Ciudad Real Municipal Market

The Ciudad Real town council agreed to build a new market in 1928, but the building was not inaugurated until 1948: twenty years that spanned the Monarchy, the Second Republic, the Civil War, and the postwar period.

The preliminary design competition was announced in 1929 and received ten proposals, but the jury did not meet until November 1932. By then, the intended site was no longer available, and the competition was declared void; the winning architects appealed and were compensated. The market was moved to the so-called “Huerto del Marqués,” located between what are now Postas, Morería, and Reyes streets. The purchase of the land dragged on for years and was marked by the war: the owner, Juan Treviño Aranguren, was assassinated in December 1936, and his widow later claimed that the donation of the land had been signed under duress.

There was only one constant throughout the entire process: the municipal architect José Arias Rodríguez-Barba, who remained in office through three changes of regime. He served on the jury, appraised the properties to be expropriated, and signed off on the 1932 design that was ultimately built.

Construction began in 1940 and was halted in 1942 due to a cement shortage caused by the autarky policy; the contractor died that same summer and forfeited his bond. The project was simplified—the metal structure was replaced with reinforced concrete—and was completed in phases through 1948.

For decades, the fish market occupied the lower level, while the meat and produce sections occupied the upper level, featuring marble counters and no refrigeration at the stalls. The arrival of large supermarkets forced a renovation in 1997: the stalls were concentrated in the basement, and the upper floor was converted into municipal offices.