Eusebio Leal facts for kids

Quick facts for kids Eusebio Leal
Born	Eusebio Leal Spengler (1942-09-11)11 September 1942 Havana, Cuba
Died	31 July 2020(2020-07-31) (aged 77) Havana, Cuba
Citizenship	Cuban
Alma mater	University of Havana
Occupation	Historian
Known for	Restoration of Old Havana

Eusebio Leal Spengler (born September 11, 1942 – died July 31, 2020) was a famous historian from Cuba. He was known for his amazing work in bringing Old Havana back to life. As the city's historian, he led a huge project to restore the old part of the capital city. Thanks to his efforts, Old Havana became a UNESCO World Heritage Site, which means it's a very special place recognized worldwide. Eusebio Leal also wrote many books and hosted TV and radio shows about Havana's rich history.

Early Life and Learning

Eusebio Leal was born in Havana on September 11, 1942. He grew up with his single mother, who worked hard as a washerwoman and cleaner. He had to leave school in sixth grade to help support his family. Even though he didn't go to school formally after that, he taught himself a lot. He studied on his own and passed the university entrance exam!

He then went to the University of Havana. There, he earned a master's degree in studies about Latin America, the Caribbean, and Cuba. Later, he also got a doctorate in historical science from the same university. During his studies, he spent a lot of time reading in a small museum. He met Emilio Roig de Leushenring in 1962, who became his mentor. Leal learned a lot from Roig until Roig passed away in 1964.

Career as Havana's Historian

In 1967, Eusebio Leal took over from Roig as the city historian of Havana. One of his first big jobs was to fix up the Palacio de los Capitanes Generales. This old palace is located in the Plaza de Armas. The restoration project took 11 years to finish. By the late 1970s, it became the city's museum, and Leal was its first director.

Old Havana: A World Heritage Site

Leal's biggest achievement was getting all of Old Havana recognized as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1982. This was a huge step! With support from Fidel Castro, Leal started his big plan to restore 30 important buildings in the area.

Funding the Restoration Work

In 1991, the Soviet Union broke apart. This caused economic problems for Cuba, a time known as the Special Period. Leal realized that the Cuban government couldn't pay for the restoration of Old Havana by itself. So, he came up with a clever idea. He convinced Castro to let businesses in Old Havana use some of their profits to fund the restoration.

To do this, he created several companies to attract money from other countries. One of these was Habaguanex S.A.. This company managed hotels and restaurants and didn't have to pay taxes on its earnings. This allowed more money to go directly into fixing up the old city.

Special Powers and Influence

Eusebio Leal was given a lot of freedom by the government. He even received a large sum of money (US$1 million) to use as he saw fit. He also had a special security team to protect him at historical sites.

Because of his successful work and the special powers he had, Leal became like the unofficial mayor of Old Havana. He would sometimes greet leaders from other countries at the airport. He also helped organize important cultural and state events. He was a member of the ruling Cuban Communist Party's main committee. Over time, he became a respected elder statesman in Cuba.

Other Important Roles

Besides his main job, Leal held many other important positions:

• He was the president of the Commission of Monuments in Havana.
• He was an expert in Archeological Sciences.
• He served as a representative in the National Assembly of People's Power.
• He was also a goodwill ambassador for the United Nations.

He even had his own radio and television show called "Andar la Habana." On this show, he would walk through the streets of Old Havana and share forgotten historical stories. He wrote several books about Havana, including Desafío de Una Utopía (Challenge of a Utopia, 1996) and La Habana, ciudad antigua (Havana, ancient city, 1988).

Personal Life and Beliefs

Eusebio Leal was a close friend of Fidel Castro and his brother Raúl. He preferred not to get involved in open political arguments. Instead, he called himself a "Fidelist," meaning he supported Fidel Castro's ideas.

Leal was a very religious man and a devoted Roman Catholic. He believed his faith helped him enjoy restoring historical buildings. He strongly supported freedom of religion for everyone, even for those who wanted to be part of the Communist Party. Some people in the party didn't like his religious views, but Leal saw no conflict between his faith and the revolution. In a 2010 interview, he said they were "never incompatible" for him.

Eusebio Leal passed away on July 31, 2020, at the age of 77, after battling cancer.

Awards and Recognitions

Eusebio Leal received many awards and honors from different countries for his important work.

• In January 2013, he was promoted to Commander of the Legion of Honour in France. He had previously been a Knight and Officer of this same award.
• In 2017, he received the Order of Isabella the Catholic from Spain. He also got the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany.
• The next year, Chile gave him the Order of Merit.
• In November 2019, during a visit to Cuba by Felipe VI of Spain, Leal was given the Grand Cross of the Order of Charles III. He even guided King Felipe and Queen Letizia during their tour of Old Havana.

Besides these, Leal also received special degrees from universities in Chile, Greece, Italy, Peru, and Uruguay.

Other Honours

• Officer of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic
• Order of Merit of the Republic of Poland, Gold Star
• Order of Merit for Distinguished Services of the Republic of Peru, Grand Cross
• Order of Merit of the Republic of Colombia, Commander
• Order of Academic Palms of France, Officer
• Order of the Arts and Letters of France

Awards

• International Architecture Prize Philippe Rothie of Belgium
• 2002 Prize of the Association for the Management of the Urban Centers AGECU in the Section of Latin American Initiative, Valencia, Spain
• First Prize to the Restoration of the city of Alcalá de Henares
• Prize ARPAFIL of the International Book Fair of Guadalajara 2002
• Prize of the city of Barcelona of 1998
• Prize of the city of Valencia
• Prize Arthur Posnansky granted by the Presidency of the Republic of Bolivia
• Prize of the Royal Foundation of Toledo for the Rehabilitation of the Historical Center of Havana, in an act presided over by the King of Spain
• Golden Medal for Merit to Culture – Gloria Artis, Poland
• Commemorative medal on the 1300 years of the Bulgarian State
• Commemorative medal on the 40th Anniversary of the Victory over Fascism of the People's Republic of Bulgaria
• Commemorative medal on the 40th Anniversary of the Victory over Fascism of the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic
• Pablo Neruda Medal of Presidential Honor, Republic of Chile
• Victor Hugo Medal of UNESCO
• Henry Hope Reed Award, 2016

See also

In Spanish: Eusebio Leal para niños