Museum of the History of Sciences under Restoration

Construction workers in the Cuban capital have begun the total restoration of the Carlos J. Finlay National Museum of the History of Sciences, also the headquarters of the Royal Academy of Medical, Physical and Natural Sciences of Havana.

Carmen Pons Morejon, with Havana’s Office of the City Historian, told us that specialists from this institution are undertaking the renovation works in the building, which is regarded as the first museum in Cuba and dates back to 1823.

She explained that the restoration project is financed by the Pan-American Health Organization (PAHO) and the World Health Organization (WHO); and it is backed up by the Master Plan and the Provincial Commission of Monuments, and the Academy of Sciences of Cuba (ACC).

This building also hosts the Royal Academy of Medical, Physical and Natural Sciences of Havana, which was founded in 1861 at the initiative of renowned researchers led by Surgeon Nicolas Jose Gutierrez Hernandez.

On the occasion of its 150th anniversary, the Foreign Relations Secretary of the Academy of Sciences of Cuba said that the Executive Bureau of the International Council for Science (ICSU) will meet in Havana, in May, for the first time since its foundation in 1931.

The restoration works will conclude in 2012.