Plaza de Colón (; ) is located in the encounter of
Chamberí, Centro and Salamanca districts of
Madrid
Madrid ( ; ) is the capital and List of largest cities in Spain, most populous municipality of Spain. It has almost 3.5 million inhabitants and a Madrid metropolitan area, metropolitan area population of approximately 7 million. It i ...
,
Spain
Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...
. This plaza and its fountain commemorate the explorer
Christopher Columbus
Christopher Columbus (; between 25 August and 31 October 1451 – 20 May 1506) was an Italians, Italian explorer and navigator from the Republic of Genoa who completed Voyages of Christopher Columbus, four Spanish-based voyages across the At ...
, whose name in
Spanish was Cristóbal Colón.
Monuments
The plaza, originally called Plaza de Santiago (''St. James Square''), was renamed Plaza de Colón in 1893 to honor Christopher Columbus. The square contains two monuments.
On the
Paseo de la Castellana side there is a
monument to Columbus whose base was constructed between 1881 and 1885. It is topped by a statue of Columbus. The monument is 3 meters tall.
The second monument near the
Calle de Serrano consists of a group of concrete macro-sculptures by Joaquín Vaquero Turcios. The concrete blocks are decorated with inscriptions and reliefs related to the
discovery of America.
Flag
Since Spain's National Day in 2001, the world's largest Spanish flag—14m x 21m (46 x 69 ft.)—294 square meters (3164 square feet)—has flown from a flagpole in Plaza de Colón that is 50 m (164 ft.) high.
The flag originally cost €378,000. It was replaced in January, 2016 at a cost of €400,000.
Other features
The
garden
A garden is a planned space, usually outdoors, set aside for the cultivation, display, and enjoyment of plants and other forms of nature. The single feature identifying even the wildest wild garden is ''control''. The garden can incorporate bot ...
s in the plaza are known as the
Jardines del Descubrimiento (''Gardens of Discovery''), where the
Royal Mint was located until 1970.
At the base of the Columbus monument is a large fountain with a broad cascade of water. There are steps leading under the cascade and beneath the plaza, where the roar of the fountain is amplified. Under the plaza along with the ''
Teatro Fernán Gómez'' lies a stop for a special shuttle that takes passengers to
Barajas Airport.
At the other side of the Plaza are the twin
Torres de Colón. The
Platea Madrid gourmet
food hall
A food hall is a large standalone location or department store section where food and drinks are sold.
Overview
Unlike food courts made up of fast food chains, food halls typically mix local artisan restaurants, butcher shops and other food- ...
is located on the square at Calle de Goya 5–7.
References
External links
Plaza de Colon - History, Present day and Location
Colon
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