LA GLORIETA BULLRING
30 minutes
This is the third bullring built in Salamanca throughout the 19th century. It was inaugurated on September 11, 1893. Its style blends different artistic trends as well as materials as diverse as brick, Villamayor stone, and iron. The main bullfighting events held there take place in September, during the Fairs and Festivals of the Virgen de la Vega.
On the esplanade located in front of the main entrance of the Salamanca Bullring, a sculptural group stands, paying homage to prominent bullfighters closely linked to the city. Among these works are those dedicated to Julio Robles, El Viti, or El Niño de la Capea.
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On the esplanade located in front of the main entrance of the Salamanca Bullring, a sculptural group stands, paying homage to prominent bullfighters closely linked to the city. Among these works are those dedicated to Julio Robles, El Viti, or El Niño de la Capea.
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Salamanca's deep-rooted bullfighting tradition is evident in the various spaces that, throughout the centuries, have hosted bullfights. Records show that festivities were held in Plaza de San Martín as early as the Middle Ages. From the 18th century onwards, the current Plaza Mayor took over, becoming the setting for these celebrations from the mid-18th century well into the 19th. During that last century, Salamancans witnessed the construction of three bullrings in a period of just over fifty years. The first bullring, erected in 1840, was located in Campo de San Francisco; the second operated between 1864 and 1892 near Puerta de Zamora. The third, which is the one we are now discussing, was built in the late 19th century north of the city, between the Valladolid and Fuentesaúco roads.
The idea of building a new bullring arose from a conversation among a group of merchants and ranchers, regular patrons of Café Suizo. 215 families quickly joined the initiative, which led it to be known as “the bullring of the 200 families.” They acquired a plot of land on the outskirts of the city, at the end of Paseo de la Glorieta, from which the bullring would take the name La Glorieta.
The building was designed by Mariano Carderera, an architect who had previously designed the Puerto de Santa María bullring, and was executed by master builder Cecilio González Domingo. Construction began in May 1892 and progressed at such a good pace that the arena could be inaugurated during the September fairs of 1893. It was one of the largest bullrings of its time, with a capacity for about 11,000 people.
This arena is an architectural symbol and a reflection of the province's cultural identity and its deep-rooted livestock and bullfighting tradition. It was restored in 1993 on the occasion of its centenary. Currently, the Salamanca Bullring is classified as a 2nd category bullring, yet it holds great relevance within the national bullfighting scene given the livestock importance of Campo Charro. The arena currently has a capacity for 11,000 people.
The idea of building a new bullring arose from a conversation among a group of merchants and ranchers, regular patrons of Café Suizo. 215 families quickly joined the initiative, which led it to be known as “the bullring of the 200 families.” They acquired a plot of land on the outskirts of the city, at the end of Paseo de la Glorieta, from which the bullring would take the name La Glorieta.
The building was designed by Mariano Carderera, an architect who had previously designed the Puerto de Santa María bullring, and was executed by master builder Cecilio González Domingo. Construction began in May 1892 and progressed at such a good pace that the arena could be inaugurated during the September fairs of 1893. It was one of the largest bullrings of its time, with a capacity for about 11,000 people.
This arena is an architectural symbol and a reflection of the province's cultural identity and its deep-rooted livestock and bullfighting tradition. It was restored in 1993 on the occasion of its centenary. Currently, the Salamanca Bullring is classified as a 2nd category bullring, yet it holds great relevance within the national bullfighting scene given the livestock importance of Campo Charro. The arena currently has a capacity for 11,000 people.
The Salamanca Bullring is a beautiful example of the Neo-Mudéjar style that characterizes many bullrings of its era. Its horseshoe arches, exposed brickwork, and ornamental details give it a singular aesthetic that has earned it a place in the city's historical heritage. The 1993 restoration respected this original spirit, incorporating some modern conveniences without losing its essence.
Its structure stands out for its exterior articulation based on superimposed iron galleries, which gives it great slenderness and lightness. On its exterior walls, the chromatic contrast derived from the use of brick, as the wall-closing material, and the golden Villamayor stone, for corners, window surrounds, and imposts, is notable.
The building adopts a circular plan, with an exterior perimeter of 88 meters and an interior one of 50 meters. From this structure, seven pavilions protrude, housing the access doors, conceived as triumphal arches. Among them, the main pavilion stands out for its size and location, oriented towards the city.
On the exterior, the walls are articulated in three superimposed levels. Above a lower floor of segmental arches, two additional levels rise, traversed by galleries supported by slender cast iron columns, crafted in Moneo's historic workshops in Salamanca. These galleries, besides facilitating circulation, reinforce the sensation of lightness and provide the building with remarkable structural refinement. Inside, the double cast iron gallery arrangement is repeated: the lower one, lintelled, features corbels and capitals inspired by Nasrid motifs; the upper one is characterized by its horseshoe arches, framed by alfiz and decorated with latticework in the spandrels, evoking the Andalusian architectural tradition.
Outside the bullring, the functional dependencies of the enclosure are located: corrals, holding pens, bullfighters' patio, and drag patio, essential for the development of bullfighting spectacles.
Its structure stands out for its exterior articulation based on superimposed iron galleries, which gives it great slenderness and lightness. On its exterior walls, the chromatic contrast derived from the use of brick, as the wall-closing material, and the golden Villamayor stone, for corners, window surrounds, and imposts, is notable.
The building adopts a circular plan, with an exterior perimeter of 88 meters and an interior one of 50 meters. From this structure, seven pavilions protrude, housing the access doors, conceived as triumphal arches. Among them, the main pavilion stands out for its size and location, oriented towards the city.
On the exterior, the walls are articulated in three superimposed levels. Above a lower floor of segmental arches, two additional levels rise, traversed by galleries supported by slender cast iron columns, crafted in Moneo's historic workshops in Salamanca. These galleries, besides facilitating circulation, reinforce the sensation of lightness and provide the building with remarkable structural refinement. Inside, the double cast iron gallery arrangement is repeated: the lower one, lintelled, features corbels and capitals inspired by Nasrid motifs; the upper one is characterized by its horseshoe arches, framed by alfiz and decorated with latticework in the spandrels, evoking the Andalusian architectural tradition.
Outside the bullring, the functional dependencies of the enclosure are located: corrals, holding pens, bullfighters' patio, and drag patio, essential for the development of bullfighting spectacles.
In the esplanade located in front of the main entrance of the Salamanca Bullring, a sculptural ensemble stands, paying tribute to prominent bullfighters born in or closely linked to the city. Among these works are those dedicated to:
- Santiago Martín "El Viti" (work by Narcisa Vicente Rodríguez, 2000)
- Pedro Gutiérrez Moya, "Niño de la Capea" (Fernando Mayoral, 2003)
- Julio Robles (Salvador Amaya, 2003)
- Paco Pallarés (Salvador Amaya, 2008)
- José Falcón (Amable Diego, 1986)
In the nearby Glorieta de El Viti, another emblematic monument is located: an imposing bronze fighting bull on a cylindrical granite pedestal. On both sides of the pedestal, bronze reliefs illustrate the different phases of a bullfight, turning the piece into a visual homage to the essence of bullfighting.