Le Perthus Pyramid (french: la pyramide du Perthus), also referred to as and locally as Bofill's Pyramid, is a work of

landscape architecture Landscape architecture is the design of outdoor areas, landmarks, and structures to achieve environmental, social-behavioural, or aesthetic outcomes. It involves the systematic design and general engineering of various structures for constructio ...

Ricardo Bofill Taller de Arquitectura Ricardo Bofill Taller de Arquitectura (RBTA) is a architecture firm that was founded in 1963 by Ricardo Bofill, initially as Taller de Arquitectura ("Architecture Workshop" in Spanish). It is headquartered in Sant Just Desvern near Barcelona, in ...

Le Perthus Le Perthus (, ca, El Pertús, ) is a commune in the Pyrénées-Orientales department in southern France. Natives of Le Pertus are called ''Perthusiens'' and, in 2016, there were 586 inhabitants. Le Perthus is also one of French territories on th ...

France France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...

. It is located on the side of the A9 motorway, just north of the

France–Spain border The France–Spain border (; ) was formally defined in 1659. It separates the two countries from Hendaye and Irun in the west, running through the Pyrenees to Cerbère and Portbou on the Mediterranean Sea. Features Main border The Franco-Spani ...

at the

Col du Perthus The Col du Perthus (in Catalan: ''Coll de Pertús'') is a mountain pass of the Pyrenees on the France–Spain border, between the Pyrénées-Orientales in Languedoc-Roussillon, Midi-Pyrénées and the Province of Girona in Catalonia. Rising to ...

, which it was built to mark symbolically. It was designed in 1974 and completed in 1976.

History and description

The Pyramid was commissioned by the highway operator for their public art program. A broader landscaping project was first envisaged, dubbed the Park of the with reference to the ancient name for

Catalan Catalan may refer to: Catalonia From, or related to Catalonia: * Catalan language, a Romance language * Catalans, an ethnic group formed by the people from, or with origins in, Northern or southern Catalonia Places * 13178 Catalan, asteroid #1 ...

territories south of the Pyrenean passes.

's initial concept was of a one-kilometer-long sequence of artificial landscape along the highway, a "longitudinal monument" to mark the transition from Spain to France, punctuated by visually striking shapes including a series of colossal truncated pyramids. The later design process focused on a single artificial

pyramid A pyramid (from el, πυραμίς ') is a structure whose outer surfaces are triangular and converge to a single step at the top, making the shape roughly a pyramid in the geometric sense. The base of a pyramid can be trilateral, quadrilat ...

-shaped hill to be built from materials excavated during the construction of the highway. The pyramid's base is a notional square of 160 meters side length, above which it rises to a height of 70 meters. Ricardo Bofill and his team viewed it as a celebration of the role of the Pyrenean mountain passes, and especially of the

, in Catalan history. To that effect, the four columns at the top evoke the Catalan national emblem or ''

Senyera The Senyera (; meaning "pennon", "standard", "banner", "ensign", or, more generically, "flag" in Catalan language, Catalan) is a vexillological symbol based on the coat of arms of the Crown of Aragon, which consists of four red stripes on a yel ...

''. The design carries further influences from Mesoamerican architecture,

Italian garden The Italian garden (or giardino all'italiana () is best known for a number of large Italian Renaissance gardens which have survived in something like their original form. In the history of gardening, during the Renaissance, Italy had the most ...

s, and

surrealism Surrealism is a cultural movement that developed in Europe in the aftermath of World War I in which artists depicted unnerving, illogical scenes and developed techniques to allow the unconscious mind to express itself. Its aim was, according to l ...

. As it was inaugurated in 1976 after the death of

Francisco Franco Francisco Franco Bahamonde (; 4 December 1892 – 20 November 1975) was a Spanish general who led the Nationalist faction (Spanish Civil War), Nationalist forces in overthrowing the Second Spanish Republic during the Spanish Civil War ...

and the start of the

Spanish transition to democracy Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Cana ...

, the pyramid also became a symbol for Spain's European aspirations and opening to its northern neighbors.

Notes

Buildings and structures in Pyrénées-Orientales Tourist attractions in Pyrénées-Orientales Landscape art France–Spain border Ricardo Bofill buildings {{Public-art-stub

History and description

See also

Notes