The Castell del Rei is one of Mallorca’s so-called rock castles. This fortress may well be the oldest of the lot, dating from approximately 975 A. D. Some sources describe this castle as being of Moorish origins, whereas others claim that its architecture in fact goes back to prehistoric times. In the beginning, this was probably more of a watchtower than a fortress. Later in life, though, a number of defense battles were fought there, such as the final resistance of the Moors against the Catalan troops that invaded Mallorca in 1229, or the siege conducted by the army of Pere IV, in 1344. The castell was finally abandoned during the 18th century.

The Ternelles property, where the Castell del Rei is situated, is privately owned by the March family. Up until a short while ago, access to the finca was restricted, but now, a maximum of 20 people per day are allowed to embark on this excursion, subject to application and approval. Please contact the Ajuntament in Pollença if you should want to go. Once you are issued with a permiso, you can go to the point where I took this photo, but you can’t go up to nor into the castle ruins. Let that slight impediment not deter you from going there; the Ternelles estate makes for a very rewarding excursion and the sight of the old stronghold is simply impressive.

The photo (top) was taken near Pollença, Mallorca, Baleares, Spain. The date: February 24th, 2010. The time was 13:27:48. The map was borrowed from the Internet, courtesy of mallorcaverde.es.

Muchas gracias.