Tarraco Arena, a historical venue
Some chronicles say that the construction of the Tarragona Bullring, now CaixaBank 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.
So, they started building on the spot where the Orléans bastion used to be, just outside the city. It was still pretty empty there, but super well connected, right near where the Reus and Valls roads met. The city gave the green light in February 1883, and the plaza officially opened during the Santa Tecla festivities in mid-September.
Still, one of the coolest things is that the plaza could originally hold 17,000 people. It was actually one of the first New Modernist buildings in the Tarragona area.
Its construction left its builders with a significant debt.
It eventually ended up with a bank that went bust, and just as rumors started flying about it possibly being torn down, the Tarragona Provincial Council bought it in 1949 for 1.5 million pesetas.
Two years later, the bullring's golden age kicked off, and thousands of people flocked to its stands to catch the world's top bullfighters.
On top of that, ever since it was built, the Tarragona Bullring has been the spot for all kinds of shows and festivals. We're talking bullfights, circus acts, theater, concerts, meetings, traditional Sardana dances, and 'big-head' parades, plus tons of other cool events.
The bullring had three levels (the top two were covered) and a round arena that was 55 meters across. The walls were built with local white stone and red bricks, and the outside had a cool 48-sided shape, measuring 95 meters in diameter.
CaixaBank Tarraco Arena is currently a unique space where only major shows, concerts and corporate events are held for companies from all over the world.
