LSome are large, some are small, some are round (most of them), some are square (fewer of them), some are very old and some appear in globally renowned series.
Bullrings are an architectural and cultural landmark in towns and cities across Spain. We've selected five of them, all located along the routes of Spain's Cultural Routes.

Osuna Bullring (Seville, Andalusia)

RCE Route Paths of Passion

Three reasons to meet her

- Because its arena (the space covered in yellow sand where the bullfighting takes place) is one of the largest on the peninsula, with a diameter of 48 metres. The absolute champion in this category is the bullring at Ronda, the largest in the world, measuring 66 metres.

- Before this square was built, bullfighting festivals were held in the Plaza Mayor of Osuna. Yes, in the very heart of the town (conveniently fenced and enclosed for the occasion, of course). Go up to it and Imagine how beasts could be tamed. in that public space.

It was built with stones from an ancient Iberian wall (inhabitants of southern Spain 25 centuries ago) and there are architectural features such as its barrel-vaulted tunnel which were already used by the Romans in the amphitheatre of Italica, in the Vía de la Plata Route, the Roman route of the Cultural Routes of Spain.

Curiosity for TV series fans

The biggest event to take place in Osuna Square in 2014 had nothing to do with bulls or bullfighters, but with dragons (!). An exciting sequence from‘ where Drogon rescued Daenerys from the Daznak's Pit. Since then, thousands of people have been flocking to the square to see it and determine which parts belong to her and which were digitally added for the series: evidently, the dragons were created using CGI.

2. Plaza de Toros: Bocairent (Valencia, Valencian Community)

RCE Route The Way of El Cid

Three reasons to meet her

Surely it will be The most robust bullring in Spain and the only one that can ever be set on fire. It was literally carved out of rock nearly 200 years ago. That is to say, it's a giant sculpture in the shape of a bullring.

In 1843, where the square now stands, there was a rocky mound called ‘La Serreta’ which was painstakingly and patiently dismantled with picks and shovels by dozens of workers. No heavy machinery, no motor vehicles to remove the rubble. Everything about it has been sculpted by human hands., from the stands to the bullpens.

The architect of all of this was a businessman, Manuel López Rovira, owner of a textile factory who, as a remedy to the crisis in the sector and to fight unemployment, promoted the construction of the square among his neighbours.

Curiosity for stonework lovers

This great work carved from rock is not the only one in the village. Bocairent's residents have always liked working with stone, as evidenced by its spectacular ‘covetes dels moros’, an incredible mini-city carved into the interior of a rocky hill.

3. Bullring: Rasines (Cantabria)

RCE Route The Emperor Charles V's Routes

Three reasons to meet her

Because it is square, because it is (almost) unique in Spain, because no one builds bullrings like this in which bullfighters can be ‘trapped’ by the bulls with no possibility of escape (hence the logical circular design of bullrings).

The bullring has been located on the outskirts of the Cantabrian town of Rasines since the mid-18th century, making it one of the oldest in the country. Its location is also privileged: it stands next to the natural route (the current N-629 road) that links the notable maritime port of Laredo with Burgos, in the heart of Castile.

- The arena is small, rather small and is so sober that, seen from the outside, it can look like a defensive wall. In fact, it is so small that It was usual for the bulls used for bullfighting to be of the Monchino breed, in other words, animals of just over 200 kilos but, mind you, very fast and dangerous.

Curiosity for emperorophiles

Two centuries before this monument of masonry and ashlar was built, Emperor Charles V passed by these lands. He was heading to the monastery of Yuste, in Extremadura, to retire from the worldly noise after having governed the largest empire in the history of Spain.

4. Plaza de Toros: Béjar (Salamanca, Castilla y León)

RCE Route Vía de la Plata Route

Why should we know her?

Because in a country full of bullrings It is of great merit to be considered the oldest in Spain. Anyone who sees it has no doubt: its monolithic, rocky appearance, as it was built with old stone from the Sierra de Béjar (one of the rainiest places in Spain) invites one to think that the square has been there longer than the mountain itself.

The bullring is dated 1711, boasting over three centuries of history, and was created for more than just hosting bullfighting events. The idea was to raise money to build a shrine to the Virgin that, at the end of the 16th century, had appeared to some shepherds. This is why, next to the square, the sanctuary of the Virgen del Castañar stands.

Curiosity for bullfighting jazz fans

‘La Ancianita’ (as she is. In July, the stage hosts the International Blues Festival. which has.

Bullring? of Valonsadero (Soria, Castilla y León)

RCE Route Prehistoric Rock Art Trails

Two reasons to meet her

It's not a bullring, properly speaking, but rather it's about the ‘corrals’ where the animals wait before the show. It is in this space that, once a year, during the San Juan festivals, a bull run is held from these corrals (located in the Monte de Valonsadero) to the bullring of the Soria capital.

The country bull run is celebrated on the Thursday following June 24th each year, it is named La Saca and its origins date back to the 16th century. The total route that the animals (and those accompanying them) undertake comprises 10 kilometres through a valley of meadows, oak forests, kermes oak, gall oaks and, of course, the asphalt of the final urban sections.

Curiosity for descendants of Cro-Magnons 

Just a few metres from the Valonsadero corrals lies one of Castilla's most attractive open-air rock art museums. They are rock shelters with paintings dated between 3000-2000 BC. They depict animals and human figures hunting them, herding them or carrying out various ceremonial rituals whose meaning has been lost to the mists of time.

Of course, from the cave paintings of Valonsadero There are bulls like those that run in the San Juan Festival.