This monument to Christopher Columbus was erected at Barcelona harbor on the occasion of the Universal Exhibition of 1888. It consists of three parts, the first being a circular structure raised by four stairways (6m/20 feet wide) and eight iron heraldic lions. On the plinth are eight bronze bas-reliefs depicting Columbus's principal feats. The originals were destroyed; these are copies. The second part is the base of the column, consisting of an eight-sided polygon, four sides of which act as buttresses; each side contains sculptures. The third part is the 50-m (164-feet)-high column, which is Corinthian in style. The capital boasts representations of Europe, Asia, Africa, and America -- all linked together. Finally, over a princely crown and a hemisphere recalling the newly discovered part of the globe, is a 7.5-m (25-feet)-high bronze statue of Columbus -- pointing supposedly to the New World, but in reality toward the Balearic Islands -- by Rafael Ataché. Inside the iron column, a tiny elevator ascends to the mirador. From here, a panoramic view of Barcelona and its harbor unfolds.
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