{{Use dmy dates|date=August 2020}} {{Short description|Cuban historian (1942–2020)}} {{Infobox person | name = Eusebio Leal | image = (Eusebio Leal Spengler) La nación cubana ha reconocido a Céspedes como el Iniciador.jpg | birth_name = Eusebio Leal Spengler | birth_date = {{birth date|1942|9|11|df=yes}} | birth_place = Havana, Cuba | death_date = {{death date and age|2020|7|31|1942|9|11|df=yes}} | death_place = Havana, Cuba | occupation = Historian | known_for = Restoration of Old Havana | alma_mater = University of Havana }} '''Eusebio Leal Spengler''' (11 September 1942{{spnd}}31 July 2020) was a Cuban historian. He served as the municipal historian of Havana, as well as the director of the restoration project of Old Havana. Under his oversight, the historic centre of the capital city became a UNESCO World Heritage Site.<ref>{{Cite web |date=31 July 2020 |title=Eusebio Leal Spengler has died: Forever yours, dear Historian |url=http://en.granma.cu/cuba/2020-07-31/eusebio-leal-spengler-has-died-forever-yours-dear-historian |access-date=31 July 2020 |website=granma.cu}}</ref> He also authored books and hosted radio and television programs that recounted the city and its history.
==Early life== Leal was born in Havana on 11 September 1942.<ref name="AP">{{Cite news |last1=Rodriguez |first1=Andrea |last2=Orsi |first2=Peter |date=31 July 2020 |title=Eusebio Leal, who oversaw renewal of Old Havana, dies at 77 |work=Associated Press |url=https://apnews.com/1e1b2bcea18a7e530ab1b6d667c4b8a0 |access-date=1 August 2020}}</ref> He was raised by a single mother, who was a washerwoman and cleaner. He dropped out of school during grade six in order to support the two of them.<ref name="Perrottet">{{Cite news |last=Perrottet |first=Tony |date=May 2018 |title=The Man Who Saved Havana |work=Smithsonian |url=https://www.smithsonianmag.com/travel/man-who-saved-havana-180968735/ |access-date=1 August 2020}}</ref> Although he did not receive further formal schooling, he passed the university entrance exam through self-learning.<ref name="Acosta">{{Cite news |last=Acosta |first=Nelson |date=31 July 2020 |title=Eusebio Leal, Castro loyalist who started Old Havana restoration, dies |work=Reuters |url=https://www.reuters.com/article/us-people-eusebio-leal-obituary/eusebio-leal-castro-loyalist-who-started-old-havana-restoration-dies-idUSKCN24W2G8 |access-date=1 August 2020}}</ref> He studied at the University of Havana, obtaining a master's degree in Latin American, Caribbean, and Cuban studies and a doctorate of historical science from the same institution.<ref name=AP/><ref name="ND">{{Cite news |title=Eusebio Leal Spengler |work=Notre Dame School of Architecture |publisher=University of Notre Dame |url=https://architecture.nd.edu/news-events/events/henry-hope-reed-award/recipients/recipient-a/ |access-date=1 August 2020}}</ref> During his studies, he would read in the small museum run by Emilio Roig de Leushenring, to whom he was introduced in 1962.<ref name=Perrottet/> Leal would go on to be mentored by Roig,<ref name=AP/> until the latter's death in 1964.<ref name=Perrottet/>
==Career== Leal succeeded Roig as the city historian of Havana in 1967.<ref name=AP/> One of his first tasks was to renovate the Palacio de los Capitanes Generales,<ref name=Montgomery>{{cite news|title=Eusebio Leal: The man who would save Old Havana|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/lifestyle/style/eusebio-leal-the-man-who-would-save-old-havana/2012/05/20/gIQAAW31dU_story.html|first=David|last=Montgomery|date=20 May 2012|accessdate=1 August 2020|newspaper=The Washington Post}}</ref> situated on the Plaza de Armas.<ref name=AP/> The project took 11 years to complete and, by the end of the 1970s, became the municipal museum with Leal selected to be its first director.<ref name=Montgomery/> Subsequently, he managed to have the entire Old Havana cited as a World Heritage Site by UNESCO in 1982.<ref name=AP/> Leal was able to put his master plan of refurbishing 30 buildings into action with the support of Fidel Castro.<ref name=Montgomery/>
The dissolution of the Soviet Union in 1991, coupled with the cessation of sugar subsidies, resulted in a period of economic hardship in Cuba called the Special Period.<ref name=Perrottet/><ref name=Montgomery/> Leal realised that the Cuban state could not fund the restoration of Old Havana directly. As a result, he persuaded Castro to pass part of the profits from commercial businesses set up in the area to fund the restoration. For that purpose, he established several companies to draw foreign investment into the country. This included Habaguanex S.A., a tourist-management company that owned hotels and restaurants,<ref name="Grabar">{{Cite news |last=Grabar |date=September 2015 |title=Havana on the Brink |work=The Atlantic |url=https://www.theatlantic.com/magazine/archive/2015/09/havana-on-the-brink/399380/first=Henry |access-date=1 August 2020}}</ref> and was not liable to tax on its profits.<ref name=Perrottet/>
Leal was accorded unparalleled freedom from government intervention, such as being granted US$1 million in seed money to be used at his own discretion. He also was allocated a special security force to protect him at historical sites.<ref name=Perrottet/>
The successful revitalization effort, and the broad powers given to him by the government, resulted in Leal becoming the de facto mayor of Old Havana. He would greet foreign heads of state at the airport from time to time, and supervise cultural and state events.<ref name=AP/> He was also a member of the ruling Cuban Communist Party's elite Central Committee and eventually, was regarded as an elder statesman.<ref name=Acosta/>
===Other positions=== Leal was president of the Commission of Monuments in the City of Havana and a specialist in Archeological Sciences. He also served as deputy to the National Assembly, as well as a goodwill ambassador for the United Nations.<ref name=ND/> He established his own radio and television show entitled, "Andar la Habana", in which he chronicled forgotten historical accounts while taking a stroll down the streets of Old Havana.<ref name=Perrottet/><ref name=Montgomery/> He wrote a number of books about Havana, including ''Desafío de Una Utopía'' (Challenge of a Utopia, 1996), which explored how Old Havana could be preserved,<ref>{{Cite book |last=Eusebio |first=Leal Spengler |title=Desafío de Una Utopía: Una Estrategia Integral Para la Gestión de Salvaguarda de la Habana Vieja|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=0YjwswEACAAJ |publisher=La Habana Vieja |year=1996}}</ref> and ''La Habana, ciudad antigua'' (Havana, ancient city, 1988).<ref>{{Cite book |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=8alqAAAAMAAJ |title=La Habana, ciudad antigua |publisher=Editorial Letras Cubanas |year=1988}}</ref>
==Personal life== Leal was a close friend of Fidel Castro and his brother Raúl. Nonetheless, he eschewed making open political expressions, preferring to identify himself as a "Fidelist" rather than a Marxist.<ref name=Acosta/> His predominantly moderate political positions led to him being excluded from a key promotion when Raul became president in February 2008; however, he ultimately remained in his post.<ref name=AP/>
Leal was a devout Roman Catholic.<ref name=Perrottet/> He credited his enjoyment of restoring historical structures to his early commitment to the Church.<ref name=Acosta/> Consequently, he championed the freedom of religion for all those who also wanted to participate in the Communist Party.<ref name=Montgomery/> His faith drew the ire of many bureaucrats within the party,<ref name=Perrottet/> however, he saw no disjuncture between religion and revolution, stating in a 2010 interview that "for me they were never incompatible".<ref name=Acosta/>
Leal's son, Javier, runs a travel agency and an art gallery in Barcelona, Spain.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Cuba News / The Miami Herald - CubaNet News - Noticias de Cuba / Cuba News<!-- Bot generated title --> |url=http://www.cubanet.org/CNews/y06/jun06/20e5.htm |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070927005348/http://www.cubanet.org/CNews/y06/jun06/20e5.htm |archive-date=27 September 2007 |access-date=26 May 2007}}</ref>
Leal died on the morning of 31 July 2020.<ref name=Acosta/> He was 77, and had been suffering from cancer.<ref name=AP/>
==Awards and honours== Leal was promoted to Commander of the Legion of Honour in January 2013, having previously been Knight and Officer of that same order.<ref>{{Cite news |date=22 January 2013 |title=Eusebio Leal to Receive High French Award |publisher=Radio Rebelde |agency=Agencia Cubana de Noticias |url=http://www.radiorebelde.cu/english/news/eusebio-leal-to-receive-high-french-award-20130122/ |access-date=1 August 2020 }}{{Dead link|date=March 2025 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> In 2017, he received both the Order of Isabella the Catholic from the Spanish government,<ref>{{Cite news |date=6 September 2017 |title=Historiador de La Habana recibe Orden de Isabel la Católica |work=El Universal |location=Mexico City |url=https://www.eluniversal.com.mx/cultura/historiador-de-la-habana-recibe-orden-de-isabel-la-catolica |access-date=1 August 2020}} {{in lang|es}}</ref> as well as the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany.<ref name=Acosta/> The following year, the Order of Merit was bestowed on him by Chile.<ref name="CMHW">{{Cite news |date=22 February 2018 |title=Eusebio Leal Received the Order of Merit of Chile |publisher=Radio CMHW |agency=Agencia Cubana de Noticias |url=http://www.cmhw.cu/en/national/11958-eusebio-leal-received-the-order-of-merit-of-chile |access-date=1 August 2020 }}{{Dead link|date=March 2025 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }}</ref> Subsequently, during a visit to Cuba by Felipe VI of Spain in November 2019, he was awarded the Grand Cross of the Order of Charles III.<ref>{{Cite web |title=BOE.es - Documento BOE-A-2019-15721 |url=https://boe.es/buscar/doc.php?id=BOE-A-2019-15721 |access-date=31 July 2020 |website=boe.es}}</ref> Leal served as guide to both Felipe and Queen Letizia during their tour of Old Havana.<ref>{{Cite news |date=13 November 2019 |title=King Felipe VI of Spain decorates Eusebio Leal |publisher=OnCuba News |url=https://oncubanews.com/en/cuba/king-felipe-vi-of-spain-decorates-eusebio-leal/ |access-date=1 August 2020}}</ref><ref>{{Cite news |date=13 November 2019 |title=Spanish king, Cuban president meet in Havana |publisher=CP24 |agency=Associated Press |url=https://www.cp24.com/world/spanish-king-cuban-president-meet-in-havana-1.4683667?cache=yes%3FclipId%3D89926 |access-date=1 August 2020}}</ref>
In addition to those from his home country, Leal received honorary degrees from universities in Chile,<ref name=CMHW/> Greece, Italy, Peru, and Uruguay.<ref name="OHCH">{{Cite web |title=Eusebio Leal Spengler |url=http://www.ohch.cu/patrimonio/leal.php |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090911093250/http://www.ohch.cu/patrimonio/leal.php |archive-date=11 September 2009 |access-date=1 August 2020 |website=Dirección de Patrimonio Cultural |publisher=Oficina del Historiador de la Ciudad de La Habana}} {{in lang|es}}</ref>
===Other honours === <small>Source:<ref name=OHCH/></small> *Officer of the Order of Merit of the Italian Republic *Order of Merit of the Republic of Poland, Gold Star *Order of Merit for Distinguished Services of the Republic of Peru, Grand Cross *Order of Merit of the Republic of Colombia, Commander *Order of Academic Palms of France, Officer *Order of the Arts and Letters of France
=== Awards === <small>Source:<ref name=OHCH/></small> *International Architecture Prize ''Philippe Rothie'' of Belgium *2002 Prize of the Association for the Management of the Urban Centers AGECU in the Section of Latin American Initiative, Valencia, Spain *First Prize to the Restoration of the city of Alcalá de Henares *Prize ARPAFIL of the International Book Fair of Guadalajara 2002 *Prize of the city of Barcelona of 1998 *Prize of the city of Valencia *Prize ''Arthur Posnansky'' granted by the Presidency of the Republic of Bolivia *Prize of the Royal Foundation of Toledo for the ''Rehabilitation of the Historical Center of Havana'', in an act presided over by the King of Spain *Golden Medal for Merit to Culture – Gloria Artis, Poland *Commemorative medal on the 1300 years of the Bulgarian State *Commemorative medal on the 40th Anniversary of the Victory over Fascism of the People's Republic of Bulgaria *Commemorative medal on the 40th Anniversary of the Victory over Fascism of the Czechoslovak Socialist Republic *Pablo Neruda Medal of Presidential Honor, Republic of Chile<ref name=CMHW/> *Victor Hugo Medal of UNESCO *Henry Hope Reed Award, 2016<ref name=ND/>
==References== {{reflist}}
==External links== *[https://web.archive.org/web/20060317230854/http://www.cubarte.cult.cu/global/loader.php?cat=personalidades&cont=showitem.php&id=80 Eusebio Leal on Cuba Arte] *[https://web.archive.org/web/20090911093250/http://www.ohch.cu/patrimonio/leal.php Eusebio Leal on Havana Cultural Patrimony]
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{{DEFAULTSORT:Leal, Eusebio}} Category:1942 births Category:2020 deaths Category:20th-century Cuban historians Category:20th-century Cuban male writers Category:Commanders Crosses of the Order of Merit of the Federal Republic of Germany Category:Communist Party of Cuba politicians Category:21st-century Cuban historians Category:Cuban Roman Catholics Category:Deaths from cancer in Cuba Category:Knights Grand Cross of the Order of Isabella the Catholic Category:Writers from Havana Category:History of Havana Category:Historians of Cuba Category:Recipients of the Civil Order of Alfonso X, the Wise