Do you know which city the Christopher Columbus monument is located in?

Christopher Columbus is rightly considered one of the greatest people in the world in the history of its existence. The name of the great navigator is countries, cities, squares, museums. And in which city is the monument to Christopher Columbus?

The largest monument dedicated to the great traveler

In many cities of Spain there are monuments to Columbus - the pride of the Spanish people. It is believed that the monument to Christopher Columbus in Barcelona is the largest and most famous. All tourists after their arrival in Barcelona express their desire to visit this memorial. What is the motivation for the decision to erect a monument to a seafarer in this city?

Naturally, no one has a question about why the Columbus monument in Spain is installed. After all, everyone knows the answer: in spite of the fact that this seafarer by nationality is a Jew, he, nevertheless, was a subject of the Spanish kingdom. Naturally, after what Columbus did for his state, he became a national hero. On this occasion throughout the country in his honor were named squares and streets, museums and schools. But as for the choice of Barcelona as a place for the erection of a giant monument, this is due to the fact that it was here that Columbus arrived from the American continent in order to report to their majesties Ferdinand and Isabel about his discovery.

Location of the monument

We already know in which city the monument to Christopher Columbus is located, now it remains to find out exactly where it is located. There is on the embankment of the capital of Catalonia, the picturesque area of Portal de la Pau. From Spanish this name translates as "Gateway of the World". Perhaps, because of this, the Christopher Columbus monument was erected in this area. Culturologists say that in the distant 15th century, the seafarer descended on the Spanish coast precisely in the place where this magnificent monument stands today.

Description

This monument is the largest of all existing monuments to the great seafarer. It is an ensemble, which consists of a pedestal, forty-meter column, a series of sculptures and the very figure of Christopher Columbus. The foundation of the monument is a concrete circle with a radius of ten and a half meters and four stairs, on each side of which sit stone lions. If you climb one of these stairs, you can see an 8-corner plinth with bas-reliefs made of bronze. They depict scenes describing the events of Columbus's first trip to the American continent. At the foot of the pedestal you can see the sculptures of the four companions of the great navigator.

There are also four other statues, symbolizing the Spanish states of those times. In addition, the supports contain images of people who in one way or another were involved in the implementation of the plan of the great navigator. Among them you can see the royal couple, the abbot of the monastery of Hun Perez de Marchena, who facilitated the meeting of Columbus with royalty. Further from the pedestal, like the winged goddess Victoria, under which are located guarding their griffins.

Sculpture of Columbus

The seven-meter statue stands on a 41-meter column, made in the Corinthian style. The sculpture is made of bronze. One hand of Columbus points to the sea, and in the other he holds a scroll.

If you remember the city in which the monument to Christopher Columbus was erected, and also the location of the native city of the seafarer (Genoa), it becomes clear why his hand directed towards the sea points not to the West, to the New World, but to the east, in the direction To Italy.

Under the base of the monument at an altitude of 60 meters there is a viewing platform. There you can climb the elevator. It offers a beautiful view of the sea and the whole city. The idea of such a monument belongs to the artist Gaet Buigas-e-Montrab, but the bronze statue of the genius itself was made by the famous sculptor Rafael Atche. The author of bas-reliefs - Alexander Volgemut - also a famous Spanish sculptor.

When the statue was erected

Now we know in which city the Christopher Columbus monument is erected and why, but let's find out when it happened. In the middle of the 19th century, the elders of Barcelona proposed a project to create a monument to the great Columbus. However, in order to translate this idea into reality, it took a whole 30 years.

Masters from all over the country came to Barcelona. The construction work was started in 1882. For six whole years several dozens of builders, sculptors and architects worked on the erection of this statue. In June 1888, at the opening of the World Exhibition in Barcelona, the monument appeared before the residents and guests of the city in all its glory.

Conclusion

Monuments of Columbus were erected both in the Old and in the New World. In Spain alone there are about a dozen of them, but none of them can compare to the majestic monument in the most beautiful city of Europe - Barcelona.