Castle sights in Balearic Islands
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Castell de Bellver
Further south of the city, the circular Castell de Bellver is an unusual 14th-century castle (with a unique round tower) set atop a pleasant park. Parts of the castle are shut on Sunday. It is the stage for a summer classical music festival in July.
Constructed by King Jaume II of Mallorca between 1309 and 1311, the castle has been used more for defence and imprisonment purposes than as a royal residence.
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Castell de Bellver
Set atop a pleasant park, the Castell de Bellver is a 14th-century circular castle (with a unique round tower), the only one of its kind in Spain. Jaume II ordered the castle built atop a hill known as Puig de Sa Mesquida in 1300 and it was largely complete 10 years later. The views from here of Palma and the Badia de Palma are spectacular.
The castle was conceived above all as a royal residence but seems to have been a white elephant, as only King Sanç (in 1314) and Aragón’s Joan I (in 1395) moved in for any amount of time. In 1717 it became a prison. The best part of a visit is to mosey around the castle and enjoy the views over the surrounding woods to Palma and out to…
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