Fountain of Cibeles

The project to build a kingdom of gardens and fountains was called Salon del Prado. For its implementation, the site occupied by the meadows of Prados de San Jeronimo and Atocha was chosen. Three magnificent fountains were to be built here, one of which is the Cibeles Fountain.

It was designed by Ventura Rodriguez in the late seventeenth century. The central object was the sculpture of the goddess of fertility Cybele (Spanish for Cibeles), driving a chariot drawn by two lions, in which the goddess Aphrodite, according to myth, turned Hippomena and Atalanta.

The figures of the goddess and lions are carved of white marble, and everything else is made of stone. Initially, in 1782, they were installed on the Boulevard Recoletos, and at the end of the XIX century they were moved to their current location. Near the fountain there are luxurious buildings: Buenavista Palace, Linares Palace, Bank of Spain, Alcala Gate, Prado Boulevard - which is another incentive to visit this place.

The Cibeles Fountain is also famous thanks to Real Madrid fans who chose it as a place to celebrate the team’s victories. They used it as a tribune, and the goddess was dressed in team colors. As a result, the sculpture had a broken hand. After the incident, they were no longer allowed to approach the fountain, but only captain Raul Gonzalez was allowed to approach the statue and tie the flag of Real Madrid like a scarf.