This document provides information on several famous European landmarks and monuments, as summarized below: The Brandenburg Gate in Berlin, Germany, dates back to 1791 and was a symbol of Germany's division during the Cold War. It has since been renovated and now symbolizes a reunified Berlin. Windmills in the Netherlands, including those in Kinderdijk and Schiedam, were historically important for grinding grains and gin production. The Angulois Bridge in Arles, France was painted by Vincent Van Gogh in 1888. The Belem Tower in Lisbon, Portugal, built in 1514-1520, defended the city and is now a national symbol. The Alcalá Gate in Madrid, Spain

1. PARQUE DE EUROPA
Torrejón de Ardoz (Madrid)
Travel Agencies and Events
Management
2011-2012
30th January 2012

2. BRANDENBURG GATE (GERMANY)
The monumental gate was designed by Carl
Gotthard and commissioned by emperor Wilhem
II. The design of the gate, 65.5m wide and 28m
height was based on the Propylaea (the gate to
the Acropolis in Athens).
It was constructed between 1778 and 1791. The
decoration includes scenes of Greek mythology, it
tooks another four years to complete.
Quadriga: The quadriga of Victory crowning the
gate. It was built in 1793. The bronze quadriga is
driven by the goodness of peace.
During the cold war the gate symbolized
Germany’s division, but with the fall of the wall
people reopened Brandenburg Gate to celebrate
it.
During the war the gate suffered several damages
and the monument was renovated again in
2001, it opened as good as new on October
3, 2002, and now is a symbol of a reunified Berlin.
(By Maribel Campoverde)

3. WINDMILLS (HOLLAND)
In Holland there are more than one thousand
windmills among them we can point out
Schiedam and Kinderkijk mills.
The Schiedam mills are the five biggest mills in
the world. Some of them are 40 meters high.
They were used to grind cereal and they were
important in the “Jenuer” production (Dutch
Gin) too.
Kinderdijk is the most popular group of polder
(a Netherlands word to describe lands areas
placed near to the sea) mills, they are
nineteen mills; It was declared World Heritage
in 1997 by de UNESCO. The mills are placed in
two rows, one in front of the other, as part of
a water management system to prevent
flooding.
(By Maite Benito)

4. ANGLOIS BRIDGE (FRANCE)
The monument on the right is the
Langlois bridge.
This bridge is a replica that Van Gogh
painted , inspired by a bridge located
near Arles, a village of France, Van Gogh
was interested in wooden bridges which
crossing the Rhone. The bridge, is dated
from 1888.
It is relevant that Van Gogh chose a
scene whose main technical elements
where the canal and the bridge, because
there are elements built long time ago.
The scene had to evoke to Van Gogh the
images of the Midi´s region, it was
painted four times until he convinced the
final picture.
We can see this picture in the Vincent
Van Gogh museum, in Amsterdam.
(By David Gavilán)

5. BELEM TOWER (PORTUGAL)
This tower is located in the city of Lisbon.
Its construction was started in 1514 under the reign
of Manuel I, and was started to be built by the
architect Francisco de Arruda. The work was
completed in 1520.
The style of the tower is a blend of Moorish style on
the outside, and the Gothic style in the interior.
The tower has five floors: on the first, second, and
third floor there are halls and rooms, on the fourth
there is a chapel, and finally the fifth level is the
terrace.
The tower was built to defend the city, and is built on
the beach from where the Portuguese left to go
around the world. It is a symbol of the country, and
UNESCO has listed it as a World Heritage monument.
(By Nacho Anasagasti)

6. ALCALÁ GATE (SPAIN)
It is one of the most emblematic
monuments of Madrid.
It is located in the Independence
Square, immersed in the neural centre of
the city.
Alcalá street, Serrano Street well known
because it is plenty of fashion shops and
coffee shops, and Alfonso XII street are
the main streets which lead to this
roundabout.
It commemorates the arrival of Charles III
to the capital city.
It was designed by the Italian architect
Francesco Sabatini.
The headstone says “King Charles
III, 1778”. It is built with granite and white
stone and on the top there are the four
virtues: Prudence, Justice, Temperance
and Fortitude.
(By Elena Villar)

7. ATOMIUM (BELGIUM)
The monument you can see is The Atomium. It’s
located in Brussels is the most popular tourist
attraction of Europe’s capital. It was built for the
world fair of Brussels in 1958, commonly called Expo
58. It was created by the engineer André Waterkeyn.
It symbolized the democratic will to maintain peace
among all the nations, faith in progress
and, finally, an optimistic vision of the future.
With its nine spheres and a height of 102 meters, the
building is indeed an elementary iron
crystal, magnified 165 billion times. The nine large
spheres, are connected by 20 tubes, are supported
by three enormous pillars. Five of the nine spheres
are open to the public. One of them is used for a
permanent exhibition dedicated to Expo 58 with
archive documents, photographs, videos…; another
sphere is dedicated to temporary exhibitions with
scientific themes. The upper sphere offers
spectacular views of the city of Brussels; has got a
restaurant.
The Atomium is open everyday from 10:00 to 18:00
pm.
(By Adrián Arroyo)

8. MANNEKIN PIS (BELGIUM)
Created in the 15th century, Manneken Pis is one
of the most representative and dear symbols of
Brussels.
The Manneken Pis is a statue of bronze of
approximately 15cm, located near Grand Place.
The current statue is a copy on that it put in
1619, because the original was stolen by a soldier.
It commemorates a child who, according to
legend, saved the city off the fuse that some
soldiers had been ignited to explode the walls of
the city with their urine.
There are many legends about the Manneken Pis.
According to another legend, the son of a
nobleman urinated on the wall of the house of a
witch who threw a spell becoming statue.
The Manneken Pis has more than 650 suits that
have been giving him. It has some very curious as
one of Elvis or of Mickey Mouse.
There is the female version of Manneken Pis
, called Jeanneken Pis, also located in Brussels.
(By Lorena Cifuentes)

9. TREVI FOUNTAIN (ITALY)
It is the largest baroque fountain in
Rome.
It is considered one of the most famous
fountain in the world.
The fountain was designed by Nicola
Salvi, commissioned by Pope Clemente
XII.
The work began in 1732, and the
fountain was completed in 1762.
It is 26 meters high and 20 meters wide.
The central figure of the fountain is
Neptune, god of the sea; and the water
at the bottom of the fountain represents
the sea.
The legend has... if you want return to
Rome you should throw a coin into the
water. You should toss it over you
shoulder with you back to the fountain.
(By Vanesa Prado)

10. EIFFEL TOWER (FRANCE)
The Eiffel Tower is an iron structure; it
was designed by the French
engineer Gustave Eiffel for the Universal Exhibition
1889 in Paris. This monument is located at the end of
the Champ de Mars at the shore of the River Seine;
this Parisian monument is symbol of France and its
capital. The height of this monument is 325 meters
including its antenna.
The Eiffel Tower was the highest building in
the world for over 40 years.
The Eiffel Tower was built in two years, two months
and five days. Initially it was used for scientific
experiments, today it serves besides tourist
attraction, as issuer of programs of radio and
television.
Eiffel Tower has 1665 steps, transparent elevators
that lead up to the second floor, where there are a
lot of souvenir boutiques and the best view of the
city. In the evening, the Eiffel Tower is lit entirely
with over 20 thousand lights and 300 projectors
offering a wonderful show. The Eiffel tower is visited
by 5 million of people each year.
(By Johanna Murillo)

11. DAVID (ITALY)
David by Michelangelo is a white marble sculpture.
In total it has 5,17 m. The body has4, 10 m and 1, 07 m
pedestal.
The sculpture was made by Miguel Angel
Buonarroti, between 1501- 1504.
It represents the biblical King David, when facing the
giant Goliath. It is the symbol of the city of
Florence, Italy.
David by Michelangelo is one of the masterpieces of the
Renaissance. It is one of the most famous sculptures in
the world.
Until 1910, it was located in the Square lordship
Toscana. Today is in the Gallery of the Academy of
Florence.
The sculptor represented King David as a strong man.
His appearance shows the figure with the typical
features of a fighter. It expresses a deep look and body
tension. The muscles (tendons and hands), are clearly
visible.
The sculptural figure of King David is considered a
symbol of freedom.
European Sculpture Park represents a smaller scale all
the details of the original creation.
(By Marilena Tudose)

12. OSEBERG BOAT (NORWAY)
The Oseberg ship is a well preserved viking ship
discovered in a large burial mound at the Oseberg Farm,
near Tønsberg in Vestfold county, Norway. It was
discovered by Swedish archaeologist Gabriel Gustafson
in 1905, and right now we can see it at the Viking Ship
Museum, in Bygdoy.
The ship was built almost enterely of oak, with a lengh of
almost 22 m. and a width of 5 m. The mast is about 10
m. long, and it has 15 row lines, wich means that up to
30 people could row the ship if necessary. The bow and
stern of the ship are elaborately decorated with complex
woodcarvings in the characteristic "gripping beast" style,
also known as the Oseberg style.
Inside the ship there were found two women skeletons.
There were supposed to belong to Queen Asa of the
Yngling Clan, grandmother of Harald Fairhair, first
Norwegian King. The other one was probably a servant
of the queen, sacrificed when she died, to continue
serving her in the afterlife.There were also found the
skeletons of 14 horses, which Vikings believed could help
the dead to reach afterlife, 3 dogs (to guard their
masters’s possesions in the afterlife) and an ox.
(By David Rodríguez)

13. LITTLE MERMAID (DENMARK)
The Little Mermaid is placed on Langelinie which is
the preferred place for cruises ships to enter when
they visit Copenhagen. It has become almost a
symbol of the city of Copenhagen.
The sculptor Edward Eriksen created the bronze
statue and was presented in 1913. The bronze statue
is only 165 centimeters high sitting on a natural rock
just at the waterfront at Langelinie.
It was made on the order of Carl Jacobsen; the
inspiration for his wish was his joy of seeing the
ballerina Ellen Price dancing the ballet The Little
Mermaid on the Royal Theatre of Copenhagen.
Several times the statue has been a victim of insult.
The most famous attack was in 1964, her head was
cut of. The head was never found and the present
head is a reconstruction.
The Danish legend tells that the singings of the
mermaid were bewitching the men of the sea. In its
capital, Copenhagen, a humble fisherman was
succumbed by the singings of a young woman little
mermaid while it was working, and then the little
mermaid resigned his immortality in exchange for
possessing the aspect of a woman.
(By Fátima Rojas)

14. GREEK THEATRE
The Greek theatre history began with festivals
honoring their gods. A god, Dionysus, was honored
with a festival called by "City Dionysia".
Between 600 and 200 BC, the ancient Athenians
created the theatre.
Theatre buildings were called a theatron. The
theaters were large, open-air structures constructed
on the slopes of hills. They consisted of three main
elements: the orchestra, the skene, and the
audience.
Orchestra or "dancing place", A large circular area at
the center part of the theatre, where the
play, dance, religious rites, acting used to take place.
Skene: A large rectangular building situated behind
the orchestra, actors could change their costumes
and masks.
Rising from the circle of the orchestra was the
audience. The theatres were originally built on a very
large scale to accommodate the large number of
people on stage, as well as the large number of
people in the audience, up to fourteen thousand.
Tragedy, comedy, and satyr plays were the theatrical
forms.
(By Alexandra Marlés)

15. WINGED VICTORY OF SAMOTHRACE
(GREECE)
The goddess of Victory (Nike, in Greek), It was
found in 1863 and is estimated to have been
created around 190 B.C on the island of
Samothrace in Greek.
It was created to not only honor the
goddess, Nike, but to honor a sea battle.
Victory shown in the form of a winged woman
standing on the prow of a ship, braced against
the strong wind blowing through her garments
with her right hand cupped around her
mouth.
The arms, the figure's head has never been
found, but various other fragments have since
been found in 1950.
Since 1883, the marble figure has been
displayed in the Louvre.
(By Alexandra Marlés)

16. MAYOR SQUARE (SPAIN)
Plaza Mayor is the starting point for visit to the "old town" Madrid. Is located en City
Center
The origin is the old Plaza del Arrabal which was the meeting point for the town’s traders
The King Felipe II moved the Regions Government from Toledo to Madrid in 1561 and asked
Juan de Herrera, architect of the Escorial, to change the market place into a real square
In year 1580 it was started and and completed in just two years by Juan Gómez de la
Mora, which was of Herrera's successor,
The result was a large square, measuring 120m long and 90m wide (394ft x 295ft).
In 1590 Felipe III closed the square on four sides.
Same to many buildings in medieval Europe, the Plaza Mayor were constructed with
wooden floor susceptible to fire and during 160 years three major fires devastated the
square. (Between 1631 and 1790)
The original design had five floors, and after de fire, the new design by Juan de Villanueva
decided to reduce the structure of just three floors what we see today.
The statue of Felipe III was incorporated in the center of the square in 1848
The Plaza Mayor has been the center of many festivities.
Has been used for every activity: 1)bull fights 2)royal coronations 3)executions during the
Inquisition.
Depending on the form of execution would be located in a different part of the square.
Methods: Hanging, Beheading.
Today it is used for public celebrations witch capacity as many as 50,000 peoples
In 1992 was decorated the "Casa de la Panadería" (The Bakers House) with a large mural
with angels and saints.
Inside there is a Tourist Office, you can take brochures which sightseeing to Madrid to see
shows, locations to book hotels and the other things necessary for tourist
Within the square, are numerous local of Tapas Bars and Restaurants…..
One of the restaurants "Sobrino de Botín" near the square, is officially recognized by the
Guinness Book of Records as being the world’s oldest restaurant, founded in 1725
The Plaza Mayor has had different names
"Plaza de la Constitución" - Square of the Constitution
"Plaza Real" - The Royal square
"Plaza de la República" - Square of the Republic
(By Mario Martín)

17. BERLIN WALL (GERMANY) &
TOWER BRIDGE (THE UK)
We also learnt about these two places.

18. PARQUE DE EUROPA
Torrejón de Ardoz (Madrid)
Travel Agencies and Events
Management
2011-2012
30th January 2012