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Palma
de Mallorca
Is the capital of the island of Mallorca and, with 358,462 registered
residents, is home to around half the island´s inhabitants. Practically
all of the Mediterranean cultures and civilisations have left their mark
here, but it is tourism which has given the island its current form and
provided economic dynamism.
The city was founded in 123 BC by Quint Cecili Metel, which was the same
year in which Mallorca became part of the territories of the Roman
Empire; however, it is thought that Roman Palma was built on top of a
prehistoric settlement. The first part of the city was built around the
current site of the cathedral of La Seu and the Almudaina Palace,
stretching as far as the site of the Plaça de Cort and enclosed by a
wall, the remains of which can be seen in the gardens of the Episcopal
Palace. During the period in which the Moors ruled Mallorca, the city
became known as Medina Mayurka, though there are few traces of this era
left, apart from the layout of the old quartes and the Arab Baths.
Historians describe the city as being full of vegetable gardens and
fountains. With the Christian conquest of 1229 the city became known as
Ciutat de Mallorca; this name was maintained until around 1717, when the
Roman name was readopted, and then the city was given the name of Palma
de Mallorca. It is curious that even today many Mallorcans refer to the
capital simply as Ciutat.
Palma de Mallorca is a city which spills out to the sea, with an
important commercial dock which serves to bring in and send out a large
proportion of the island´s goods. Palma´s port is also the entry point
for many visitors, who either have a stopover as part of a Mediterranean
cruise or who arrive by ferry. The large number of yachts and pleasure
boats at the various maritime clubs along the city´s coast catch
visitors´ attention, and these reflect the importance of tourism and
water-sports on Mallorca. Important sailing competitions are held every
year, such as the Copa del Rey and the Princess Sofia Trophy.
La Seu is Mallorca´s most emblematic building. It lies on the top of a
hill, above the city walls and the sea, and it is at the centre of the
harbour side of the old quarter in Palma de Mallorca. The building is a
tribute to man and his Christian faith, which is expressed in the
magnificent beauty of this architectural structure, which was built over
centuries; inside the building, lights bursts through the darkness via
the windows. It is a work of art which impresses all who come to admire
it.
Almudaina Palace.
It is thought that the first Roman settlement was built at this spot
sometime after 123 BC. Later, when the city was under Moorish rule, an
authentic citadel was built, and this served as a residence for the Vali
(Moorish governor). It is from this period that the building has taken
some of its current features. With the Catalan conquest, in 1229, the
building was rebuilt and turned into a residence for the Mallorcan
kings. With the disappearance of the Kindom of Mallorca, the palace
became a residence for viceroys and governors. Nowadays it is used as
the official residence of the King and Queen of Spain, and it is also a
museum and part of the building is occupied by the Military
Headquarters.
Bellver Castle is situated on top of a hill, surrounded by Bellver Wood,
which is the largest green area within Palma de Mallorca and which
affords spectacular views over the city and the bay. It was constructed
by the King of Mallorca Jaume II between 1309 and 1311 as a military
fortress and Gothic-style palace. Throughout its history it has always
been used more for defence purposes and imprisonment than as a residence
for royals or other important personages, and it has always been linked
to the conflicts in which the island has been involved. The building has
a circular layout and is constructed from Mallorcan mares stone, some of
which was extracted from mysterious subterranean quarries which have
been drilled into a good part of the mountain at between 40 and 60
metres below the castle. It has four circular towers, one of which -
Torre de l´Homenatge (Tower of Homage) - is linked to the main building
by a bridge; at 33.37 metres high, this is the tallest of the castle´s
towers, and it is divided into four rooms. The bottom room, known as
L´olla (The Pot), was deigned as a water deposit with a single opening
at the top, but it was transformed into a room for cruelly punishing
many of the prisoners held at the castle. The castle´s central area is
occupied by the Pati d´Armes (Arms Courtyard), which is circular and
which has a tank neck in the centre giving access to a large water
deposit, which occupies almost the entire subsoil. At the same level as
the courtyard there is a corridor which surrounds and provides access to
the rooms in the lower section, forming a perimeter of semicircular
arches, above which there is another corridor with ogival arches, which
provides access to the main rooms of the top floor. Amongst the castle´s
rooms, most of which have cross-vaulted ceilings, we find the royal
rooms, the Chapel of Sant Marc and a large kitchen.
Located at Plaça de la Llonja, this is one of the masterpieces of civil
Gothic Mediterranean architecture, with it being used as a model for the
construction of La Llonja in Valencia. It was built between 1420 and
1452 as the base of the Col·legi de la Mercaderia, which was the
corporation in charge of regulating and protecting commerce and
maintaining the city´s port, with the right to levy tariffs on the
movement of goods. At La Llonja commercial transactions were carried out
and the building was also used as a contracting hall. With the decline
of trade, it became a store for goods, and during the Peninsular War it
was used as a cannon factory. It later became the Fine Arts Museum and
was also the first location for the Parliament of the Balearic Islands;
it is now used as an exhibition centre.
The old quarter, with a medieval layout of narrow winding streets, is
the most interesting part of the city for visitors and is where most of
Palma's monuments are concentrated. It is separated from the area of
the Eixampla by the avingudes - wide streets which occupy the space
where the city walls stood, which were built in the renaissance period
and which were knocked down at the beginning of the twentieth century.
Some remains of these walls can be seen at the part of the old town
nearest the sea - at Baluard del Príncep, in front of the
cathedral of la Seu and the
Baluard de Sant Pere
- and there is also a small fragment on view at the underground car park
of Via Roma. It is in this part of the city where the Mallorcan nobility
used to live, residing in homes which are genuine palaces and which,
along with the churches and convents, stand out within the layout of the
city.
La Plaça d´Espanya and the Parc de les Estacions join the older and more
modern parts of the city, forming the nerve centre of the island´s
transport network, from where buses and trains depart for the towns and
tourist resorts on the island. |