Eusebio Leal

Eusebio Leal Spengler (born September 11, 1942 in Havana ; † July 31, 2020 there ) was an urban historian of the Cuban capital Havana. He was a historian and, as director, was responsible for the restoration of Old Havana and the historic center, a UNESCO World Heritage Site . He was a member of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Cuba and a member of the Asamblea Nacional del Poder Popular National Assembly .

Under Leal's leadership, Habaguanex SA, affiliated to the city historian's office, was founded in 1994, in which the commercial activities in the tourism sector related to the restoration of the old town are bundled. Habaguanex owns a growing number of hotels, restaurants and shops that have been built in restored buildings in the old town and whose profits are helping to restore other buildings. Including its various subsidiaries, the city historian's office employs around 10,000 people (data from 2012).

In December 2014, the Cuban State Council decided by decree to subordinate the office of the city historian to the Council of Ministers and to create the position of an associate director general to assist the city historian.

He became known to a wider public through the programs he directed and broadcast under the title “Andar La Habana” (roughly: Walks through Havana) on regional radio and television in Havana, in which he presented historically significant places in the city.

Leal was the "Good Will Ambassador" of the United Nations and the University of Havana. He was President of the Commission for Monuments in the City of Havana and a specialist in Archaeological Sciences . Leal is the bearer of several international orders of merit, including the Grand Cross of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany from 2017 and the Order de Isabel la Católica awarded by the Spanish state , and from 2018 the Russian Order of Friendship . In 2019 he was elected to the American Academy of Arts and Sciences .

Eusebio Leal died on July 31, 2020 of complications from cancer.

Web links

eusebioleal.cu , official personal website (Spanish)
Eusebio Leal on Havana Cultural Patrimony
Andar La Habana five episodes of the TV show presented by Leal, on YouTube (Spanish)
Die Dollar-Oase, article on the work of the city historian's office, in: Brand Eins from October 2005, accessed on March 23, 2015
Eusebio Leal: The man who would save Old Havana in The Washington Post , May 20, 2012

Individual evidence

^ Creole classicism, in: Neue Zürcher Zeitung of February 11, 2012, accessed on March 23, 2015
↑ El Consejo de Estado traspasa la Oficina de Eusebio Leal al Consejo de Ministros, in: Diario de Cuba of December 14, 2014, accessed on March 23, 2015 (Spanish)
↑ Eusebio Leal recibe the Orden de la Amistad de Rusia. In: OnCuba from January 18, 2018, accessed April 18, 2019 (Spanish)
^ Fallció Eusebio Leal Spengler, hasta siempre querido Historiador. In: Granma. July 31, 2020, accessed July 31, 2020 (Spanish).
↑ Andrea Rodriguez, Peter Orsi: Eusebio Leal, who oversaw renewal of Old Havana, dies at 77. In: Washington Post. July 31, 2020, accessed on July 31, 2020 .

personal data
SURNAME	Leal, Eusebio
ALTERNATIVE NAMES	Leal Spengler, Eusebio (full name)
BRIEF DESCRIPTION	Cuban historian
DATE OF BIRTH	September 11, 1942
PLACE OF BIRTH	Havana
DATE OF DEATH	July 31, 2020
Place of death	Havana

[1] Creole classicism, in: Neue Zürcher Zeitung of February 11, 2012, accessed on March 23, 2015

[2] El Consejo de Estado traspasa la Oficina de Eusebio Leal al Consejo de Ministros, in: Diario de Cuba of December 14, 2014, accessed on March 23, 2015 (Spanish)

[3] Eusebio Leal recibe the Orden de la Amistad de Rusia. In: OnCuba from January 18, 2018, accessed April 18, 2019 (Spanish)

[4] Fallció Eusebio Leal Spengler, hasta siempre querido Historiador. In: Granma. July 31, 2020, accessed July 31, 2020 (Spanish).

[5] Andrea Rodriguez, Peter Orsi: Eusebio Leal, who oversaw renewal of Old Havana, dies at 77. In: Washington Post. July 31, 2020, accessed on July 31, 2020 .