Holguín

Holguín is the capital of the Cuban Province Holguín. It was founded as San Isidoro de Holguín in 1545, and it is named after its founder García de Holguín. It has about 300,000 inhabitants.

There are several small city parks, most central the Calixto García in the downtown area. Close by one finds the galleries Moncada and Bayado, a library, the club Casa de la Trova, the Martí cinema, the Theatre Eddy Suñol, the Province Museum La Periquera, a science museum, and a history museum. From the hill Loma de la Cruz, where a large crucifix is installed, which can be ascended by its 465 stairs, one can oversee the whole city.

The brewery Ceverercia Bucanero - a joint venture with Labatt of Canada - is based in the city. It makes beer sold in convertible pesos.

Holguín has a baseball stadium. The Frank País International (city code HOG) Airport is connected to Havana and several other world destinations.

A rare medical condition, spinocerebellar ataxia type 2 (SCA2), is 50 to 500 times more common in the province of Holguin than in the rest of the world. This is due to introduction of premutation alleles into this founder population during immigration from the Canary Islands.