The Malagueta bullring

The bullring of La Malagueta, in Malaga

The bullring of La Malagueta is the historic bullring of Malaga, inaugurated in 1876, with a neo-Mudéjar architecture, in the district that gave it its name. The Malaga audio-guided tour stops here to evoke this circular monument of fifty-two metres in diameter, today a cultural centre endowed with a bullfighting museum, and its eventful history.

The neo-Mudéjar monument of the Malagueta district

Situated in the area that gave them their name, the bullring of La Malagueta was inaugurated on 11 June 1876, during a very first bullfight led by the mythical matador Rafael Molina, nicknamed Lagartijo. Made by Joaquín Rucoba, the same architect as that of the Atarazanas market, the monument, with a diameter of fifty-two metres, presents an elegant neo-Mudéjar style, with Oriental inspirations, mainly developed in the Iberian peninsula at the end of the nineteenth and the beginning of the twentieth century, in homage to the Andalusian past. Of hexadecagonal form, the building of brick and iron can host several thousand spectators around its ruedo, the sandy track. The history of the bullring was not always festive: during the civil war, from 1939 to 1943, the structure was diverted from its function and used as a prison. During the centenary of its existence, in 1976, it was declared a historical-artistic site, recognition of its heritage value. Today, the bullring shelters the Cultural Centre of La Malagueta and a bullfighting museum, that retraces the history of bullfighting and presents costumes, posters and objects linked to this Spanish tradition. You can walk through its tiers, its corridors and its outbuildings during visits, and the ruedo still makes the district vibrate during certain events. A historic monument and an Andalusian bullring, the bullring of La Malagueta is a fine stop of the discovery of Malaga.

What to see

Here you discover the historic bullring of Malaga, inaugurated on 11 June 1876, work of the architect Joaquín Rucoba, with a fine neo-Mudéjar style and fifty-two metres in diameter; used as a prison from 1939 to 1943, declared a historical-artistic site in 1976, it today shelters a cultural centre and a bullfighting museum retracing the history of bullfighting. The bullring of La Malagueta is a monument of Malaga. It is a fine stop, to be explored on foot.

Practical information

The bullring of La Malagueta lies in the Malagueta district, near the park and the seafront of Malaga, reachable on foot. The monument and its bullfighting museum follow their own days and opening hours, variable, and entry is generally subject to a fee. It is best to enquire before coming.

What is the history of the bullring of La Malagueta in Malaga?

They were inaugurated on 11 June 1876 by a bullfight of the matador Lagartijo, work of the architect Joaquín Rucoba, in a fine neo-Mudéjar style of fifty-two metres in diameter; used as a prison from 1939 to 1943 during the civil war, declared a historical-artistic site in 1976, they today shelter a cultural centre and a bullfighting museum.

Where is the bullring of La Malagueta in Malaga?

In the Malagueta district, near the park and the seafront of Malaga, in Spain.