Apartments in Havana

Many of Havana's old colonial buildings have been converted to apartments. They house many families living in close proximity to one another.

Although most of these buildings are now in very poor condition, you can use your imagine to picture how grand and elegant these buildings once were. Unfortunately, many of them are crumbling - and some of the buildings need to be supported with scaffolds to stop them falling down. Some eventually become unliveable, forcing the people to move out to new homes.

Luckily, a few people are working to preserve and restore some of the old buildings. Old Havana has been declared a historic site by UNESCO (an agency of the United Nations) and has provided some funds to repair the old buildings. The Spanish government has also provided help with restoration.