The monument to Columbus is the largest in the world. It was designed by the architect Gaietà Buïgas, who had the wisdom to prefer to center it on a column instead of an architectural volume. The goal was to be able to be seen from a distance and from any angle.
It is possible to suspect that the sculptor Rafael Atché took this non-banal aspect into account; Hence he avoided incorporating a large flag in the Admiral's hand and preferred to give relevance to his extended finger marking the path, the same finger that pointed to the discovered land.
The measurements give an idea of the dimension. The monument is 57.20 meters high and weighs 233 tons. It required the most solid foundations, taking into account the poor quality of the land, as demonstrated when building the Porxos d'en Xifré.
The column is a sum of pieces, each of which arrived there mounted on a huge cart pulled by eight horses, a spectacle that delighted a large concentration of curious onlookers. The foundry was carried out by the Wohlguemuht company. The reliefs were made in Comas Hermanos, located in a nave that soon became the famous La Paloma dance hall.
It is worth carefully observing the large branches that climb to decorate the column with a touch of exoticism: marijuana.
The bronze statue cast in Francesc Vidal's workshop measures 7.60 meters; the shoe, 1.20 and was copied from the copy held by the Museu del Calçat; the finger, 50 centimeters, an exaggerated dimension, although necessary given the prominence sought.
What best conveys such grandeur was the photographic montage that illustrates these lines and deserved to be the cover of the magazine La Illustration Nacional. The simple comparison between the two figures is most didactic.
It was inaugurated on June 1, 1888. Inside the entrance, the tombstone confirms this in an ambiguous text that leads to misinterpretation, since neither King Umberto I of Italy (seriously ill) nor the American president Grover were present. Cleveland. The only authority coming from abroad was the mayor of Genoa.
The monument was not liked. The best image was created with originality by the great photographer Francesc Català-Roca: a dizzying dive that some confuse with a luxurious fantasy telephone.
