The University of Havana (Calle L y San Lázaro, tel. 07/878-3231, www.uh.cu, Mon.–Fri. 8 a.m.–6 p.m.) was founded by Dominican friars in 1728 and was originally situated on Calle Obispo in Habana Vieja. During the 20th century, the Federación de Estudiantes Universitarios (University Students’ Federation) was an extremely influential group amid the jungle of Cuban politics, and the university was an autonomous “sacred hill” that neither the police nor the army could enter—although gangsters and renegade politicians roamed the campus. (The student federation is in a beautiful Beaux-Arts mansion at the corner of Calles 27 and K.)

Visitors are allowed to stroll the grounds, although peeking into the classes requires advance permission, and you’ll need authorization to take photos (tel. 07/832-9844). The campus is off-limits on weekends, and the campus and museums are closed July–August.

From Calle L, the university is entered via an immense, 50-meter-wide stone staircase: the famous 88-step Escalinata (staircase). The Monumento a Julio Antonio Mella, across Calle L at the base of the stairs, contains the ashes of Mella, founder of the University Students’ Federation and, later, of the Cuban Communist Party.

A patinated bronze statue of the Alma Mater cast by Czech sculptor Mario Korbel in 1919 sits atop the staircase. The twice-life-size statue of a woman is seated in a bronze chair with six classical bas-reliefs representing various disciplines taught at the university. She is dressed in a long-sleeve tunic and extends her bare arms, beckoning all those who desire knowledge.

The staircase is topped by a porticoed, columned facade beyond which lies a peaceful square—Plaza Ignacio Agramonte—surrounded by classical buildings (the tree-shaded campus was loosely modeled after New York’s Columbia University). A Saracen armored car sits in the quadrant—it was captured in 1958 by students in the fight against Batista. The Aula Magna (Great Hall) features a marble urn containing the ashes of Félix Varela, plus a magnificent mural by Armando Menocal. It is usually only opened for special events.