San Miguel Tarraco Arena, a historical venue
Some chronicles say that the construction of the Tarragona Bullring, now San Miguel Tarraco Arena, began to take shape back in 1881. The idea came from the head of Felix Donoso, who had been mayor of Tarragona during the First Republic. Soon Ramon Salas Ricomà, considered the best architect of the time in the city of Tarragona, was commissioned to build it.
Thus, the construction of a building began on the space previously occupied by the bastion of Orleans, on the outskirts of the city. It was still uninhabited, but very well connected, as very close was the junction between the roads of Reus and Valls. The City Council's permission to erect it arrived in February 1883 and the square was inaugurated for the Santa Tecla festivities in mid-September.
Still, one of the highlights is that the square, with an initial capacity of 17,000 spectators. It was one of the first works of New Modernism in the Tarragona region.
Its construction left a significant debt among its builders.
It eventually ended up in the hands of a bank that went bankrupt. went bankrupt and when rumors began to circulate about a possible demolition, in 1949 the Diputación de Tarragona bought it for 1.5 million pesetas.
Two years later, the golden age of the bullring began and thousands of people passed through its stands to see the best bullfighters in the world.
Besides, from the year of its construction until today, the Tarragona Bullring has been the scene of shows and festivals of all kinds: bullfights, circus, theater, festivals, meetings, sardanas or cabezudos, among many other events.
The square had 3 floors (two upper ones covered) and a round of 55 m in diameter. The construction of the walls was executed in white stone of the country, red bricks and the facade was of polygonal plant of 48 sides and with a diameter of 95 m.
San Miguel Tarraco Arena is currently a unique space where only major shows, concerts and corporate events are held for companies from all over the world.
