Tourist Attraction in Madrid:
Fuente de la Alcachofa

The Artichoke fountain (Fuente de la Alcachofa) is a fountain located within the Parque del Retiro. The fountain was designed by Ventura Rodríguez in 1776 and was built between 1781 and 1782 by sculptors Alfonso Giraldo Bergaz, Antonio Primo and José Rodríguez. The fountain is made up of a central column bearing the shield of the city of Madrid, supported by a tritone and a nereide with body of woman and tail of fish. The column in turn supports a circular bathtub in the center of which are represented some children under a large artichoke, which gives the name to the fountain. The fountain is made of limestone, with the exception of the granite top that comes from the Redueña quarries. The fountain was originally located at one of the ends of the Paseo del Prado, the Emperador Carlos V square, from where it was moved in 1880 to facilitate traffic in the square. Today in the same place there is a bronze reproduction of the fountain.

Attractions in Madrid