Attractions
CATEDRAL
Address: Palma de Mallorca, Spain .The construction of Majorca Cathedral, often called La Seu, began in the 13th century. It is a Levantine Gothic-style cathedral (characterised by using a German-style hall layout) and it has one of the largest rose windows in the world, known as “the Gothic eye”. Its nave is also one of the highest in any European Gothic cathedral.
The Cathedral’s history is closely linked to the island’s monarchy. The origins of the most important example of Majorcan Gothic date back to the 13th century. After the conquest of Madina Mayurqa in 1229, James I, King of Aragon and Count of Barcelona, ordered the old main mosque to be consecrated to the Virgin Mary as a place for Christian worship, and also the construction of a new building, in line with the style of that period.
13th and 14th centuries
The earliest historical documents relating to the building of the Cathedral date from 1230 when Bishop Pere de Morella consecrated the altar stone of the main altar. Construction of the building that we know today began during the reign of James II (1276-1311).
In around 1300 the work on the Gothic cathedral began, starting with the Royal Chapel. The current apse retains the funeral chapel that was planned as a resting place for the monarchs of Majorca’s royal house.
15th century
In 1498 work ended on the bell tower, although it was left unfinished. This houses 9 bells, the largest of which is known as Eloi.
In 1400 Guillem Sagrera was put in charge of the building of the Cathedral. He built the Gothic chapter house and directed the work on the Mirador Portal. In 1490, Francesc Sagrera, Guillem’s nephew, designed the Almoina Portal.
The seats from the choir – currently comprising 110 walnut chairs – can be found by the main altar and in the Royal Chapel. Work on the choir started in 1514, and for centuries it occupied the centre of the nave of the basilica.
16th century
During the 16th century, a time when humanist spirituality was of great cultural and religious influence, the door in the main portal, the pediment and the two rose windows were installed. The Casa de la Almoina was also built in this period.
17th and 18th centuries
During the 17th and 18th centuries the Baroque started to fill the inside of the Cathedral in the form of altarpieces, paintings and sculptures shaped by the spirituality of the period following the Council of Trent. From this period it is worth noting such emblematic pieces as the Corpus Christi altarpiece by Jaume Blanquer, the cloister and the new chapter house.
19th century
After the earthquake of 1851, the main façade was left in a precarious condition and so Bishop Miquel Salvà Munar entrusted its restoration to the architect Juan Bautista Peyronet.
20th century
At the start of the 20th century, the architect Antoni Gaudí adapted the Cathedral to meet new liturgical and pastoral requirements. His work, requested by Bishop Pere Joan Campins, continued from 1904 to 1914. The changes involved moving the choir that had until then been located between the second and third sections of the nave, removing the Gothic main altarpiece, making the baldachin for the main altar, incorporating the bishop’s seat in the sanctuary, lighting the space with glazed windows, artificial light and candelabra and also making liturgical furnishings.
The Cathedral brings together the last eight centuries of Majorca’s history, and continues to be a living and constantly evolving thing. These different artistic styles have helped the Cathedral to fulfil one of its main purposes over different eras: to be a reflection of the Celestial Jerusalem.
Playa Cala Mesquida
Address: 39º 44' 648" N - 03º 28' 007" E .S'Arenal de sa Mesquida also known as Cala Mesquida
Cala Mesquida or s'Arenal de sa Mesquida is situated at seven kilometres from Capdepera. The name comes from the nearby possessió sa Mesquida de Dalt. Cala Mesquida, Cala Moltó and Cala Agulla were declared in 1991 Àrea Natural d'Especial Interès by the Parlament de les Illes Balears.
This extensive fine-grained sandy area located between low rocky areas finishes in a system of dunes –with the dune of es Munt Gros-, populated by lentisc and pine trees. The right part reaches Cala Agulla, passing Cap des Freu and it has one of the biggest cormorant and seagull colonies of the Balearic archipelago, unspoilt, whereas on the left side there is a residential and touristic village since the decade of the seventies of the 20th century.
The wind blowing from the north, northeast and northwest makes the swell grow, big waves toward land that make moving away from the coast impossible, and there are also some dangerous sea currents from the channel of Minorca, which make anchoring boats too difficult, on a sandy ground and a depth of five metres.
The accessibility by car is easy following the signs of carretera Artà-Capdepera. A roundabout takes to a free parking area or you can leave your private car in the streets of the village. The last half hectometre until Cala Mesquida has to be done on foot. The nearest bus stop is located at 200 metres.Playa Cala Anguila
Address: Av/Marco Polo s/n (Porto Cristo Novo) .Cala Anguila
Cala Anguila is situated at three kilometres from Portocristo.
This sea inlet has a beautiful sandy area with gentle slope and an attractive fine-grained golden sand, which is the result of rests of shells and other species of sea animals of thousands and thousands of years, that came to this place with the sea current.
The cliffs that surround this sea entrance, where a torrent flows into, are not very high and there is a big cave that might be visited. The winds that blow from the east-southeast-south have an incidence on this coast, but it is not a problem for anchoring boats on a sandy ground, the depth ranges from seven metres at the beginning of the natural entrance to four metres at a hectometre from the coast. The nearest port facilities are located at Port de Portocristo, at 0,2 nautical miles.
Its turquoise water, the quality of its sand and the beautiful environment attracted the development of buildings and hotels until the coast, although on the right part there is still some pines, scrubland and the rests of a marès or pedra de Santanyí (sandstone of dunes of the pleistocenus) quarry.
The accessibility by car is easy following the signs. The private car may be left in the streets of the residential village and you will have to go down the stairs to reach Cala Anguila.Playa Cala Antena
Address: 39º 28 N - 3º 17' E .Cala Antena
Cala Antena is situated at 10,5 kilometres from Portocolom and it is the border of the village of Cales de Mallorca. From here toward east there are some wonderful virgin coves of Manacor.
This beach is narrow, and it is the result of a sea inlet of 170 metres. This part of the coast is located between cliffs with scrubland, and on the right part there are some mountain walls and touristic buildings, whereas the left part is lower and unspoilt. The beginning is a fine-grained sandy area which continues toward the mouth of torrent, which is its origin and which is very crowded by the tourists. A natural entrance of 80 metres and very unprotected from the wind blowing from the east is the access for the boats that want to anchor on the sandy ground, and the depth ranges from four metres at one and a half hectometres from the coast to 1,7 at half a hectometre. The nearest port facilities are located at Port de Portocolom, at 4,6 nautical miles.
At about 200 metres from the beach there is an impressive cave which can even be reached by boat. In the surroundings there are some stairs going down from the upper part of the cliff until the sea level, and a jetty for the passenger launches.
The accessibility by car is easy following the signs. The private car can be left in the streets of the village, whereas the nearest bus stop is located at a hundred metres.Playa Cala Varques
Address: 39º 30' N - 3º 18' E .Cala Varques
Cala Varques is situated at 12 kilometres from Portocristo.
This virgin beach is the result of a rectangular sea inlet, with natural breakwaters of low height with pines and scrubland in the surroundings. The eastern coast is divided into two beautiful and quiet small sandy areas. They are divided by one and a half hectometres of steep rocks.
The western cove is smaller than the first one. The fine-grained white sand is surrounded by some rocks, as well as scrubland and the mouth of a torrent which is the origin of this place. At the rear of the eastern part there is a pine wood that reach the beautiful sandy area, and there is a natural arch and a huge cave in the surroundings.
The best option to reach this corner is on the sea way. The marine and underwater conditions are good for anchoring boats, the depth is more than six metres at 200 metres from the coast, on a sandy ground with crystal clear water. The nearest port facilities are located at Port de Portocristo, at 3,6 nautical miles.
The access on the land way is more difficult than the seaway and the last part has to be done on foot, with a 15 minutes walk on an uncomfortable trail between pines and next to the torrent which has formed this beach. These characteristics explain that the beach is not crowded at all and the visitors are normally residents. Nudism is not allowed, although it is done the samePlaya Cala Agulla
Address: 39º 43' 38" N - 03º 27' 11" E .Cala Agulla
Cala Agulla is situated at 1,8 kilometres from Capdepera. This beach, Cala Moltó and Cala Mesquida were declared in 1991 Àrea Natural d'Especial Interès by the Parlament de les Illes Balears. This fact explains that this coastal area is well preserved, surrounded by a thick pine wood with some huge trees, and it has not been developed. This coast is a small by, surrounded by low rocky areas and covered by a very fine-grained sand, and this is why it is the biggest sandy area of this municipality.
Its size might be larger or smaller depending on the sea currents and the moment of the year: if the wind blows from the west, the swell makes the beach grow, whereas if it blows from the east or north, the opposite happens.
The air coming from the north might be a problem for anchoring boats on a sandy and stony ground, with a depth of five metres. You have to be very careful as the anchor might move. The nearest port facilities are located at Club Nàutic de Cala Ratjada at 2.9 nautical miles.
The accessibility by car is easy. You have to take the deviation toward Cala Agulla on the road between Capdepera and Cala Ratjada, which finishes on a pay-parking area (2,1 euros), open from 9 a.m. to 7 p.m.
These characteristics and the accessibility explain that the beach is very crowded by local visitors and tourists and it is the most popular beach amongst the residents of Cala Ratjada.Playa Cala Bona
Address: 39º36'72'' N - 3º23'50'' E .Cala Bona
Cala Bona is situated at 3,5 kilometres from Son Servera. This part of the coast used to be a shelter for the fishing boats. The later intervention of mankind has made of this coast three artificial little coves, after the introduction of tons of sand and the construction of four very closed breakwaters, which raise the security. This beach is not very deep and the slope is gentle.
The morphological characteristics explain that this sandy area is excellent for small children to bath, and the most popular beach for families who share the place with the tourists who stay in the nearby hotels. The influx of local and tourist visitors is medium.
The marine and underwater conditions allow the anchoring of boats outside of the limit of the breakwaters, because in the inside there is not enough depth on a sandy ground with some rocks. On the outside of the artificial area, the depth reaches five metres, on a mixed ground of sand, rock and seaweed. The nearest port facilities are located at Port Esportiu Cala Bona, at 0,2 nautical miles.
The accessibility by car is easy following the signs. You can park for free in second or third line from the beginning of the beach, and the bus or the touristic mini-train stop at 50 metres of Cala Bona.Manacor
Address: 07500 Manacor, Spain .Manacor is a town and municipality on the island of Mallorca, part of the Spanish autonomous community of the Balearic Islands. It has tourist areas like PortoCristo, site of the famous Caves of Drach, and Cales de Mallorca. Manacor has one of the busiest street markets on the island, held every Monday morning. Manacor is famous for furniture manufacture and artificial pearls.
The first indications of human occupation in the area of Manacor go back to 2000-1200 BC. Of this period are the artificial coves as burial places (cova de s'Homonet at Son Ribot, Mitjà de ses Beies at Sa Sínia Nova, etc.), and a type of construction similar to the naveta, either isolated or grouped in villages, which were used as living spaces (sa Marineta, s'Hospitalet Vell, etc.)
Of the megalithic Talaiot culture, the most outstanding constructions are s'Hospitalet Vell, es Boc, Bellver, as well as the constructions of Bendrís, Son Sureda and Sa Gruta.
The origin of the town of Manacor goes back to the times before the Islamic dominance. The submarine discoveries of objects found in Porto Cristo show that it was a Roman port. The remains of the basilicas of sa Carrotja and son Peretóprove the existence of well-established Christian communities.
After the invasion launched by Jaume I d'Arago, Nuño Sánchez received from him the land of Manacor. In 1300, Jaume II granted Manacor a statute of municipality. The Torre del Palau and the fortification of some rural houses like the Torre de ses Puntes and the Torre dels Enagistes have been preserved from the beginnings of town planning at Manacor. A native of Manacor, Simó Tort, was a character in medieval social conflicts.
Sant vicenç came to Manacor in 1414. In 1576 the convent dedicated to the saint was founded, and after this the construction of the baroque church began. At the beginning of the following century the construction of the cloister began.
In 1879 the railroad line from Inca to Manacor was opened. About 1890 the construction of the new parish church Nostra Senyora dels Dolors began, located on the same place as the former churches. The most ancient of them had been documented in 1232 and had possibly been built upon an Arab mosque. The bell tower of the present church, an emblem of the town, measures 75 metres. In 1897 the first factory of artificial pearls, the famous Majorica, was founded. So Manacor became the business and industrial centre of Llevant n 1912 Manacor received the title of town.
In 1936, during the Spanish Civil War, there was an attempted landing of Republican forces in the shores of Porto Cristo that was repelled by the Nationalists. The mayor of Manacor, Antoni Amer Llodrà "Garanya" was assassinated by the Nationalists.
CUEVAS DEL DRACH
Address: Cuevas del Drach, Carretera de les Coves, Porto Cristo, Spain .Situadas en la costa oriental de Mallorca, concretamente en el pueblo de Porto Cristo, estas cuevas constituyen uno de los principales atractivos turísticos, y son, sin duda alguna, unas de las más destacables de la isla, ya que presentan un desarrollo horizontal cercano a los 1.200 metros de longitud y una profundidad, en su cota máxima de 25 m. bajo la superficie. Las cuevas esconden en su interior un gran lago subterráneo, el Lago Martel, considerado uno de los mayores lagos subterráneos del mundo.
