Maestranza Bullring

Before you is the bullring of the Real Maestranza de Caballería, one of the oldest and most prestigious in the bullfighting world. Even if bullfighting is not your thing, the building is as much a part of Seville's skyline as the Giralda.

1A building site for over a century

The Real Maestranza de Caballería is a noble corporation founded to train gentlemen in horsemanship. It held its festivities in a wooden ring and, in the 18th century, set about building one in stone. Short of money, work advanced in fits and starts and was only completed in the 19th century, by Juan Talavera de la Vega. That is why its shape is not a perfect circle but an irregular thirty-sided polygon.

2The Prince's Gate

The bullring's main gate is the Puerta del Príncipe, the Prince's Gate. Through it, carried shoulder-high towards the river, leave the matadors who have had an afternoon of triumph, one of the greatest honours of their profession. Inside is the Prince's Box, reserved for the royal family.

In Bizet's opera «Carmen», the final act takes place outside the bullring of Seville.

Opposite the bullring, by the river, a statue honours literature's most famous cigarette girl. The bullring was declared a Site of Cultural Interest in 1983 and hosts the bullfights of the April Fair.

3What to look for

• The white and albero colours, the same as the sand in the ring.
• The Baroque doorway on the main façade.
• The statue of Carmen by the river, opposite the bullring.