local manpower.

Realizing that they were in danger of losing their heritage, the Office
of the Historian of the City of Havana was instituted in 1938. At first,
it was a struggle to safeguard monuments and historic sites from destruction.
A turning point came in 1967 when the Office helped restore the Palacio
de los Capitanes Generales as the site of the City Museum. Then, in 1982,
UNESCO declared Old Havana a World Heritage Site. Major restoration work
began on the plazas, streets and forts. In 1995, special powers were granted
to the Office of the Historian for the administration, restoration and
development of the historic center.

The administrative responsibilities of the Office of the Historian go
beyond saving buildings and monuments to the training and hiring of apprentices
and artisans, architects, and planners. The Office also plows tourist-generated
revenues intooperations of schools, hospitals and retirement homes in
Old Havana. The office also ensures that schools, hospitals and retirement
homes have the necessary resources to operate properly.

With so many responsibilities and an obligation of self-financing all
its activities, the Office of the Historian has established several companies
to generate the necessary funding to accomplish its goals. Habaguanex
S.A., named after a native chief, owns most of Old Havana's tourist facilities
-- hotels, restaurants, bars, markets and stores -- while San Cristobal
S.A. is responsible for promoting these facilities worldwide. All profits
from the companies owned by the Office of the Historian are reinvested
in important social projects and restoration work.

Many plazas, fortresses, castles, palaces, museums, galleries, fine hotels
and exquisite restaurants have already been rescued and restored to their
former glory. The remodeled buildings display an incredible sampling of
the