A $30 million renovation of the Colonial Zone of Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic is scheduled to start late this year, according to the Dominican Republic Ministry of Tourism.
The plan for the 11-block area within the capital city is aimed at conserving the historic center of the oldest colonial city in the Americas.
Santo Domingo was founded in 1498 by Bartholomew Columbus, brother of explorer Christopher Columbus, who discovered the island of Hispaniola in 1492.
The money will be used to improve streets, plazas and other public spaces, plus restore the zone's attractions: Fortaleza Ozama, Museo de las Casas Reales, the ruins of the Monasterio de San Francisco and the Alcazar de Colon — a palace built for Christopher Columbus' son Diego in 1509.
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