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.