The Strangest Monuments in Spain

Spain has some monuments that could strike visitors as very strange because of their odd shape, history or location. Take a look at some of the ones we think stand out the most.

1. The university frog (Salamanca): On the façade of the ancient Universidad de Salamanca you can find a carving of a frog sitting atop a skull. Legend has it that any student who finds the frog will pass all of their subjects. However, many specialists think it is metaphor for the death of The Catholic Monarchs’ first son.

2. Statue of the fallen angel (Madrid): In Retiro Park, in Madrid, you can find a fountain highlighting the dramatic scene of an angel that seems to have been cast out of heaven. What is a statue dedicated to the devil doing in the capital of Spain? In reality, this statue, inaugurated in 1885, is not dedicated to the devil, but rather to the poem “Paradise Lost” by Milton, in which Lucifer plays an important role. Even so, it is said that the statues sits at 666 meters above sea level.

3. Old woman with a baby monkey on the Silk Exchange (Lonja de Seda) building (Valencia): This monumental gothic building has a large number of strange reliefs and gargoyles, but the one of an old woman holding a monkey to her breast stands out among the strangest. The representation of a mother figure who must suffer her sinful son has been a common analysis of the figure, since in that time monkeys were associated with vice.

4. The Statue of Liberty (Barcelona): Yep, in the Ciudad Condal there is a statue of Liberty that is quite similar to the American statue. But don’t expect a huge work; the one in Barcelona is barely as big as a person and is found in the Arús Library, a modernist building, which, interestingly, holds one of the most important collections of books about Freemasonry in Spain.

5. Statue of an Indian explorer (Seville): If it seems strange that in the capital of Andalusia there is an avenue called “Kansas City,” it will seem even stranger that a statue of an Indian explorer sits on that avenue. Well, the street is called “Kansas City” because of a little known fact: Seville and Kansas City have been sister cities since 1969. The statue of the Indian was brought to Spain in 1992, for that year’s World Fair, and it is the work of the American sculptor Cyrus Edwin Dallin.

What do you think? There are many places to discover in our country, you’ve just got to know where to find them… or to read our blog!