Inhabited by natives, overseen by the Spanish, and founded/settled by the French, Cienfuegos is very different from other Cuban cities. It has a distinct look and feel, whilst retaining many impressive landmarks, including a number of attractive palaces and theatres. With so much history clearly apparent today, the city has well and truly earned its place on the UNESCO World Heritage list.

Christopher Columbus came across the Cienfuegos region in 1494, shortly after landing on the north side of Cuba two years earlier. While the Spanish initiated various trade restrictions, the smuggling trade in the bay thrived, with the likes of Admiral Sir Henry Morgan and Sir Francis Drake proving to be the chief plunderers. A fort was eventually built alongside the strait, to curtail obvious piracy and defend against the English. It was built between the years of 1738 and 1745, and was known as the Castillo de Jagua. As with much of the rest of Cuba, however, Cienfuegos history was one of slow growth. Settlement didn’t happen in the main until one Louis de Clouet drew up a settlement plan and gave it to Spanish governor Don José Cienfuego in the year of 1817, asking that the Spanish pay passage for white colonists originating from Europe.

Cienfuegos was established as Fernardina de Jagua some two years later (in 1819) and, typically, many French immigrants (mainly from Louisiana, USA, and from Bordeaux, France) settled into the village. The new arrivals were quick to beautify the area Franco-style, with stuccoed buildings and spacious boulevards. The settlement grew fast owing to the nearby coffee plantations being set up, as well as the convenient deep harbour. It went from village status in 1819 to town in 1829, finally gaining city status in 1880. This is when it garnered its historic title, Cienfuegos, after the then Captain General of Cuba. The Cathedral de la Purisma Concepción was built around this time, with building work commencing in 1833 and being completed around 36 years later, in 1869.

Many Cienfuegueros were involved in the Ten Years’ War (from 1868) to free Cuba from Spanish rule and slavery, joining the Army of Liberation in 1869 that was set up by Carlos Manuel de Céspedes. Cienfuegos was once again involved in troubles in 1898, when the Americans tried to sabotage underwater channels of communication. The USS Maine had only months earlier blown up in Havana harbour. Although the earlier history of Cienfuegos was fairly unremarkable, it saw action in the Cuban Revolution, when officers rebelled against Cuban dictator Fulgencio Batista y Zaldivar by taking over the military installations in 1957. Sailors and students joined in, using the National Museum of Naval History building as their base, although Batista soon recaptured the city. The 1950s also saw many fine homes erected along the Punta Gorda peninsula, where the Palacio de Valle had been built earlier, in 1917.

Since this time, the city has continued to grow, especially to the west of the original town in the 1980s, where industries have evolved. Nuclear City (the Ciudad Nuclear) was set up behind the fort, for the construction of a nuclear power station. Funding came from the Soviet Union, although after the collapse of the USSR, construction halted and it remains half completed. The historic centre of Cienfuegos was declared a UNESCO World Heritage site in 2005 and, during the same year, Hurricane Dennis made itself very much known nearby, damaging parts of the city.Present-day Cienfuegos is split into two parts, the city centre (Pueblo Nuevo) and the peninsula (Punta Gorda). The centre is loaded with attractive architecture and is where both the cathedral and the Tomas Terry Theatre reside, while the peninsula contains stylish palaces and houses.