Parque Europa

Parque Europa  (Europe Park) is situated 13 miles from Madrid in Torrejón de Ardoz. The park has replicas of 18 famous european monuments like the Eiffel Tower, the Trevi Fountain, the Belem Tower, the Branderburg Gate, the Alcalá Gate, the Atomium, the Tower Bridge, etc.  Also, we can find statues like the little mermaid, the David of Michelangelo or the Manneken Pis. Finally we can find other details: A real Berlin wall segment, Van Gogh’s wooden bridge, Ducht windmills and even a viking drakkar. 

During the time prior to the Spanish Financial Crisis the public money flowed in abundance  in such a way that  municipalities had  free availability of cost and many of them spent that money to undertake  not necessary embellishment works and other infrastructures.  Thus, the majors of a lot of towns along the country competed with their colleagues  in order to display the best works of sculptors in many roundabouts along the country . In this time period,  to build theatres or auditoriums was very usual.

In this context, coming to the end of this period,  Parque Europa was inaugurated in 2010. The purpose was the improvement and expansion of an old park that was here. But the course of the crisis made that the critics to the construction of this green zone soon arrived because there had a great contrast between the expenditure made (around 15 million euros) with the growing debt of the City Council, estimated at 70 million euros.

The monuments represented have been made with more  or less good fortune. They supplemented with a endless of private activities to raise funds. The park, however, is a place frequented by couples of newlyweds who come here to take pictures.