The seven-meter-high column on which the

Torico

stands , a symbol of the city of

Teruel

, has collapsed to the ground this Sunday.

In the fall it has broken in two and the small bronze sculpture has suffered damage to a horn and a leg.

The monument of the Fuente del Torico de Teruel, emblem of the city and epicenter of all self-respecting activity, consists of a circular fountain with a fluted and banded column that in its center is finished off with a bronze bulge of the heraldic animal.

The original fountain is dated 1558, the year in which it replaced the cisterns of 1375.

As reported by the

City Council

, the incident occurred around 7:00 this Sunday.

At that time, four workers, one of them in a basket, were removing a metal ring to which 23 ropes had been attached for the last few days, one for each town in Spain that participates in the

XVII National Congress of the Rope Bull.

.

Some 4,200 congressmen from the towns that have this type of festivities have participated in the congress, consisting of roping the bull and leading it through the streets.

In addition, some 30,000 amateur visitors have gathered in Teruel's capital.

Placement of the 23 ropes in the Torico column. CONGRESS OF THE ROPE BULL

The mayor of the city,

Emma Buj

, has explained that, due to the incident, it has been discovered that the iron that supports the column and the sculpture was rotten and that could have been the reason for the collapse of the structure.

He congratulated himself on the fact that there was no personal injury and added that if it had happened on Vaquilla Saturday, at the start of the festivities, when the people of Teruel gather around the fountain to place the rock handkerchief on the Torico, "it would have been a real disaster."

The company that is in charge of the maintenance of the Fuente del Torico is going to start the repairs so that everything is ready at the start of the

La Vaquilla and El Ángel festivities

, for which there are barely 15 days left.

The mayor explained that the placement of the 23 strings, as a gesture in honor of the Toro de Cuerda Congress, had been carried out with the due precautions that are taken when ornaments are placed on the column for different celebrations.

The removal of the ropes was necessary because this Sunday the Corpus Christi

procession was going to pass through the square

and, with the aforementioned decoration, it was impossible for the religious images to pass through.

The city of Teruel experienced a very intense day this Saturday, in which thousands of people enjoyed the activities of the National Congress of the Rope Bull, with more than 4,000 congressmen and as many companions and fans of this type of celebration.

The roped bulls roamed the streets of Teruel's capital from the early hours of the morning in one of the most anticipated moments of the congress that, due to the pandemic, has had to delay its celebration for two years.

city ​​foundation

The city of Teruel has been linked to the bull since its foundation.

The Plaza del Torico is so called because in its center there is a column on top of which is a small bull with a star.

In its lower part, the fountain has four spouts in the shape of a bull's head.

Located in the center of the city, the square was built in 1858 to replace an earlier one, from the 16th century, the work of Pierre Vedel, the engineer who dealt with the canalization of Teruel's water.

The foundation of Teruel is linked to the legend of the Torico.

He points out that, in the 12th century, during the Reconquest,

King Alfonso II

gradually took over towns until he reached what is now Teruel.

He then ordered his troops to remain on the defensive, while he, with a few men, continued to battle in the mountains.

Those troops disobeyed him and, instead of waiting, followed a fighting bull guided by a star from the sky.

The legend says that a premonitory dream had told them to follow him because, wherever he stopped, they had to found a new population.

The Army took over the fortress of Teruel and left their banner there.

The story appears in a part of Teruel's coat of arms: a bull with a star on top, the same one that rolled on the ground this Sunday.

Conforms to The Trust Project criteria

Know more

  • Teruel