Columbus Monument

Antoni Fages i Ferrer proposed the idea of building a monument to Columbus in 1856, suggesting that it should be entirely constructed by Catalans. However, his plan was unsuccessful for sixteen years. It was not until 1872 when the mayor of the city, Francesc Rius i Taulet, supported Fages' proposal. Finally, in 1881, the city passed a resolution to erect the monument. A competition was held exclusively for Spanish artists to submit their designs, and the winning design was by Gaietà Buigas i Monravà, a Catalan. The majority of the funding was privately raised, with only twelve percent of it financed by public funds. All of the funding came from Spanish sources, and the entire construction, including labor and materials, was done by Catalans. The construction of the monument began in 1882 and was completed in 1888, in time for the Exposición Universal de Barcelona.

A Corinthian column measuring 40 meters (131 feet) in height supports a 7.2-meter (24 feet) bronze statue at the very top of the Columbus Monument. The sculpture was created by Rafael Atché and portrays Columbus pointing his right hand towards the New World while holding a scroll in his left hand. The statue points south-southeast, which is a more southerly direction than the adjacent Rambla Del Mar and almost a perfect extension of the direction of La Rambla in Barcelona. In effect, the statue points to a point near the city of Constantine in Algeria, rather than towards Genoa in northern Italy. It is believed that the statue's positioning was intentional, highlighting Columbus's accomplishments in naval exploration by pointing out towards the sea. The statue sits on a socle with the word "Tierra" (land) inscribed on it.

The column is adorned with an anchor-bearing device and rests on an octagonal pedestal. Four bronze winged victories or Phemes extend towards the four corners of the world, above paired griffins. Portrait medallions of individuals connected to Columbus, such as 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, and Beatriz Fernández de Bobadilla, Marquessa de Moya, are depicted on the four buttresses of the octagonal pedestal.

Furthermore, four figures representing the realms of Spain are seated against the buttresses, including the Principality of Catalonia, and the kingdoms of León, Aragon, and Castile. Four additional statues can be found against the base of the pedestal between the buttresses, namely Jaume Ferrer, a Mallorcan cartographer, Luis de Santángel Bessant, Captain Pedro Bertran i de Margarit standing beside a kneeling Native American, and Father Bernat de Boïl preaching to a kneeling Native American.

Visitors can take an elevator inside the column to reach a viewing platform at the top, situated just below the socle.

The canted octagonal plinth features eight bronze bas-relief panels that portray significant events from Columbus's initial voyage to the Americas. These events include Columbus and his son requesting food at the La Rabida Monastery, Columbus outlining his plans to the monks of the La Rabida Monastery, Columbus meeting King Ferdinand and Queen Isabella in Córdoba, Columbus making an appearance at the council gathering in the Monastery of San Esteban in Salamanca, Columbus meeting the King and Queen in Santa Fe, Columbus departing from Palos de la Frontera on 3 August 1492, Columbus arriving in the New World, and Columbus greeting the King and Queen upon his return in Barcelona. Additionally, the plinth also showcases eight coats-of-arms that represent the locations Columbus visited during his voyage, including Huelva, Córdoba, Salamanca, Santa Fe, Moguer, Puerto Rico, Cuba, and Barcelona.

A 20 meter (66 feet) wide circular base serves as the foundation of the monument and is accompanied by four staircases. Two lions stand on either side of each staircase.

During 2020, there were demands to bring down a certain statue. On June 14th of the same year, about 250 individuals marched peacefully in support of the statue's removal, without causing any destruction or defacement. However, the city's mayor, Ada Colau, declined these demands. The political party CUP, which advocates for Catalan independence, made unsuccessful attempts to have the statue taken down in 2016, 2018, and 2020.