The Horses, Bronze sculpture in Vigo, Spain

The Horses is a black bronze sculpture by Juan Oliveira, erected in 1991 in the middle of the Plaza de España roundabout in Vigo. Five large horses climb an ascending metal spiral that reaches 18 metres, the topmost horse rearing on its two hind legs at the summit. A cascade of water runs down the spiral into a fountain basin 10 metres in diameter, surrounded by lawn and shrubs that hide the spotlights.

The bronze was made by Juan Oliveira in 1991 for the roundabout of Plaza de España. It replaced a circular fountain with coloured lights, and before that the roundabout held Julio González Pola's stone Monument to the Heroes of the Reconquest, now on the pedestrian Plaza de la Independencia. The sculpture stands over a road underpass on the Gran Vía, whose slab had to be reinforced to bear its 40 tonnes.

The sculpture is a tribute to the wild horses that once roamed the hills around Vigo, such as those on the nearby Monte del Castro. Its five black bronze horses climb an ascending metal spiral, the topmost rearing on its hind legs at the summit.

The sculpture is located near the intersection of Montero Rios and Canovas del Castillo streets and is easily reachable on foot from the city center. The site is openly accessible and can be visited at any time of day.

The sculpture stands over a road underpass on the Gran Vía, so the floor slab had to be heavily reinforced to bear its 40 tonnes. The garden of lawn and shrubs around the basin hides the spotlights that light the fountain at night.