Monumento a la Solidaridad, Valparaíso, Public monument in Valparaíso, Chile.
The Monumento a la Solidaridad is a copper-covered sculpture standing about 12 meters tall on the central reservation of Avenida Argentina next to the National Congress building in Valparaíso. The structure rises prominently in this location with a form designed to represent human connection and unity.
Codelco, the state copper company, funded the monument and called a tender for its design in late 1991, awarded to Chilean sculptor Mario Irarrázabal. The work was executed in 1994 and inaugurated on 10 January 1995 beside the National Congress building. After fires during the 2019 protests and two more on 29 February 2020, Valparaíso municipality began demolition on 23 April 2024, completed from 24 April, following a report of imminent collapse risk.
The monument was demolished in April 2024 after a municipal report found an imminent risk of collapse; it had been damaged by fire during the 2019 social unrest and again by two fires on 29 February 2020. Its form was four metal pillars clad in copper, resembling intertwined copper cables whose diameter widened as they rose to 12 metres, an allegory of teamwork for national progress and of a man and woman creating life.
The monument no longer stands: Valparaíso municipality began dismantling it on 24 April 2024 after a report warned part of the structure could fall. What remains is the site on the central reservation of Avenida Argentina, beside the National Congress building, which pedestrians can reach on foot.
The monument was demolished by the municipality of Valparaíso starting on 23 April 2024, after a report warned of an imminent risk of collapse and falling debris. It had been set on fire during the protests of the Estallido Social on 18 October 2019, and two further fires damaged its upper part on 29 February 2020.
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