Tirador (velodrome)
Tirador | |
Interactive map of Velodrome of Tirador | |
| Location | 4 Miquel dels Sants Oliver Palma de Mallorca Balearic Islands, Spain |
|---|---|
| Coordinates | 39°34′43″N 2°38′40″E / 39.578678°N 2.644325°E |
| Owner | Municipal property |
| Capacity | 2,000 seats |
| Surface | Cement |
| Field size | 333,33 m. |
| Construction | |
| Built | 1898–1903 |
| Opened | 10 August 1903 |
| Renovated | 2026-2028 (public park) |
| Closed | March 1973 |
Tirador (Catalan: Velòdrom del Tirador or Velòdrom de Tirador) is a velodrome in Palma (Mallorca, Balearic Islands, Spain). It is an outdoor track cycling, opened in 1903, and used to be the most important velodrome built in Spain for six decades until the construction of the Velódromo de Anoeta (San Sebastián) in 1965. Tirador was closed in 1973 and still exists, but is no longer in use. It has been one of the four cycling tracks in the city. Before, there were Son Espanyolet (1893-1911), the current velodrome of Son Moix (1987), and finally the Palma Arena (2007).
The track was saved from disappearing in extremis thanks to the actions of various groups fighting for the conservation, such as the Associació de Veïns des Fortí and citizen initiatives, particularly the researcher Manuel García Gargallo, who achieved the preservation and publicized its historical and cultural value. This led Palma City Council, which had initially planned to demolish it to create a park, to rehabilitate it for the same purpose.
Since 2015, Tirador is municipally owned and its recovery as a green area is pending to incorporate it into so-called Palma Urban Forest, which is expected to be carried out from 2026. Despite the fact that in recent years it has suffered a process of abandonment and progressive degradation. Its cataloging as a heritage element protected by the Palma City Council is in process and its rehabilitation is scheduled since 2022.