The monument of Christopher Columbus is a 60 meters high column, It was put up for the universal exposition of 1888 in homage to the famous explorer. The sight of the city is remarkable.

Elevator to the top of the Monument a Colom ticket

The Columbus Monument "Monument a Colom" in Catalan, also known as "Monumento a Colón and Mirador de Colón" in Spanish, was built for the Barcelona World Fair (1888). It is located at the bottom of Barcelona's Ramblas, on the spot where Columbus returned to Spain after his first voyage to the Americas. The monument recalls that it was in Barcelona that Christopher Columbus reported to Queen Isabel and Ferdinand after his most famous voyage.

The 7-metre high statue was sculpted by Rafael Atché and is said to represent Columbus pointing towards the New World with his right hand, while holding a scroll in his left hand. An amusing detail is that instead of pointing west, i.e. towards the New World, the statue points east, i.e. towards his home town of Genoa.

The statue stands on top of a pedestal, on which is inscribed the word "Tierra" (Land).

Monumento a Cristóbal Colón - Barcelona

Another interesting anecdote is that originally the statue at the top of the column was supposed to represent the Greek goddess Athena, who symbolised the city of Barcelona. However, the organisers of the World Fair eventually decided to replace the statue of Athena with a statue of Christopher Columbus, which would be more appropriate for an international exhibition. The statue was installed on top of the column in 1888.

Christopher Columbus, the European navigators and the story of a discovery

We know that indigenous peoples who had been living in America for thousands of years discovered America long before the arrival of European explorers.

However, if we talk about the discovery of America by European explorers, the Genoese navigator Christopher Columbus is generally credited with the discovery of America in October 1492, when he reached the Caribbean after crossing the Atlantic Ocean with three ships financed by the Spanish crown.

Nor was he the only explorer at that time in that same part of the oceans; John Cabot explored the coasts of North America in 1497, Amerigo Vespucci explored the coasts of South America in 1499-1502 - he gave his name to that continent - and Jacques Cartier explored the St. Lawrence River in North America in 1534.

When he died on 20 May 1506, Columbus was still convinced that he had reached the Indies. But his record as an explorer was exceptional: he discovered many of the Caribbean islands and named several of them, including Guadeloupe, Marie-Galante, Trinidad and Dominica. Columbus' name was later attributed to several territories in America: Colombia, Gran Colombia, British Columbia.

The Basilica of Our Lady of Grace and St. Michael the Archangel, known simply as the Basilica of Mercy or the Basilica of the Merced, is one of the most emblematic places in Barcelona, located in the Gothic Quarter.

The Basilica de la Mercy was built by the Catalan architect Josep Mas i Dordal in 1765. It is dedicated to the patron saint of Barcelona, Our Lady of Mercé. The interior of the church is impressive, with Gothic architecture adorned with sculptures and religious frescoes. It is also known for housing the statue of the Virgin of Mercé, which is carried in a procession during the Mercé festival in September.

History of the Basilica of Mercy 

The history of the Basilica de la Mercé dates back to medieval times, when the inhabitants of Barcelona asked the Virgin Mary to protect them from the plague and pirates. Legend has it that the Virgin appeared to a merchant, Sant Pere Nolasc, and asked him to build a church in her honour. Since then, the church of La Mercé has become an important place of pilgrimage for the people of Barcelona and visitors from all over the world.

If you visit the church of La Mercé, be sure to see the crypt, which houses the remains of Saint Eulalia, the patron saint of Barcelona before the Virgin of La Mercé.

In 1918 it was granted the title of minor basilica by Pope Benedict XV in commemoration of the 7th centenary of the apparition of the Virgin to St. Peter Nolasco, founder of the Order of Mercedarians.

La Mercè

Our advice: You can attend a mass or a religious celebration to discover the spiritual atmosphere of the church. At the bottom of the page we indicate the times of the masses and the opening hours of the Basilica. The Basilica can be visited all day, the morning being the least busy time of the day.

According to online reviews, visitors are impressed by the beauty and serenity of the Mercé church. Comments highlight the historical and religious significance of the place, as well as the artistic richness of its architecture. Visitors also recommend attending a mass for an authentic spiritual experience.

The Moll d'Espanya is a continuation of the Rambla and is located in the middle of the water in the Port Vell, Barcelona's old port. The city's inhabitants love to take walks and sunbathe on its wooden pontoons, almost in the water. It can be reached on foot from two directions: either from the Barceloneta metro station or from the Drassanes metro station at the bottom of Las Ramblas. 

Moll d'Espanya - Maremagnum - Barcelona

But above all, it is a shopping centre called Maremagnum, which is very popular with the locals at weekends. This large shopping centre has no less than 28 brand shops (Desigual, Lacoste, Mango, Victoria's Secret to name but a few).

There are about 15 restaurants, mainly fast food restaurants, which have the advantage of being economical. Maremagnum is open every day of the week from 10am to 9pm.

The Moll d'Espanya is also home to the renowned Barcelona Aquarium, one of the largest aquariums in the Mediterranean.

It is also home to the two most famous private sailing clubs in the city:
> The "Reial Club Marítim Barcelona", is known for organising the Ioles Regatta or the Rowing Trophy.
> The "Reial Club Nàutic de Barcelona" organises numerous nautical activities such as the Conde de Godó Regatta and the Ermenegildo Zegna Regatta.

The history of Moll d'Espanya and Maremagnum 

The Moll d'Espanya as we know it today owes its origins to the transformation in the 1980s of the old dock of Spain (El muelle de España) to accommodate the Barcelona Olympic Games in 1992. This construction included leisure facilities, such as the IMAX panoramic cinema (now closed), an aquarium, the Maremagnum shopping centre, as well as nightlife venues such as cocktail bars and discos. Following incidents at night, all 25 nightclubs closed in the 2000s. The Moll d'Espanya and Maremagnum are now only a daytime entertainment venue.