Posted on September 28, 2011 by Fiona Hilliard

No Bull: Barcelona

Next time you’re visiting Barcelona and you decide to immerse yourself in the local culture with car rental Barcelona, you’ll have to cross the traditional bullfight off your list of things to see and do when you visit the city.

From January 1 2012, bullfighting will be banned in Barcelona and Catalonia.  Last weekend, Sunday September 25^th marked the last bullfight ever to take place in the city.

Up to 18,000 people packed in to the stands of the La Monumental bullring in Barcelona to watch the matadors line out in their famous “suits of light” to the sound of trumpets and pasadoble music.

There was a huge scramble for tickets from those looking to witness the last fight.  Die-hard fans even dug up bag-fulls of sand to bring home with them as souvenirs.

The sport of bullfighting can be traced all the way back to the times of gladiators in Roman Amphitheatres, but contemporary fights began in Spain in the early 18^th century,   Horseback bullfights were popular in medieval times.  Francisco Romero is believed to have begun fighting with a sword and a cape in 1726.  Circular arenas or ‘rings’ were constructed to stop the fighter or bull getting cornered.  Seville’s La Maestranza is the oldest surviving bull ring.

By the middle of the last century, successful bullfighters were as famous as movie-stars or popular musicians in Spain. Millions flocked to see the likes of Manuel Benítez and El Cordobés on television.

Fans consider bullfighting to be more of an art than a sport and it still draws huge crowds in southern France and South American countries.  The world’s largest bullfighting ring is located in Mexico City.

Over the past few years, the number of fights in Spain has fallen by one third.  This has been blamed on the recent recession and a loss of income incurred by the Spanish town halls that funded many of the fights.

Last year around 1700 fights were registered in Spain – and over 700 bulls were killed.  Around 500 farms, including a number in Catalonia rear the bulls.