One of the best-kept secrets of the Ventas metro is the old vestibule behind the stationmaster’s cabin. It was enabled in the thirties only for the exit of travelers during bullfighting events, and with the incorporation of more modern exits, the one from the early twentieth century fell into disuse.
After two years of work at Ventas station, the refurbishment of the vestibule has only just begun. The space, which has been closed for 40 years, will soon reopen to the public, this time as a Metro museum.
The remodeling will stand out for preserving its seventies aesthetics: the conductor’s booth, the staircase, the access doors, the walls and, in short, every detail is designed to make the vestibule seem trapped in time; in the years when it had direct access to the Plaza de Toros de las Ventas.
A foyer with access to an important monumental plaza
As early as 1737, the architect Pedro de Ribera designed the first bullring in Madrid near the Manzanares River. In the 19th century, in response to the population growth of the capital, the engineer Carlos María de Castro proposed the construction of a larger one near the Retiro, to the right of Alcalá Street.
What we know today as Plaza de Toros Monumental de las Ventas was officially inaugurated in 1934. After the Civil War it became the meeting place for the best known figures of contemporary bullfighting.
The square, with its striking Mudejar style and its large dimensions (it is the second largest in the world, only behind the Plaza de Toros Monumental in Mexico), is today considered a historic-artistic monument where festivals, concerts and other events are held.