Eureka, Escuela de Español

The statue of Felipe III stands in the centre of Plaza Mayor. It shows King Felipe (Philip) III of Spain sat atop his horse in bronze; he has been remembered as "Philip the Pious" as a result of his strong religious beliefs. It was designed and sculpted by Jean Boulogne, an Italian artist, but completed by Pietro Tacca following Boulogne´s death. The statue originally stood in the Casa de Campo until 1848 when it was moved by Queen Isabella II to Plaza Mayor during her redesign of many of the city´s royal parks. During the Franco dictatorship, many statues and monuments to the Spanish royal family were destroyed, and it is an interesting story as to why this statue survived. The mouth of the horse was an open hole for a number of years prior to Franco, allowing a huge number of sparrow to fly into the horse and get trapped. Unable to get out, the birds starved to death inside the statue. This was unknown for years until an attempt, as decreed by Franco, to topple and demolish...

La Fuente de Cibeles is a famous fountain and statue located in the centre of Madrid. Its location divides the districts Centro, Retiro and Salamanca. It is surrounded by many notable buildings, including Banco de España, Buenavista Palace and Linares Palace. The fountain sits at the intersection of three major roads in Madrid, the Paseo del Prado, the Paseo de Recoletos and Calle Alcalá. The statue was formerly located at the start of Paseo de Recoletos, but was moved to the Plaza de Cibeles in 1895, where it still stands today. It was built at the end of the 18th century under the orders of King Carlos III. He ordered a number of reforms and improvements to the ctiy at this time, including the introduction of pavements and gas street lightng, as well as artistic additions such as this fountain. It is an icon of the city, designed by the architect Ventura Rodrígues in 1777 and sculpted by Francisco Gutiérrez Arribas. It depicts Cibeles, the Greek goddess of nature and fertility, sat a...