A restoration process started at the 26 de Julio and Abel Santamaría museums in Santiago de Cuba, as part of the celebration for the 55 anniversary of the attack to the Moncada barracks and the 50 anniversary of the Cuban revolution.

It is the first phase of the reconstruction actions that will later on be extended to Granjita de Siboney museum, the leaving point to the attack to the Moncada barracks directed by Fidel Castro the 26th of July of 1953, which was the start of the last stage of the fight for the Cuban independence.

Armando Carrión, from the Technical Office of Monuments and Historic sites in Santiago de Cuba, said that due to the celebrations, 2008 will be an intense year regarding the conservation works.

At the same time there will be activities to pay tribute to the heroes of the country, scientific days and workshops and many other activities.

The rehabilitation includes the area of the 26 of July Museum and School City, where it was one of the main barracks of Fulgencio Batista oppressive regime and that was attacked by the revolutionaries.

The Justice Palace is another site to be restored as well as the monuments off the Siboney road, in memory of the martyrs of Moncada.

The big effort will have the participation of the companies of The Office of the Preserver of the City among many other as well as the support of working groups and people in general in voluntary works.

(ain)