Those who come to Tarragona looking for its Roman treasures -the Amphitheater, the Circus, the Walls or the Aqueduct of Les Ferreres- usually suddenly discover another monumental building that catches their attention: the CaixaBank Tarraco Arena. Its imposing brick and stone facade, and its enormous size, arouse the curiosity of any traveler strolling through the city.

Many tourists think that it is a monument open to the public, but in reality the Tarraco Arena is not open to tourist visits. The enclosure can only be enjoyed in the framework of concerts, congresses or cultural shows. Even so, there are many visitors who come to contemplate it from the outside, amazed by its monumentality and by what it represents: a bridge between the history and the future of Tarragona.

From bullring to cultural engine

The history of the Tarraco Arena begins in 1881, when the architect Ramon Salas Ricomà, one of the most prominent figures of Tarragona at the time, was commissioned to design a bullring. The building was erected on the outskirts of the city, on the old bastion of Orleans, in a then unpopulated area but very well connected thanks to the crossroads to Reus and Valls.

The municipal permit arrived in 1883 and, in September, coinciding with the festivities of Santa Tecla, the square was inaugurated. With an initial capacity of 17,000 spectators, it was one of the first works of New Modernism in Tarragona.

After several stages, the Tarragona Provincial Council acquired the building in 1949, and today, after a profound transformation, it is a modern and technological venue, with the capacity to host major events and shows of international projection.

Why does it arouse so much curiosity among tourists?

Its monumental architecture
With a diameter of 94 meters, built in white stone and red brick, the Tarraco Arena impresses even those who only contemplate it from the outside. Although it is not a monument that can be visited, many travelers include it in their urban route to admire and photograph it.

A living space, not a static building
Today, the Tarraco Arena is a multi-purpose venue with a capacity for 10,800 people. Its retractable dome and advanced infrastructure have made it the stage for international concerts, congresses, theatrical performances and the prestigious Castells Competition, which brings together thousands of spectators every two years.

A symbol between past and future
The Tarraco Arena connects the historical heritage of Tarragona with its cultural present. Admiring it from the outside is already a way to discover the dual identity of the city: the one that preserves its memory and the one that projects the future.

CaixaBank Tarraco Arena

The CaixaBank Tarraco Arena is not a museum or a space open to visitors, but it is an icon of Tarragona. Many tourists come to it to admire its architecture and understand how this World Heritage city has managed to reinvent a historic building into a cultural engine of the present.

To contemplate the Tarraco Arena, even from the outside, is to connect with the essence of Tarragona: a city where the past and the future dialogue in every corner.