The constellation Ursa Major will soon be reflected on the map of the capital. Madrid City Hall will build seven ornamental fountains inspired by the seven stars of the city’s coat of arms, in strategic locations in seven neighborhoods, so that, in an aerial view, they outline the constellation Ursa Major. Work on the first fountain began on November 9 at Latina neighborhood.
The seven fountains of this project, promoted by the General Directorate of Water Management and Green Areas of the Area of Urban Planning, Environment and Mobility, led by Borja Carabante, will bear the name of the seven stars which make up the Big Dipper: Dubhe, Merak, Phecda, Megrez, Alioth, Mizar and Benetnasch and will be distributed between the districts of Latina, Moncloa-Aravaca, Arganzuela, Retiro, Puente de Vallecas, Vicálvaro and San Blas-Canillejas.
The first ornamental fountain, Benetnasch, will be the tip of the Big Dipper (the handle from which the cart is pushed). This fountain will be located next to the Colonia Jardín metro station in the Campamento district of the Latina district.
The second fountain, Mizar (symbolizing a peak existing in the middle of the car’s push bar), will be located between Hexágonos and Carretera Nueva streets in Casa de Campo, in Moncloa-Aravaca. It will be followed in this diagonal by the Alioth fountain in Chimenea Park on Gasómetro Street, in the Acacias de Arganzuela neighborhood.
Four extremes
The figure of the chariot will be represented by the sources Megrez, Dubhe, Phecda and Merak. The first, Megrez, will begin the polygonal shape of the car in the Vips Park, between Conde de Cartagena streets and Avenida del Mediterráneo, in the Niño Jesús del Retiro neighborhood. Its union with the Dubhe fountain will configure the upper part of the cart which will be located in the Rose Park of San Blas-Canillejas. Phecda and Merak will be the springs that will represent the base of the tank. The first of them will be erected in the Javier de Miguel Park, in the Palomeras Bajas neighborhood of Puente de Vallecas, while the second will be built in the Valderribas Linear Park, in the Valdebernardo neighborhood, in Vicálvaro.
The seven sources will be equal and greatwith a heptagonal shaped glass (in reference to the seven stars) and a circumference of five meters in diameter. Inside, a polished white concrete star will feature an inclined surface through which a sheet of water will flow. Each fountain will house inside the name of the Big Dipper star that it represents and its environment will be redeveloped to integrate it into the urban space and thus improve its environmental quality and sensory perception.
Madrid is considered one of the European cities with the largest number of ornamental hydraulic installations: up to 560 There are units located throughout the capital.
