Stabilising work at Ronda's historic bullring gains preliminary approval from Junta

Antonio M. Romero

Malaga

Monday, 17 March 2025, 22:47

The Junta de Andalucía has authorised the rehabilitation work needed on the bullring of Ronda, which is on the Junta's list of assets of cultural interest (BIC), following the execution proposal presented by the association that owns the bullring, the Real Maestranza de Caballería. The work will involve undertaking work to install a steel structure on the roof with the aim of halting any further movement to the historic building.

Malaga's provincial branch of the historical heritage commission, part of the Junta's regional ministry for culture (and sport), has issued a feasibility report on the work that needs to be done. According to the regional government, this authorisation was mandatory as the bullring is a BIC.

The commission, chaired by the provincial delegate for culture and sport, Carlos García, has considered that the intervention is "respectful of the heritage values of the BIC monument" after having received the last of the requested documents on 7th of March. After due consideration, the commission has issued the feasibility report on the authorisation of the work, although the start of the refurb is conditional on the presentation to the delegation of the execution project in an approved form.

The report states that, after the analysis of the approved implementation project, new precautions for the protection of the archaeological heritage may be established if they are considered necessary.

The Junta pointed out that, in previous months, it had already authorised various previous actions requested by the Real Maestranza de Caballería, such as monitoring work in the bullring, archaeological digs as part of a geotechnical study and work to reinforce various elements of the bullring.

Since last year, technical experts from the provincial branch of the regional ministry of culture have held several coordination meetings with representatives of the Maestranza and the architects who drafted the documents (headed up by Ricardo Aroca), in order to speed up as much as possible the presentation of the necessary documentation. This has been pushed so they can obtain authorisation for the work to go ahead and to get preliminary work under way as soon as possible.

Given the situation in which the bullring finds itself, 2025 will be the second year in which there will be no bullfighting events in the Ronda bullring, so that, as happened in 2024, there will be no celebration of the traditional Corrida Goyesca.