Gate of Europe in Madrid – history, photo, description, map
Madrid is one of the most beautiful cities in the world, there are many parks and boulevards, ancient monuments, grandiose cathedrals and majestic palaces. Not only history attracts numerous tourists to the capital of Spain – the unique objects of modern urban planning also surprise and delight. For example, symmetrical sloping structures built at the end of the last century in Madrid, called the “Gate to Europe”, quickly became a tourist attraction.
Construction history
Falling twin towers that appeared in the capital are not a mistake of builders, as sometimes happens, skyscrapers were built according to a well-calculated and complex project. Their creators are engineers from America – John Burgee and Philip Johnson. Talented and creative young people wanted to do without right angles and typical designs, to create something unusual and original.
American architects submitted their project for approval, it was approved, and the construction of a unique structure began in the main city of Spain. The foundation was laid in December 1989, the construction of both buildings was completed in September 1994 at the same time, since work on two sites was carried out in parallel.
The grand opening took place in 1996. At the year of completion, the buildings were the second largest in Spain (the tallest were located in the Canary Islands). They gave Madrid its charm, creating an amazing contrast between modern buildings and numerous ancient palaces and monuments.
Architectural and design features
Not everyone knows that these are the only inclined skyscrapers in the world today. The Spaniards are very proud of this marvel of architecture. Falling structures are inclined to each other by 15 degrees, each building has 26 floors. The top of the towers, with their total height of 115 meters, extends 30 meters beyond the base, which is half the width of the building. If we compare them with the famous Leaning Tower of Pisa, then they have more slope and are three times higher.
This is clearly seen if you follow the decorative plates on the facade. The diagonal of the side face is in a vertical position, it connects the fulcrum to the opposite corner at the top of the building. The buildings were built in a new technique of erecting inclined structures in relation to the vertical axis of the structures. In practice, this method was called “a la the Leaning Tower of Pisa”.
Huge concrete counterweights, equipped in the basement, keep the buildings from destruction and falling, powerful steel beams act as frames and give stability. A new original solution – the beams run along the outer part of the facade, encircling it around the perimeter. No one has repeated the architecture of the complex to this day.
The exterior design is made up of vertical and horizontal sections sheathed in metal. An important role in the design of the external appearance is played by the color of the facade material – white steel, thin bright red metal lines and dark gray glass. Few people know how the problem of lifting people to the upper floors, of which there are 26 in each building, is solved – one elevator goes up to the 13th floor, from the 14th floor passengers transfer to another.
Between the buildings there is a monument made by famous Spanish architects Carlos Ferreira and Manuel Manzano Monisa. The monument is dedicated to the politician and lawyer Jose Carlos Sotelo. It is believed that the assassination of General Sotelo in 1936 marked the beginning of a bloody civil war. The monument, made of white marble, creates a single ensemble with the twin towers. Installed in 1960. In 1996, unique buildings received an award for outstanding finds in the construction field.
purpose
Located in the northern part of the city, they symbolically indicated the entrance to the city, although over the past two decades the capital has grown beyond their borders. The bright and spacious interior houses numerous offices of various companies. The place is popular – “Gateway to Europe” has become a part of the life of the capital. It is especially liked by artists, who several times a year arrange interesting installations, vernissages, and colorful performances on the site.
Directors are not far behind, even before the construction was completed, the “black” comedy “Day of the Beast” and other feature films and documentaries were filmed here. In December, the main Christmas tree of Spain is decorated here, around which many adults and children always come to the most revered Catholic holiday. The left tower (when viewed from the center of Madrid) is called the Door to Europe 1, the opposite one is the Door to Europe 2.
There are helipads on the roof. They were painted in different colors (blue red) so that the pilots would not make a mistake when landing.
A little about the owners of the “twins”
The facilities were originally owned by Kuwait's Kuwait Investments Office (KIO), which invested tens of millions of euros in the construction. According to the abbreviation of the company, they began to be called simply – “KIO Towers”.
Subsequently, the Kuwait Investments Office sold the building to the Caja Madrid bank of Spain and the Realia real estate agency. This is evidenced by the logos on the facades of the upper floors of both buildings. Since then, the name has changed to a more poetic one – “Gateway to Europe”.
At the center of a financial scandal
The construction was not without a criminal investigation. The construction of falling skyscrapers required significant financial investments, which amounted to millions of euros. The funds were allocated by KIO based on the engineering assistance of Spanish specialists.
Huge money went through the financier of the company, Javier De La Rosa. Obviously, the man could not resist the temptation and appropriated part of the funds allocated for the construction. Ros was accused of embezzling 375 million euros, a criminal case was opened. The money belonged to the Kuwait Investments Office and its Spanish subsidiary Group Torres. The top manager was sentenced to 19 years (according to other sources – 14).
An interesting touch in this high-profile scandal is that the financier promised to destroy the towers after he was released from prison. I wonder if he will be able to carry out a terrible threat? In addition to Rosa, other actors who became participants in multimillion-dollar frauds, Manuel Prado and Colon Carvajal, were under investigation, they were also punished by law.
Where are they located and how to get there
Puerta de Europa are located in the center of Madrid on Plaza de Castilia on Paseo de la Castellana, Madrid, Spain.
Madrid is the most beautiful European city. Here you can spend days walking along the old narrow streets or boulevards lined with ultra-modern buildings. There are many interesting and unique things in the capital, including the only falling skyscrapers in the world.
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