Póvoa de Varzim Bullfighting Arena

Póvoa de Varzim Bullfighting Arena (Monumental Praça de Touros da Póvoa de Varzim) is a bullring (Portuguese: Praça de Touros) in Póvoa de Varzim, Portugal. It is located in Avenida Vasco da Gama avenue, in the northern waterfront of the city. Bullfighting, horse shows, and concerts are held in the arena.

The arena opened in 1949 and has a seating capacity of 6,097 regular seats and 150 chairs. Since 1984, it is a municipal venue owned by Varzim Lazer, a municipal company. It was built using functionalist architecture with a tendency to geometrical artistic expression.

Póvoa de Varzim Bullring has the most important bullfighting tradition in Northern Portugal, some of its Portuguese-style corridas are broadcast in national television and some of its events met with strong opposition from animal welfare activists, such as the Portuguese group Animal and PETA. The bullring includes the Salvação Barreto Bullfighting Museum, paying homage to the creator and manager of the bullring and a mythical forcado or bull-grabber who participated in the 1951 epic Quo Vadis as a gladiator fighting a bull.

The existence of a bullring in Póvoa de Varzim is attested in the 1793 celebrations of the birth of Teresa of Braganza, daughter of King John VI. The wooden bullring was located in Campo das Cobras (Snakes field). In the 19th century, bullfighting and horse shows occurred in Castelo da Póvoa fortress.

In Alto de Martim Vaz, at the beginning of the 20th century, the Gomes de Amorim stadium was used as a bullfighting arena and for horse shows. The project for a permanent bullring in Póvoa de Varzim occurred during the Estado Novo regime, under the influence of Salvação Barreto, a notable forcado, the manager of Casino da Póvoa. The contemporary and functionalist project was designed by architect Alfredo Coelho de Magalhães in February 1949 and located just off Alto de Martim Vaz. It was owned by Empresa de Recreios da Póvoa de Varzim, ltd.

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