The visual highlight of Buen Retiro Park is the Alfonso XII Monument designed by José Grases Riera. This tribute to “The Peacemaker,” who reigned from 1874 to 1885, involved over 40 artists before it was finished in 1922. On top of the semicircular colonnade of Ionic columns is a bronze, equestrian statue of the former King of Spain sculpted by José López Sallaberry and Theodore of Anasagasti. In the foreground is the Great Pond. This large, artificial lake was created in 1632. Retiro Pond is popular for paddling around in a rented rowboat.
