Obelisk, Obelisk and monument in Madrid, Spain
The Obélisque is a modern monument standing at the center of Plaza de Castilla, in northern Madrid, on the boundary between the Chamartín and Tetuán districts. It is made of a steel tube covered with over 460 bronze sheets, each more than 7 meters long, and reaches 92 meters tall including its base.
The monument was built to mark Madrid's 300th anniversary and offered as a gift from the Caja Madrid bank to the city. Designed by architect Santiago Calatrava, construction began in 2008 and was completed in December 2009, after the original plans were modified due to the weight limits imposed by tunnels running beneath the square.
The obelisk on Plaza de Castilla has quickly become a reference point in the northern part of Madrid, where office workers, commuters, and visitors all pass through daily. The surrounding open space is used by people waiting for buses or simply crossing the square between the tall buildings nearby.
The monument stands directly on Plaza de Castilla and is easy to spot from a distance since it rises well above the surrounding buildings. It can be seen from the outside at any time of day, and a metro station nearby makes it straightforward to reach on foot.
Despite being widely called an obelisk, the structure's shape is actually closer to a slim cylinder than to the traditional tapered form of a true obelisk. The bronze plates covering its surface catch light differently throughout the day, making it look noticeably different in the morning compared to the afternoon.
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