Columbus Monument, Barcelona Facts for Kids

Columbus Monument, Barcelona

The Columbus Monument (Catalan: Monument a Colom, Spanish: Monumento a Colón) is a huge monument in Barcelona, Spain. It stands about 60 m (197 ft) tall. You can find it at the end of La Rambla, a famous street. This monument honors Christopher Columbus. It was built for a big event called the Exposición Universal de Barcelona (1888) in 1888. This was to celebrate Columbus's first trip to the Americas. The monument reminds us that Columbus came back to Barcelona to tell Queen Isabella I and King Ferdinand V about his amazing journey.

What the Monument Looks Like
How it Was Built
Other Versions of the Monument
Images for kids
See also

What the Monument Looks Like

The Statue and Column

At the very top of the monument, there's a 7.2 m (24 ft) tall bronze statue of Christopher Columbus. This statue sits on a 40 m (131 ft) tall column. The artist Rafael Atché sculpted the statue. It shows Columbus pointing towards the "New World" with his right hand. In his left hand, he holds a scroll. The statue points out towards the sea. This shows his great achievements in exploring the oceans. On the base of the statue, the word "Tierra" (which means "land") is written.

The Pedestal

The tall column stands on an eight-sided base called a pedestal. Four bronze figures with wings, called winged victories, seem to fly from this pedestal. They point towards the four corners of the world. Below them are pairs of griffins, which are mythical creatures.

Around the pedestal, there are eight round carvings called medallions. These show important people connected to Columbus. They include:

Martín Alonzo Pinzón
Vicente Yáñez Pinzón
Ferdinand II of Aragon
Isabella I of Castile
Father Juan Pérez
Father Antonio de Marchena
Andrés de Cabrera, Marqués de Moya
Beatriz Fernández de Bobadilla, Marquessa de Moya

Also on the pedestal are four statues representing different parts of Spain. These are Catalonia, León, Aragon, and Castile.

At the very bottom of the pedestal, there are four more statues:

Jaume Ferrer, a mapmaker from Mallorca
Luis de Santángel Bessant
Captain Pedro Bertran i de Margarit, next to a kneeling Native American
Father Bernat de Boïl, talking to a kneeling Native American

You can even go inside the column! An elevator takes visitors up to a viewing platform. From there, you get a great view of Barcelona.

The Plinth

The bottom part of the monument, called the plinth, also has eight bronze carvings. These carvings, called bas-reliefs, show important moments from Columbus's first voyage. They include:

Columbus and his son asking for food at a monastery
Columbus explaining his plans to monks
Columbus meeting King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella in Córdoba
Columbus at a meeting in Salamanca
Columbus meeting the King and Queen in Santa Fe
Columbus leaving port from Palos de la Frontera in 1492
Columbus arriving in the New World
Columbus greeting the King and Queen after his return to Barcelona

Between these carvings, there are eight coat-of-arms from places Columbus visited. These include Huelva, Córdoba, Salamanca, Santa Fe, Moguer, Puerto Rico, Cuba, and Barcelona.

The Base

The very bottom of the monument is a large circle, about 20 m (66 ft) wide. It has four staircases. Each staircase has two lion statues guarding it.

How it Was Built

The idea for a Columbus monument started in 1856 with Antoni Fages i Ferrer. He wanted it to be built only by people from Catalonia. It took many years, but in 1872, the mayor of Barcelona, Francesc Rius i Taulet, supported the idea. In 1881, the city decided to build it.

A competition was held for Spanish artists to design the monument. Gaietà Buigas i Monravà, a Catalan artist, won. Most of the money for the monument came from private donations. Only a small part (12%) came from public funds. All the money and all the work came from Spain and Catalonia. Construction started in 1882 and finished in 1888. It was ready just in time for the Barcelona Universal Exposition.

Other Versions of the Monument

You can find smaller copies or parts of this monument in other places. There's a statue in L'Arboç in Spain. There's also one in Shima Spanish Village in Japan, and in Maspalomas in Gran Canaria, Spain. You can see miniature versions at the Catalunya en Miniatura park in Spain and at the Mini-Europe park in Brussels, Belgium.