Plaza Colon, Madrid

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The square is dedicated to Christopher Columbus thus the name. Also his Statue with a fountain and Monument made of concrete cement are the two features for his honor. Under the fountain , you will find the way to Centro Cultural de la Villa. The Discovery Gardens rounded up the place as a lovely area to relax.

One of the most esteemed citizens of Spain is Columbus. Monuments to this remarkable seafarer can be seen in many cities of Spain. As a rule, it is an obelisk with Columbus's figure at the top. It is quite natural to see such a monument as well In Madrid. It is installed on (in spanish Columbus is Colon). The memorial, devoted to the discovery of America is on this square. Though there are many doubt, whether there was Columbus the Spaniard on a nationality.

This two easy recognisable towers will indicate the Plaza Colón for you.
Seeing this, you have behind your back the memory park of Christofer Columbus (Colón).
The metro stations are Serrano, Colón.
To the left of the picture there is the Madrid wax museum.

Under the water cascades at Plaza Colon there is the Centro Cultural de la Villa de Madrid.
Go down there and look at the stone map that describes the journey by Columbus. The dates and boats are indicated.
This picture just shows a part of it.
(I have always had difficulties to remember the names of the ships, until I some times ago got the explanation: The three ships were named after three prostitutes: La Pinta (the painted), La Ninja (the girl) and Maria la Galanta. As this not was a suitable name for the main ship of Columbus when going on this great journey, they changed the name to Santa Maria.)

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Of course being in Spain, you will find many different monuments as a homage to the discovery of America, or to Christopher Columbus himself. In Madrid we have to Plaza Colón (Columbus square), where you can find a 17 meter hight monument to him, built in the late 19th century. Also you will be able to see a homage to the discovery itself, the sailors, the Pinta, the Niña and the Santa Maria, which was built in the 70's. It might be nice to havea short walk around the square, sit down on a bench and enjoy the view! And please, don't let the Colón towers spoil the view for you... I'm telling you this buildings (and no offense to the architect!) have to be the ugliest in Madrid!

Actually, the name of this square is "Plaza de la Hispanidad", though I think everybody in the city knows it as Plaza de Colón, or just Colón (Spanish version for Columbus). The reason for that name is the huge statue dedicated to the memory of Spain's most famous trickster; the one that sell an impossible history to the Kings of Spain regarding an unknown route to the East... sailing to the West. Yeah, whatever, as if the world where round ;-)

At the feet of Columbus, there's a beautiful artificial waterfall, which is actually one of the most refreshing places to be in Madrid during a torrid summer afternoon. Special thanks to my beautiful model ;-)

Colón square is dedicated to the famous Columbus and has a statue of Columbus standing on the top of a tall column. The monument was built in 1885 but the square took the name Colon in 1893. Columbus points west towards the lands he discovered.
There is always traffic around square with cars and buses but the waters will attract your attention for a while. Under the plaza you can visit the Cultural center of Madrid city. Check also the sculptures of Turcios on calle Serrano.

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Though the plaza is named after Columbus, the gardens are refered to as the Gardens of Discovery. The Colon bus stop is but one of the attractions under the plaza, the Cultural Center "de la Villa de Madrid" is also located beneath the plaza. At the base of the Columbus Monument is a fountain with a huge cascade of water. At the ends of the fountain are stairs leading down under the cascade, take them to check out the Cultural Center.

On the plaza you also find the Torre Colon. In spite of the looks the two towers are actually built independently with two independent concrete cores. It is 116 m high with 23 floors. All the floors “hang” from a large structure built in the top floors. The green copper crown was added after the building was finished and from that the building is known by Enchufe (plug-in). The architext was Antonio Lamela martinez.

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We have all heard of Christopher Columbus, the great navigator who , history tells us, discovered the New World.

This memorial is certainly worth visiting. Well located with many other interesting buildings, gardens etc close by.

This square is dedicated to Christopher Columbus and the statue seen in this picture is a smaller version of the one that sits at the end of Las Ramblas in Barcelona. Underneath the square is the Centro Cultural de la Villa. You'll enter the Cultural Center by walking down behind a sheet of water that cascades from a fountain above. Behind the plaza is Calle Serrano, which is one of the best shopping streets in the city.