Quite a long time ago, in 1740, Palma de Mallorca and its wise mandarins decided to have an urban promenade, later named as Ses Quatre Campanes (Castellano: Cuatro Campanas). Today, you’ll find the remains of its former glory just north of the Avenidas, near the junction of Calle Lluís Vives and Calle de Jesús. If you happen to know Palma’s municipal cemetery or the Parc de Sa Riera, you will know Calle de Jesús.

In the old days, this paseo would have been beyond the city limits and its fortifications. One would have had to leave Palma through the Puerta de Jesús at the top end of the Rambla, long since disappeared as has the city wall, to have a stroll with the missus or even a more galant outing in one of the mule drawn carriages, known as Galeretes (similar to the carriages that nowadays carry tourists through Palma’s old town). This was of course long before the invention of the automobile.

Ses Quatre Campanes was sometimes also called Cuatro Caminos, in as much as four roads or walkways were joining there, but really, the name Campanes was referring to the four bell shaped vessels that adorned the crossroads.

260 years later, in 2009, the current Palma town Council decided to restore the Quatre Campanes, that is to say, the four columns, the bell shaped vessels and the semi circular low benches, all made of Marés sandstone and all long since deteriorated from wind and weather, traffic fumes and a bit of vandalism. A few months ago, the restoration work was completed and Ses Quatre Campanes was inaugurated and unveiled. Ribbons were cut or whatever else they may have done. I’m sure, photos were taken aplenty of all the luminaries involved. The work has turned out rather well, though, I must say. A visit is recommended on a sunny weekend afternoon when traffic is less intense. Bring the missus.

The photo (top) was taken in Palma de Mallorca, Baleares, Spain. The date: April 8th, 2010. The time was 18:06:17. The photo (centre) was taken from the Internet. My thanks go to diariodemallorca.es. The photographer of the postcard (bottom) is credited as Àngel Toldrá.

Muchas gracias.