A Polbeira

A Polbeira is a bronze monument standing in the Plaza Mayor of O Carballiño, a small town in the province of Ourense, in the heart of Galicia. The statue portrays a polbeira – a woman who cooks and sells octopus – a figure deeply tied to the town's identity.

What does the monument show?

At the center stands a life-sized bronze woman holding a hook with a cooked octopus, exactly as it is traditionally served during the town's festivals. Beside her sits a copper cauldron bearing O Carballiño's coat of arms, and on an iron table rest a bronze plate and a pair of scissors used to cut the meat. Sculptor Laura Rodríguez Miranda designed the piece to look as natural and everyday as possible, and the casting was carried out at the Cuqui Piñeiro foundry. The monument was unveiled in March 2019, and according to the artist herself, it was at the time the only monument in the world dedicated to a polbeira.

Why here, in O Carballiño?

The polbeira's craft is not a random subject – it is a tribute to a living local tradition. In the area around O Carballiño, especially in Santa María de Arcos, octopus has been prepared for generations following the method known as "pulpo á feira": boiled, cut with scissors, and served on a wooden plate with paprika, salt, and olive oil. The region is widely regarded as the birthplace of this culinary craft, and local authorities have repeatedly highlighted the role of the polbeiras in keeping one of Galicia's most recognizable culinary traditions alive.

How do you get there?

The monument stands in the central garden of Plaza Mayor, the main square of O Carballiño, a town of roughly 11,500 residents. It is an easy walk from anywhere in the town center, and O Carballiño itself sits along the main roads connecting Ourense with Pontevedra, making it a convenient stop on a route through Galicia.

When is the best time to visit?

The monument can be admired year-round, but it takes on its fullest meaning on the second Sunday of August, when O Carballiño hosts the famous Festa do Polbo – a gastronomic festival dedicated to octopus that draws tens of thousands of visitors. During the festival, the square around the statue comes alive, and the tradition the sculpture honors plays out, quite literally, on the plates of everyone attending.

What else is worth seeing nearby?

A walk around Plaza Mayor is a good opportunity to take in the town center's architecture and feel the atmosphere of a place that lives and breathes octopus culture year-round, from local restaurants to shops selling regional products. The monument makes a natural starting point for further exploring O Carballiño.

Frequently asked questions

What does "polbeira" mean? It refers to a woman who cooks and sells octopus, or to a place traditionally serving the dish – an occupation deeply rooted in O Carballiño's culture.

When was the monument built? It was unveiled in March 2019 and created by sculptor Laura Rodríguez Miranda.

What materials was it made from? The main figure is bronze, the cauldron is copper, and the table is iron, with each element referencing a different stage of preparing octopus.

Is it worth timing a visit with the festival? Yes – the second Sunday of August, when the Festa do Polbo takes place, is the best moment to see the polbeira tradition in full swing, right next to the monument that commemorates it.