Wanloria › Destinations › Pamplona › Monument to the Encierro

Monument to the Encierro

The Monument to the Encierro is a bronze sculptural group by the Basque sculptor Rafael Huerta Celaya, on Avenida de Roncesvalles, near the bullring. The commission from the City Council came in 1991; a shortened version, with two runners guiding a straggling bull with newspapers, was unveiled on 6 July 1994 and the complete group was unveiled on 21 April 2007. It brings together 19 figures: six bulls inspired by those of the Victorino Martín ranch, three lead steers and ten runners. The figures are welded together and fixed to a granite platform and a reinforced concrete base, of about 11 by 4 metres. The scene freezes a moment of the run along Calle Estafeta, with fallen runners among them, including a self-portrait of the artist. The sloping cobbled ground alludes to that stretch of the route.

Things to do at Monument to the Encierro: 3 missions

• Find the runners fallen on the groundFind the figures of young men already caught by the herd; one of them is a self-portrait of the sculptor.
• Step on the cobbles that imitate the Estafeta slopeNotice the sloping cobbled ground beneath the figures, which evokes the stretch of Calle Estafeta, and compare it with the pavement of the avenue.
• Count the bulls, steers and runnersWalk round the group and count six bulls, three lead steers and ten runners, checking that they add up to 19.

Near Monument to the Encierro

Source: Web oficial - Universidad de Navarra, Cátedra de Patrimonio y Arte Navarro