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Tribute To Christopher Columbus
By Anil Gupta
El Monumento de Cristóbal Colón is homage to the adventuresome spirit as well as to Christopher Columbus. The design on the column includes the continents of Europe, Asia, Africa, and the Americas. The monument commemorates Columbus's meeting with the king and queen of Spain after his first voyage to the Americas. They met in Barcelona in 1493.
The 2 meter high statue of Columbus by Rafael Atché stands on a round sole, on which is inscribed the word, "TIERRA," It shows him at the moment of seeing land in the far distance, pointing to it with the right hand and holding in the left a chart or parchment. He is represented as simply but richly attired as Admiral of the Indies in court dress, and exactly in accordance with the fashion of his times. His uncovered head is of the Jovian type, softened, with long hair flowing over the shoulders.The statue is of bronze and was originally gilded. The statue was cast by Francesc Vidal y Compañía in Barcelona.
The statue stands on a half sphere, on which a part of the zodiac is symbolized. This hemisphere is on top of the crown of Catalonia. Crown and hemisphere are the work of Francisco Pastor. The crown is a balcony to which visitors are carried by an elevator which runs in the column. Below the crown is the coat of arms granted to the Columbus by the Catholic Kings. This coat of arm is made of gilded iron and sculpted by Lluis Ferreri.
At the center of the Plaça de la Porta de Pau (Square of the Gate of Peace) stands a monumental column topped by a statue of Christopher Columbus. The 60m / 197ft high monument, known as the Monument a Colom, was designed by Gaietà Buigas i Monravà for the Universal exhibition of 1888.
The monument is located at the site where Christopher Columbus arrived in 1493 after his discovery of America the year before. Columbus was presumably born in Genoa, Italy. He first moved to Portugal and later settled in Spain. Nevertheless in the 19th century Columbus was considered a Catalan - some historians still claimed he was born in Catalonia, therefore the monument for the famous explorer in Barcelona.
Quite a few bunches of tourists make their way up the miniscule lift to the top of Barcelona's Columbus Monument. Although the 70-metre high tower is one of the city's most iconic landmarks, its presence is based on only one known connection between the admiral and Barcelona - a reception at the city's Royal Palace after his return from the New World. The monument was completed in 1888, just before Barcelona's first World Fair, it was generally assumed that Columbus was a native son. Amongst Catalan nationalist and academic circles over the years, the notion has more or less stuck.
Columbus seems to be looking out at "that far-distant shore," which he was able to discover thanks to the patronage of Ferdinand and Isabella.
The Barcelona landmark to Christopher Columbus sits grandly at the foot of the Rambla along the wide harbor front promenade of the Passeig de Colom, not far from the very shipyards that constructed two of the ships of his tiny but immortal fleet.
About the Author
Anil Gupta recommends that you visit http://www.bookings.es/city/es/barcelona.html?aid=305255 for more information on barcelona hotels.
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