Have you ever found yourself standing in front of a statue thinking, “Wait a minute… haven’t I seen this somewhere before?” That odd sense of déjà vu might just strike if you visit both Madrid and Brussels. What links these two cities to Don Quixote and Sancho Panza? The answer is more surprising than you might think – and lies in two nearly identical sculptures, separated by hundreds of miles but bound by a shared story.
Don Quixote and Sancho Panza statue | Estatua de Don Quijote y Sancho Panza | Statue de Don Quichotte et Sancho Panza | Statue von Don Quijote und Sancho Pansa | Statua di Don Chisciotte e Sancio Panza | Pomnik Don Kichota i Sancho Pansy | Памятник Дон Кихоту и Санчо Пансе | 唐吉诃德与桑丘潘萨雕像 | ドン・キホーテとサンチョ・パンサの像 | 돈키호테와 산초 판자의 동상
Don Quixote and Sancho Panza statue at the foot of the monument of Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra at Plaza de España in Madrid, Spain. The monument and the statue are a tribute to probably the most recognizable Spanish writer and his major work ‘El Ingenioso Hidalgo Don Quijote de la Mancha‘ published in 1615 It was designed by Spanish sculptor Lorenzo Coullaut Valera and architect Rafael Martínez Zapatero. Coullaut Valera was known for his realistic and expressive sculptures, many of which honored famous Spanish writers and historical figures. Martínez Zapatero collaborated with him to create the overall architectural composition of the monument. Their work was selected through a national competition, and the monument was inaugurated in the 1930s.
As I first looked at the statue, I had a feeling I saw it already. But for sure, it was not in any book, but live and not that far ago. It was not this one in Madrid. As I made this photo, I was the first time in this city. Yes, I remembered, I saw it in Brussels, precisely vis-a-vis the Bela Bartok (Hungarian composer) statue that I photographed several times on that day to use the perfect light conditions.
The statue of Don Quixote and Sancho Panza in Brussels is a faithful replica of the famous monument located in Plaza de España in Madrid, originally designed by Spanish sculptor Lorenzo Coullaut Valera in 1929. The Brussels version was unveiled in May 1989 at Place d’Espagne (Spanjeplein), right in the heart of the city, as a gift from Madrid to Brussels. The monument commemorates the fact that the first edition of Don Quixote published outside the Iberian Peninsula appeared in Brussels in 1607..
Back in the hotel, I compared the photo I made in Madrid with the one I made in Brussels last December. The statues were, indeed, exactly the same. The one in Brussels located at Place d’Espagne was created as the exact replica of the Madrid statue.
