While Trafalgar Square is one of Central London‘s highly frequented tourist attractions, most people looking up at the statues and Nelson’s column will miss an important piece of the city’s ...

“Hahn/Cock,” by Katharina Fritsch, is the current commissioned artwork for Trafalgar Square’s Fourth Plinth (shown here with Nelson’s Column in the background). It stands about 15 feet high.

The piece worked as a counterpoint to Nelson’s Column, Trafalgar Square’s centerpiece monument to the admiral (completed in 1843), reminding passing crowds of the UK’s colonial past.

The George Washington statue sits outside the National Gallery in London’s Trafalgar Square. It’s one of six statues of U.S. presidents in the city.

One of London’s main gathering spots for tourists and protesters, Trafalgar Square was named for Admiral Horatio Nelson’s 1805 victory over the French and Spanish fleets.

This year’s tree is an 85-year-old Norwegian spruce, standing around 24 meters (79ft) tall. It was felled in an Oslo forest in November and will be lit in Trafalgar Square on December 5.