Tag Archives: Castles & Fortresses

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 in 1578 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.

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 photo (bottom) was borrowed from the Internet, courtesy of andratx.net.

Moltes gràcies.

The Torre de Canyamel

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There are a good hundred defence towers and fortifications all over Mallorca, some going back to Moorish times. Most of them are in a pretty bad state of disrepair and only a handful of them are in good nick. The Torre de Canyamel is in excellent condition, considering its age. The fortified casal (manor house) dates from the 13th century and was probably built on the site of a former Moorish fortress. The building served as a family home but, was also used as surveillance and defence tower at a time when attacks by pirates and Saracens were rife, until it was abandoned during the 15th century. With the invention of firearms, defence matters relied less and less on ramparts. Before that, the fortified tower was the centre of an extensive agricultural property. With the passage of time, outbuildings and other units were added. The Torre extends over three floors with a height of 23 m, with a smaller Torreon sitting on top of the main square tower.

The Torre de Canyamel was extensively refurbished at the beginning of the 20th century. Since 2009, the Torre is open to the public as a museum, offering rather good and informative insights into the history of the building and its surrounding estate, the landlord’s lifestyle including domestic objects and carpet looms as well as military furniture and weapons. Admission charge is 3 €; opening hours are Tuesday to Saturday, 10h00 to 15h00 and 17h00 to 20h00, as well as Sundays from 10h00 to 15h00. At the moment and until the end of September, there is also an exhibition of large format art pieces by Pollença artist, Joan Bennàssar.

Tonight, Mallorcan singer Maria del Mar Bonet will give a recital of songs there, based on texts by Mallorcan poets (20h30; admission 25 €). Although seats are limited, there were still a few tickets unsold when I rang yesterday. You could try your luck by ringing 971.841.134.

The photo (top) was taken near Canyamel, Mallorca, Baleares, Spain. The date: August 25th, 2011. The time was 13:54:05. The photo (bottom) was borrowed from the Internet, courtesy of torredecanyamel.com.

Muchas gracias.

Overbooking and Other Tweaks in Tourism

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It would appear as though the face of tourism in Mallorca is changing. Tourist numbers are up this year by some 7 % over last year and in the month of June 2011, by some 12 % over the same month of the previous year. This may be partly due to the unrest in North Africa, Tunisia, Egypt and so forth. During the month of June 2011 the Son Sant Joan Airport in Palma achieved an all-time monthly high with a total of 2,839,296 users. July and August are expected to exceed the year-on-year increase even more. This weekend alone, from yesterday until next Tuesday, a total of 782,250 passengers are scheduled to arrive at and/or depart from PMI airport, an increase of 15 % over the same period last year, the start of the Spanish holiday season. There is already some evidence of overbooking in some areas of S’Arenal and Magaluf.

But, some hotels claim that whilst ten years ago, tourists came and stayed for a two-week holiday, five years ago they came for a stay of only 8 days and, this year, the duration seems to be down to three or four days per visit. More people are coming here for a holiday than in previous years but, they seem to stay for a much shorter period. Some regular visitors appear to perhaps spread their holidays in Mallorca to two visits per year of four or five days each. Change seems to be the name of the game.

The numbers are up on cruise-ships as well. Cruise-ship passenger numbers in the Port de Palma totalled 1,250,000 in 2010, an all-time record, and are expected to top 1,500,000 this year. Cruise-ship visitors such as the ones in today’s photo visiting the Castell de Bellver only stay with us on this island for a few hours before they return to their vessel and continue their cruise.

Over the last few years, a number of palatial town houses in Palma were converted into luxury hotels catering for visitors who are coming for a long weekend or a couple of days, mid-week. The latest such establishment is a place called Can Cera which held their inaugural party earlier this week. Rates for the 12 rooms start from 180 € per night, for two people, excluding IVA, and go up to 495 € for the best of the 7 suites. Breakfast is not included in the rates and will be charged at 15 € a go. When I offered a Buenos Dias on a quick drop-in earlier this week, my greetings were left unanswered. Must be my accent, I suppose.

The photo was taken in Palma de Mallorca, Baleares, Spain. The date: July 27th, 2011. The time was 14:36:40.

The Da Vinci Code

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I do not have many regrets in my life; nothing serious, anyway. But, I wish I had learned Latin. It was never offered to me; I never went to that type of school. I have always been attracted to Latin, not so much as a language but, as a code system of information. Take the Roman numeric system as an example. It is quite abstract in its use of letters to express numbers or dates but, at the same time this numeric code is incredibly immediate in its logic.

Palma’s Castell de Bellver is the home of the Museu de la Ciutat. There one can find a treasure trove of trophies from the Roman empire, the old Rome where Latin was invented. The treasures form part of the Despuig Collection. Antoni Despuig Dameto who later was to become Cardinal Despuig, was born in Palma in 1745. As a young man he was interested in pursuing a career in the Military but, his family edged him into choosing a career in the church instead. In 1774, Despuig was ordained as a priest and later, a Capitular of the Cathedral in Palma. In 1785, the crown of Aragón sent him to Rome where he became a senior advisor to Pope Paul VI and to Pope Pius VII, who anointed him Cardinal in 1803. Once in Rome, Despuig took an immediate interest in art and archaeology. He soon started collecting statues and epigraphic tablets from the time of the Roman Empire, a collection that during his lifetime made its way into his family’s home, Raixa near Bunyola. When the Despuig family sold Raixa in 1910, attempts were made to try to stop the collection from leaving the island. Finally, in 1918, the collection was bought and saved by two Mallorcan architects for the sum of 60,000 Pesetas who consequently sold the artefacts to the Ajuntament de Palma in 1923. The collection was exhibited from then on in Castell de Bellver and is so, to this day.

I am constantly intrigued in trying to decipher such epigraphic finds wherever I come across some. Often I do not get very far with my trials and tribulations but, I always get satisfaction from the endeavour to crack the Da Vinci Code, Palma-style.

The photo was taken in Palma de Mallorca, Baleares, Spain. The date: July 27th, 2011. The time was 14:27:02.

The 39 Steps

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The 39 steps of Artà are in fact 180 steps, leading up to the Santuari de Sant Salvador. Whilst not quite as magnificent as the 364 steps leading up to the Calvari de Pollença, the Artà steps are spectacular and impressive. Up on top, you’ll find the fortified walls of Moorish origin, the church of Sant Salvador, a bar and some splendid panoramic views. The fortress’ original ramparts had to be altered and strengthened during the 16th century to better defend against pirate attacks.

The scene will form the backdrop for the Endavallament de la Creu on Friday, April 22nd, at 21h30, a dramatic passion play well worth attending. Admission is free for the price of having to climb the 180 steps in good time before the show commences.

Other Davallament performances can be seen in Felanitx at 21h00, in Pollença at 21h00, in Sant Joan at 21h30 and in Son Servera at 21h30. Happy Easter.

The photo was taken in Artà, Mallorca, Baleares, Spain. The date: April 18th, 2011. The time was 15:18:03.