history

If our theater had the tremor of bullfighting, it would be magnificent. If I had known how to transport this aesthetic violence, it would be a beautiful theater like La Iliada. A bullfight is a very beautiful thing. --Ramon of the Inclán Valley. The Bullfighting Museum of Salamanca was born with a clear vocation: to highlight and recognize the Festival of bulls and bullfighters of Salamanca. It was created by the Federation of Peñas Taurinas of Salamanca "Helmantica" and is currently managed by the City of Salamanca through Tourism, Commerce and Economic Promotion of Salamanca, S.A.U. This federation was created in 1989 with the purpose of hosting the rocks of Salamanca bullfighters that existed at that time in the province. Among the founding rocks were Peña Taurina "Paco Pallarés", Peña Taurina "El Viti", Peña Taurina Salmantina, Peña Taurina "Niño de la Capea", Peña Taurina "Tendido Universitario", Peña Taurina "Cesterito", Peña Taurina "Víctor Manuel", Peña Taurina "Tom ́s Pallín", Peña Taurina "Rui Bento Vázquez" and Peña Taurina "Julio Robles". During the first years of his career he was in charge of the federation D. José Silguero Honorato, member of the Peña Taurina "Paco Pallarés". In the first years of its foundation different acts and tributes were carried out, such as the one made to El Viti with the placement of a statue that represents the door of the bullring of La Glorieta Over the years more rocks will be added, such as the Peña Taurina "Pepe Luís Gallego", the Peña Taurina "José Ramón Martín" and the Peña Taurina "José Luis Ramos". In 1991, Mr. Eusebio Cembellín Lorenzo, belonging to the rock of El Niño de la Capea, became president unanimously. During these years the board of directors has the good to appoint honorary partner to the remembered Julio Robles. Likewise, they begin to work on the creation of a museum dedicated to Salmantino livestock and bullfighters. The year 1993 began for the Federation with the mission of definitively launching the bullfighting museum; This creates a commission responsible for collecting addresses of bullfighters, ranchers and amateurs who give or donate different objects that, either for their artistic or historical value, can be exhibited for their admiration. After long days of work, the Bullfighting Museum of Salamanca opens on December 29, 1993 in a place loaned by the City of Salamanca in the central street Doctor Piñuela. Throughout the following years the museum continues to work in order to treasure new funds, without neglecting other activities such as holding conferences, bullfighting parties, trophy awards galas. All this aimed at the dissemination of the National Festival. In 1995 the Federation gives a surname to the Bullfighting Museum, being called the Bullfighting Museum of Salamanca "Primitivo Sánchez Laso" in honor of a great fan who for many years was president of the Peña Taurina Salmantina and that, being a museum created and managed by fans, was considered an excellent way to pay tribute to it. In 2002 Mr. Eusebio Cembellín does not stand for re-election as president and takes office Mr. Felicísimo Mesonero Mesonero, who has remained at the head of the board of directors until 2007, the year in which he takes office at the head of the Federation Mr. José Martín Hernández. Since 2016 the Federation is chaired by Luciano Sánchez Hernández. The current board of directors has among its objectives the modernization and dissemination of the Taurine Museum through actions such as temporary exhibitions with the creation of the so-called "Itinerant Museum", which tries to bring bullfighting art to all corners of the province. On November 30, 2017, the mayor of Salamanca, Alfonso Fernández Mañueco, and the president of the Federation of Peñas Taurinas, Luciano Sánchez, presented the new museum of the Taurino Museum. The main objective is for the Museum to be a reference space in the city for the dissemination, defense and research of culture and heritage around the bull, its artists and the landscape of pastures; for the knowledge of the reality of the bullfighting world, its dissemination and conservation and the knowledge of its values related to local identity. Over the years the Taurine Museum has become a center of reference for all those fans who want to enjoy the art of Cúchares and remember great glories of the bullfighting scene that will never disappear from the memory of fans having written a page with golden letters in the book of the Salamanca bullfighting.