Just 10 miles west of Havana, Cuba, located in the town of San Francisco de Paula, is Finca La Vigia, the home of Ernest Hemingway. The famous writer lived in the home for slightly more than 20 years, until his death in 1961.
Much about Hemingway's life in Cuba is not known due to the contentious relationship between the United States and Cuba. As a result, his literary estate is considered a gold mine when looking into his life and works of his Cuban years.
Here are 10 facts about Hemingway's home in Cuba.
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1. Hemingway purchased the home in 1940, paying $12,500.
2. The house was originally built in 1886 by Spanish architect Miguel Pascual y Baguer.
3. The name, Finca La Vigia, translates into "lookout farm" in Spanish.
4. The home is currently a museum in honor of Hemingway's life and works. After years of disrepair, it is now being preserved and restoration work has begun.
5. The National Trust for Historic Places has listed the home as one of its top 11 most endangered places.
6. The World Monuments Fund has declared the Hemingway home on its list of top 100 most endangered sites.
7. The property has been under the control of the Cuban government since Hemingway passed away in 1961. It is unclear if his wife gave the property to the government or if it was seized.
8. Hemingway wrote two of his most famous works, "For Whom the Bell Tolls" and "The Old Man and the Sea," while living in Finca La Vigia.
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9. A foundation has been created to preserve the works and the Hemingway home. The Finca Vigia Foundation's primary goal is to save the photographs, manuscripts, and artifacts from the home. They are working with the Cuban government teaching "best practices" to preserve the materials, which can be damaged to the humid climate.
10. The home remains almost exactly as Hemingway left in when he last departed Cuba. Access to it is limited; the majority of visitors to the home only get the opportunity to peer in windows and doors. A rare look was given to a photographer in 2011 who was working on a book about Cuban architecture.
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