Plaza de Colón is located in the Alonso Martínez barrio (district) of Madrid, Spain. This plaza and its fountain commemorate the explorer Christopher Columbus (whose name in Spanish was Cristóbal Colón).
The plaza, originally called St. James Square was renamed to Plaza de Colón in 1893 to honour Chistopher Columbus. The square contains two monuments.
On the Paseo de la Castellana side there is a monument to Columbus built in 1885. This is a statue of Columbus standing at the pinnacle of a tall column. He appears to be pointing west, indicating the route he would take towards the Indies however, he is in fact pointing East albeit towards the sea. If the statue was pointing West it would be pointing inland.
The second monument, on the Calle Serrano side, consists of concrete macro-sculptures by Joaquín Vaquero Turcios. The concrete blocks are decorated with inscriptions by philosophers and indigenous leaders.
The gardens in the plaza are known as the Gardens of Discovery. At the base of the Columbus Monument is a large fountain with a broad cascade of water. There are steps leading under the cascade down beneath the plaza where the roar of the fountain is amplified. The Colon bus stop is located under the plaza along with the Centro Cultural de la Villa de Madrid (the cultural centre).
