Spain: a giant bull to compete with the Eiffel Tower

Second world tourist destination behind France, Spain now aims to dethrone its neighbor. If the country can already count on a rich heritage, it would however miss a strong symbol, capable of embodying all the national identity alone. Unlike France with the Eiffel Tower, in the United States with the Statue of Liberty or in the United Kingdom with Big Ben, Spain does not have an emblematic monument associated with the country for the time being.

It is to fill this void that the Spanish Academy of Tauromachie, founded in 2023 to promote bullfighting, has just unveiled a project at least spectacular: a huge metal bull, 300 meters high, whose horns would be transformed into panoramic belvederes. The four legs of the animal would accommodate shops, as well as a theme park entirely dedicated to Spanish culture.

If Madrid has so far refused to welcome the project, the promoters are now hoping to attract other cities. Several municipalities in Castille-et-León, north of the capital, or Castille-la Manche, in the south, are mentioned. For the time being, no technical, financial or environmental study has yet been carried out.

The choice of height, 300 meters, owes nothing to chance. The idea is to compete directly with the Eiffel Tower (312 meters) and to fill, in part, the tourist attendance gap with France.

But can a doubt: can a monument to the glory of bullfighting really seduce tourists? In Spain itself, practice is strongly divided. According to the latest polls, 77% of Spaniards say they are opposed to bullfighting. Many animal defense associations regularly denounce its cruelty, and its international image remains tainted with controversy.

The idea of a giant bull is not unanimous. In comments collected by Le Figaro, The art critic Fernando Castro Florez does not mince his words: “The bull is no longer a unifying symbol. If you want a tourist icon, you might as well build a giant paella pan or a monumental blood carafe ”.

The fact remains that history offers famous examples of conspired projects before becoming cult. In its time, the Eiffel Tower had also sparked out of shields. In February 1887, a forum signed by Guy de Maupassant, Alexandre Dumas fils and the architect Charles Garnier denounced in “Le Temps” “the useless and monstrous Eiffel Tower”. However, it was inaugurated two years later, and today welcomed more than 6 million visitors per year.