Cibeles Fountain in Madrid, Spain in plaza de cibeles

Cibeles Fountain
Plaza Cibeles, s/n

Metro: Banco de España

In the center of the Plaza de Cibeles, a heavily trafficked roundabout that joins calle Alacala, Paseo de Recoletos and Paseo del Prado, is the Fuente de Cibeles, a fountain named after Cibele (or Ceres), the Greek goddess of the Earth, agriculture and fertility. The fountain depicts the goddess in a chariot pulled by two lions.  The lions represent Hipómenes and Atlanta, the great huntress.  Hipómenes fell in love with Atlanta, but Zeus turned the two into lions for entering Cibeles’ temple and condemned them to pulling the goddess’s chariot forever. 

Interestingly, the statue is the work of several artists.  The statue was designed by Ventura Rodriguez, Miguel Ximenez was in charge of the statues adornments and Francisco Gutierrez sculpted the goddess and her chariot, while the lions are the work of Roberto Michel. 
This statue was originally placed to one side of the square in 1781. Its location has changed several times since and in 1895 it was moved to its current home.  The statue is one of Madrid’s most important and most recognizable symbols.  Whenever Madrid’s soccer team, Real Madrid, wins a championship, fans gather around the fountain to celebrate and give the team a hero’s welcome.  Plus the statue is in monumental company, as it is surrounded by the Palacio de Comunicaciones, Palacio de Linares and the Banco de España.