a young woman, standing, wearing a slightly pleated tunic. She wears a helmet, and by her side rests a shield held by her right hand. With her left hand she wields a spear -attributes in the style of ancient Greece.

It was cast in Rome and moved to Cuba in three large pieces. It is made of bronze and it is covered by three layers of 22-carat gold.

The impressive figure stands in the rotunda of the second or main floor of the National Capitol, where the diamond that marks kilometer zero of the Central Highway is also located.

Flanking the entrance of the building are two huge groups of bronze sculptures, of 6.70 meters, made by the same sculptor, who impress passers-by for their magnificence: a female figure representing the tutelary virtue of the people, and a male one symbolizing the progress of human activity.