Tag Archives: Castles & Fortresses

The Fortification At Es Fortí de Cala Llonga

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When I last visited the cliff top fortification at Es Fortí de Cala Llonga in Cala d’Or, some twenty years ago or even longer, it was in a pretty bad shape; one might have called it a ruin. The origins of the fortification may easily go back a couple of hundred years or even more. It might have been built during the 1730s. At that time, surveillance and custody of the coast was a matter of great importance. In an inventory of the year 1832 the military fortress weaponry was listed as consisting of four cannons, a fact that clearly shows the importance and strength Es Fortí de Cala Llonga once had.

Nowadays, the small old fortress stands in good splendour; well, almost. The Military sold the fortress by way of an auction in 1878 and it became private property. In 1992, Es Fortí was acquired by the Fundació Illes Balears who slowly and carefully restored the erstwhile stronghold. It is now open to the public and serves as a venue for occasional festive events, concerts and other cultural and social gatherings. The views over the cliffs towards the coastline of Cala d’Or and the open Med are as good as it gets.

The photos were taken in Cala d’Or, Mallorca, Baleares, Spain. The date: September 6th, 2012. The time was 14:01:11, 13:57:34 and 13:45:16, respectively.

The Torre de Cala Pi

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The Torre de Cala Pi is one of three coastal defense towers in the municipality of Llucmajor, together with the Torre de Cap Blanc and the Torre de s’Estelella, and is one of 45 ancient torres on Mallorca’s coastline.

The Torre de Cala Pi guards the entrance to the cove of Cala Pi and stands at about 19.5 m above sea level. The tower was built after several attacks by the Ottoman Turks in 1543 and was completed in 1663. To my knowledge, the tower was never successfully conquered, not by pirates or Maurish marauders, anyway.

The photo was taken in Cala Pi, Mallorca, Baleares, Spain. The date: August 24th, 2012. The time was 17:45:04.

The Carthusian Apothecary

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When the Kingdom of Mallorca ceased to exist, the royal palace Palau del Rei Sanç in Valldemossa was ceded to the church and in 1399 it was transformed into a Carthusian monastery known as Cartoixa de Valldemossa. The monks were forced to relinquish the monastery after just over 400 years when the Ecclesiastical Confiscations of Mendizabal dispossessed a large number of church properties in 1835. The property passed into private ownership shortly before Frederik Chopin and George Sand arrived in the Winter of 1838. Today the Cartoixa serves as a museum, not least for its association with King Sancho and Chopin. Amongst many intriguing aspects of the Cartoixa I would like to highlight the old apothecary shop or pharmacy. The pharmacy was installed by the monks during the 17th century. Old bottles, potions, balances and medicinal instruments of the period are well-preserved, including some 135 ceramic jars from the 18th century (see photo).

The photo was taken in Valldemossa, Mallorca, Baleares, Spain. The date: April 17th, 2012. The time was 12:59:22.

The Festival de Música Castell de Bellver

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Every year in July, the Festival de Música Castell de Bellver is held at Palma’s Bellver Castle. Tomorrow, July 19th, the third concert of this year’s event will be given in open air conditions in the courtyard of the castle.

The concert will be performed by the Orquestra Simfònica de Balears (Balearic Islands Symphonic Orchestra). Tomorrow’s programme will include a first performance of Orión (12 mins.) by Miguel Ángel Roig-Francolí. Señor Roig-Francolí (Ibiza, 1953) is a resident in Pittsburgh (Cincinnati, USA) where he teaches Music Theory and Composition at the University of Cincinnati. It is not very often that we are treated to symphonic works by contemporary composers here in Mallorca, and even less though by composers born in the Illes Balears.

Other works performed tomorrow will be better known, including Andante in D Major by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, Concert for Oboe by Benedetto Giacomo Marcello, Romance in F minor for violin and orchestra by Antonín Leopold Dvořák and Symphony No. 9 in E Minor “From the New World”, also by Dvořák.

The concert starts at 21h30. Tickets are available at 30 € (Patio), 20 € (Arcades) and 10 € (First floor) from the Conservatorio de Música de Mallorca and on the night at Castell de Bellver. The last concert in the series will be held next week, July 26th, also at 21h30, with music by Richard Wagner and Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky. Details can be found on the OSIB website.

The photo was borrowed from the Internet, courtesy of diariodemallorca.es and Manu Mielniezuk.

Muchas gracias.

The Hostatgeria del Castell d’Alaró

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The Puig d’Alaró makes for an exciting outing for a number of reasons. You could hike up the northern ascent from Orient which will take you just under two hours before you get to the Castell d’Alaró, or you could choose to hike up from Alaró and the southern approach. On top of the impressive rock, the fortress allows glimpses into history with sometimes bloody chapters, going back to the Arab period and quite possibly even to the Romans.

Even further up, you will find the Hostatgeria del Castell d’Alaró and the 17th century chapel of the Mare de Déu del Refugi. The restoration work at the Hostatgeria has now been completed, at long last, and currently there are four dormitories with bunk beds for four each, with more to be furnished any time soon. The refuge is capably run by a young Catalan couple who rent out beds for 12 € per person, or offer a half board arrangement at 24 € per head. There are reductions for children. The hostel brings the number of refuges along Mallorca’s Dry-stone Route up to six, along with Tossals Verds, Muleta, Can Boi, Son Amer and Pont Romà. A stay in the refuge can be thoroughly recommended if you seek rest in peaceful surroundings of historic heritage and good food. Up here you are closer to the essence of life if that is what you might seek.

Alaró and the hamlet of Orient are within walking distance and the cozy restaurant of Es Verger is just a half hour stroll away. You will have heard of Es Verger‘s fabulous lamb specialties, all slow-cooked in the wood-fired oven at affordable prices (Paletillas are now served at 16 € a piece) and all eaten with great gusto.

The photos were taken near Alaró, Mallorca, Baleares, Spain. The date: May 21st, 2012. The time was 16:25:02, 15:04:14 and 14:48:03, respectively.

La Porta de Xara in Alcúdia

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The old town of Alcúdia used to be surrounded by a fortified Mediaeval city wall, built during the 14th century and modified during the 16th century. The Southern and Western remnants of this bulwark are still largely intact; one can climb up and walk along most of its remaining expanse. Two massive gates are part of that wall, Porta de Mallorca, also known also as Porta de Sant Sebastià (the Western gate) and Porta de Xara, also known also as Porta de Moll (the Eastern gate), shown here. The Porta de Xara still preserves its original Mediaeval portcullis, carpentered in wood some 400 years ago (photo below).

The photos were taken in Alcúdia, Mallorca, Baleares, Spain. The date: March 30th, 2012. The time was 13:11:13 and 13:07:22, respectively.

The Cartoixa Verdict

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You must have heard the news about the Chopin wrangle at the Cartoixa de Valldemossa. The owners of cells no. 2 and no. 4 had taken their quandary of the past 50 odd years to the court to have their legal dispute resolved. Cell no. 2 had to move their falsely attributed piano off the premises and cell no. 4 can now claim to be the only authentic accommodation where the Polish-French composer and his beloved accomplice, George Sand and her children, had put their heads down and where the music genius concocted his immortal sonatas.

Well, the news is that you now have the choice at the Cartoixa de Valldemossa to either enter by a side-entrance to go and indulge in a visit to the Chopin Celda No. 4 Museum only and exclusively for a modest 3 € (daily except Sunday, 09h30 to 18h30).

Or you can visit the rest of the former Carthusian monastery, the erstwhile royal Palacio del Rei Sanxo, the disputed Chopin Celda No. 2, the old 18th century Cartuja pharmacy, the Archduke Luis Salvador room, the old priory cell and clerical library, the antique Guasp printing press display, the beautiful church, the palace’s music room and the secluded gardens for a reduced entry fee of 6.50 €, with a 15 minutes live piano recital thrown in of, guess what, Preludes, Sonatas and Polkas by the very same Chopin, but without being allowed to enter his authenticated cell. Got it? No, I didn’t get it either. It is all a bit confusing and terribly insulting to the interested visitor and music lover. Of course you could simply buy two tickets for the then inflated price of 9.50 € and see all of it. No, sir.

My verdict is, sod them. I do not and can not recommend a visit to Mallorca’s tourist attraction number one any longer. The Cartoixa de Valldemossa does not care two hoots about you, the public, and the paying audience. Chopin and his memory are now, 173 years after their ever so fleeting and brief visit, treated with as much contempt and disrespect as they were then. The self-proclaimed Mallorcan guardians of the music genius may have temporarily succeeded in putting their financial interests over and above the historic significance of the estate in Valldemossa. The owners of Celda Nr. 4 may legally be in the right to do what they have done but, believe me, the spirit of the place is now one of derision, ridicule and disrespect. Shame on them.

P. S. The photograph on Wikipedia of the Chopin cell shows cell no. 2 with the now removed, illegal piano which supposedly Chopin never saw or touched.

The photo was taken in Valldemossa, Mallorca, Baleares, Spain. The date: March 10th, 2012. The time was 13:36:32.

The Castell de Bellver

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The Castell de Bellver (Bellver Castle) just outside of Palma is unique among Spanish castles in being entirely circular. It was built between 1309 and 1311 for Rey Jaume II, when there was the Regne de Mallorca, a proper Mallorcan kingdom. Now it is one of the main sightseeing attractions of the island.

Today, the castle contains Palma’s museum of municipal history, with pottery from Talaiotic, Roman, Arab and Iberian periods. In the past, the castle was used for many centuries as a prison; the widow and sons of Jaume III were imprisoned here for most of their lives. The intellectual and writer Gaspar Melchor de Jovellanos (1744-1811) was one of the most famous prisoners of the castle. I’ll tell you more about him in a future blog entry. During the 18th and 19th centuries, the castle was used as a military prison for French soldiers serving under Napoleon, and again, during and after the Spanish Guerra Civil. Emili Darder Cànaves, the erstwhile mayor of Palma (1933-34 and 1936) was also imprisoned here before he was executed 75 years ago last week.

The photo was taken in Palma de Mallorca. The date: February 24th, 2012. The time was 17:36:38. The image (bottom) was borrowed from the Internet, courtesy of fabian.balearweb.net.

Muchas gracias.

The Fortress of Sant Carles

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Palma’s Fortress of Sant Carles celebrates a 400 year anniversary this year.

Around the year 1600, the Mallorca’s Col·legi de la Mercaderia (Merchants’ Guild) proposed the construction of a stronghold to protect the harbour of Porto Pí. King Felipe III gave order to construct such a fortress in 1608; kings are usually on the slow side. Building work began in 1610 and was completed in 1612. The funding was divided between the monarchy and the Merchants’ Association. The fortress was first called Castell de Portopí and later renamed as Fortalesa de Sant Carles, in homage to the Viceroy of Mallorca, Carles Coloma de Saa (1567-1637). The fortress became Mallorca’s most substantial fortification, together with the Mediaeval city wall.

In 1662, the fortress was expanded, and once more, in 1890. During the 18th century, the Castell was used as a hospital for tropical diseases. At the time of the Spanish Guerra Civil (Civil War), the castle was decisive in anti-aircraft resistance; once the Republican movement was defeated, Sant Carles also served as a military prison.

Now, Sant Carles is home to the Museu Històric Militar (Army Museum). The display arrangement has recently been remodelled. The Sant Carles museum is worth a visit; opening hours are from Monday to Friday (09h00 to 13h00) and Saturdays (10h00 to 13h00). Entrance admission is free.

The photo was taken in Palma, Mallorca, Baleares, Spain. The date: January 7th, 2012. The time was 10:21:08.

The Castillo de Son Mas

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Surely, the Castell de Son Mas building in Andratx can take the credit for being one of Mallorca’s most attractive town hall settings. The Ajuntament de Andratx acquired the splendid building during the 1990s, did some extensive refurbishing and moved its municipal administration there some ten years ago. In the old days, this erstwhile privately owned country estate had been extended over time and rebuilt, with a defense tower (the Torre del Sagrament) being added during the 15th century. This fortification proved useful when Andratx suffered attacks by Saracen pirates and Maghrebian insurgents in 1553, 1578 and 1643 or thereabouts.

There is no evidence that Son Mas existed during the Moorish period, unless one supposes that the very large aljibe (water reservoir) on the grounds of Son Mas might date back to just that, a Moorish influence.

In recent years, Andratx, its Ajuntament and its former Batle (Mayor) made some unfortunate headlines for a fair amount of wheeling and dealing outside of legitimate limits and legal boundaries.

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The photo (top) was chosen from my archive. It was taken in Palma de Mallorca, Baleares, Spain. The date: April 1st, 2006. The time was 17:15:04. The photos (centre and bottom) were borrowed from the Internet, courtesy of andratx.net.

Moltes gràcies.