This summer, Madrid City Council is opening the restoration site at the Fuente de Cibeles, one of the capital’s most recognisable monuments, to the public. From July 23, residents and visitors can reserve one of 2,640 free places on guided tours and get a rare look at conservation work from inside the scaffolding.
Vice Mayor Inma Sanz and Culture, Tourism and Sport Delegate Marta Rivera de la Cruz presented the programme, part of the ‘Abierto por Restauración’ series. It brings the often-invisible work of heritage preservation into view, letting participants examine the monument’s structure and learn about the restoration criteria and techniques used to safeguard the fountain for future generations.
Specialists in history and art will guide visitors through the scaffolding around the Fuente de Cibeles between July and September. The tours will cover the monument’s history, restoration methods and the challenges facing its restorers. Visitors will get close views of the goddess Cibeles and her chariot, along with the lions Hipómenes and Atalanta. They will also see details of the sculpture and construction usually hidden from public view. The tours will address problems found in the pre-work diagnostic assessment, including accumulated dirt and cracks and fissures. They will also cover metal corrosion, deteriorated stonework and the solutions being implemented.
The restoration began this month, with a budget of nearly €260,000 and an expected duration of five months. Work includes cleaning stone surfaces and removing unsuitable mortars, as well as sealing joints and fissures. Crews will apply biocidal and water-repellent treatments, consolidate stone materials and restore corroded metal elements. They will also improve the monument’s overall stability. Small losses will be reintegrated, and the fountain’s final appearance harmonised. The project follows other Madrid conservation work, including the Puerta de Alcalá restoration from 2022 to 2023 and the Fuente de Neptuno project, completed in February 2025 at a reported cost of €137,000.
L'Oréal Groupe España is funding the restoration and has contributed €370,000 to Madrid’s monument conservation programme. That support covers the full cost of the Cibeles intervention and the project’s preparation. The company has also taken part in prominent restorations, including Notre-Dame Cathedral in Paris and Madrid’s Fuente de Neptuno. The city’s approach to public works and urban renewal has featured in other recent projects, including new green corridors in the southeast, as detailed in Madrid’s Gran Vía del Sureste development.
Ventura Rodríguez designed the Fuente de Cibeles in 1777 as part of the Salón del Prado beautification plan. For more than two centuries, it has stood as a symbol of Madrid. Francisco Gutiérrez Arribas sculpted the central figure, while Roberto Michel crafted the lions. The fountain moved to its current location in 1895 and has undergone several restorations, most recently in 1980 and 2016. Since 2021, it has been part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site Paseo del Prado and Buen Retiro, known as the Paisaje de la Luz.
Large public gatherings have also created conservation challenges for the monument. In July 1994, celebrations by around 2,000 football supporters damaged the fountain: Cibeles’s left arm was broken, and pipes, electrical cables and lighting were removed. Contemporary reporting by El País said the damaged hand would be reconstructed using Toledo marble of the same type used in the original monument. Fencing was later installed around the statue to protect it and allow repairs.
Alongside the Cibeles tours, this year’s ‘Abierto por Restauración’ will include guided visits to the Pabellón de los Hexágonos, which is also being rehabilitated. The programme offers 248 guided tours and 4,800 free places in total. Of those, 72 tours and 2,160 places are dedicated to the pavilion.
The Fuente de Cibeles restoration is part of Madrid’s broader effort to preserve historic landmarks and make cultural heritage more accessible. Its technical diagnosis and repair work place the project within a wider move toward preventive maintenance, following recent interventions at the Puerta de Alcalá and Fuente de Neptuno. Public engagement gives residents a closer view of the work involved in protecting the city’s shared heritage.
