The Caja Madrid Obelisk (, ''Columna de Calatrava'' or ''Obelisco de Calatrava'') is an

obelisk An obelisk (; , diminutive of (') ' spit, nail, pointed pillar') is a tall, slender, tapered monument with four sides and a pyramidal or pyramidion top. Originally constructed by Ancient Egyptians and called ''tekhenu'', the Greeks used th ...

Santiago Calatrava Santiago Calatrava Valls (born 28 July 1951) is a Spaniards, Spanish-Swiss people, Swiss architect, structural engineer, sculptor and painter, particularly known for his bridges supported by single leaning pylons, and his railway stations, stad ...

located in the

Plaza de Castilla The Plaza de Castilla (, ) is a square in the north of Madrid, Spain. Location It is located in the north of the city and is bisected by Paseo de la Castellana, one of the main thoroughfares of the capital, almost at its end. It lies between th ...

Madrid Madrid ( ; ) is the capital and List of largest cities in Spain, most populous municipality of Spain. It has almost 3.5 million inhabitants and a Madrid metropolitan area, metropolitan area population of approximately 7 million. It i ...

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

. The monument—intended to commemorate the 300th anniversary of

Caja Madrid Caja Madrid, formally the Caja de Ahorros y Monte de Piedad de Madrid, headquartered in Madrid,Inicio
." ...

—was donated by the savings bank to the city of Madrid.

History

To mark the 300th anniversary of its foundation (1702–2002), Caja Madrid commissioned the architect and sculptor Santiago Calatrava to design a monument that would be donated to the Villa de Madrid. It was conceived as a monument able to describe a helicoidal movement, yet the hefty maintenance costs (over 150,000 euros/year) led to the

Ayuntamiento de Madrid The City Council of Madrid () is the top-tier administrative and governing body of Madrid, the capital and biggest city of Spain. The city council is composed by three bodies: the Mayor of Madrid, mayor, who leads the city council and the execut ...

's preference for keeping it "static". According to the initial project, the work would measure 120 meters tall. However, the complex network of

tunnels A tunnel is an underground or undersea passageway. It is dug through surrounding soil, earth or rock, or laid under water, and is usually completely enclosed except for the two portals common at each end, though there may be access and ve ...

that pass underneath the Plaza de Castilla made this original project unworkable, because of its weight. A decision was therefore made to lower the height to 92 metres. In early October 2007, the Caja contracted construction company

Acciona Acciona, S.A. () is a Spanish multinational conglomerate dedicated to the development and management of infrastructure (construction, water, industrial and services) and renewable energy. The company, via subsidiary Acciona Energía, produces 21 ...

to carry out the project, and in July of the following year building work began, having dismantled the fountain which existed previously at the selected spot. The obelisk was unveiled on 23 December 2009 by

Juan Carlos I Juan Carlos I (; Juan Carlos Alfonso Víctor María de Borbón y Borbón-Dos Sicilias, born 5 January 1938) is a member of the Spanish royal family who reigned as King of Spain from 22 November 1975 until Abdication of Juan Carlos I, his abdic ...

. Maintenance was supposed to be paid by Caja Madrid, but its problems during the

2008–2014 Spanish financial crisis The 2008–2014 Spanish financial crisis, also known as the Great Recession in Spain or the Great Spanish Depression, began in 2008 during the 2008 financial crisis. In 2012, it made Spain a late participant in the European sovereign debt crisi ...

, leading to its transformation in

Bankia Bankia () was a Spanish financial services company that was formed in December 2010, consolidating the operations of seven regional savings banks, and was partially nationalized by the government of Spain in May 2012 due to the near-collapse ...

, caused it to be assumed by the city.

Description

Caja Madrid decided to call this monument an obelisk despite it lacking the typical pyramid-like tip. In fact, its design is inspired by the Endless Column, a work of 29.33 meters in height by Romanian sculptor

Constantin Brâncuși Constantin Brâncuși (; February 19, 1876 – March 16, 1957) was a Romanian sculptor, painter, and photographer who made his career in France. Considered one of the most influential sculptors of the 20th century and a pioneer of modernism ...

, built in 1938 in

Târgu Jiu Târgu Jiu (, is the capital city, capital of Gorj County in the Oltenia region of Romania. It is situated on the Southern Sub-Carpathian Mountains, Carpathians, on the banks of the river Jiu (river), Jiu. Eight localities are administered by the ...

Romania Romania is a country located at the crossroads of Central Europe, Central, Eastern Europe, Eastern and Southeast Europe. It borders Ukraine to the north and east, Hungary to the west, Serbia to the southwest, Bulgaria to the south, Moldova to ...

. Calatrava described his work as "a mobile obelisk participating in the masculinity of the vertical irectionand the delicacy and femininity of movement." The inner core of the work, 92 meters high, is a cylindrical metal shaft of equal length and 2 meters in diameter, which rests on three metal legs. These, which weigh 50 tons each, are based in turn on three concrete piles 80 inches in diameter and 26 meters long. Instead of supporting the mast directly above its long axis, it was decided to do it this way to not make extreme demands on pre-existing tunnel at the site. By fixing shaft through joints, 462 ribs and 462 bronze strips 7.70 meters in length, lining the entire obelisk. These strips have a tilting movement transmitted through the ribs, giving the appearance of an outwardly moving wave of ascension along the spine.

References

{{coord, 40, 27, 57.75, N, 3, 41, 21.63, W, region:ES-M_type:landmark, display=title Santiago Calatrava structures Spanish art Buildings and structures in Madrid Buildings and structures completed in 2009 2009 sculptures Outdoor sculptures in Madrid Bronze sculptures in Spain

Caja Madrid Caja Madrid, formally the Caja de Ahorros y Monte de Piedad de Madrid, headquartered in Madrid,Inicio
." ...

Buildings and structures in Tetuán District, Madrid Monuments and memorials in Madrid Great Recession in Europe