Cuba Guide
Isla de la Juventud
Museo Provincial
Address: Parque Julio Antonio Mella
Opening time: Tues– Sat 9am–10pm, Sun 9am–1pm
Price: $1CUC
Across the square from the church is the Museo Provincial, housed in the old town hall, a stately cream-and-white colonial building with simple pillars lining the facade and a small clock tower. Dating to 1830, this is the oldest building in Nueva Gerona. The carefully put together exhibits inside use an impressive collection of artefacts to portray the island's rich history.
Most of the post-Columbian displays focus on the maritime exploits that played a central role in the island's development. Portraits, weapons and naval relics illustrate the lives of the pirates whose activities dominated the region for over 200 years. Moving on in time, some rather mundane exhibits about more contemporary shipping and the usual mismatch of revolutionary memorabilia are countered by displays of compelling photographs from the early years of the twentieth century and a wonderfully retro collection of pamphlets and advertisements dating from the island's heyday as a tourist destination in the 1940s and 50s. Be sure to also look for the intricate model of El Pinero, the boat that ferried passengers and supplies to and from the mainland throughout the first half of the twentieth century, and which carried Fidel Castro following his release from the Presidio Modelo in 1955.