Sights in Mallorca
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Monestir de Lluc
The present monastery, the Monestir de Lluc, a huge austere complex, dates mostly from the 17th to 18th centuries. There's also a museum and modest gardens and, if you're lucky, you might hear the Els Escolanets (also known as Els Blauets, the Little Blues, because of the soutane they wear), the monastery’s boarding school boys choir. This institution dates to the early 16th century.
Off the central courtyard is the entrance to the rather gloomy, late-Renaissance Basílica de la Mare de Déu (built in 1622–91 and bearing mostly baroque decoration), which contains a fine retablo (altarpiece) done by Jaume Blanquer in 1629, and the statuette of the Virgin Mary.
Outside, …
reviewed
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Fundació Pilar i Joan Miró
Inland from the waterfront is a major art stop, the Fundació Pilar i Joan Miró. Top Spanish architect Rafael Moneo designed the main building in 1992, next to the studio in which Miró had thrived for decades. With 2500 works by the artist (including 100 paintings), along with memorabilia, it's a major collection.
No doubt influenced by his Mallorquin wife and mother, Miró moved to Palma in 1956 and remained there until his death in 1983. His friend, the architect Josep Lluís Sert, designed the studio space for him above Cala Major.
A selection of his works hangs in the Sala Estrella, an angular, jagged part of Moneo’s creation that is the architect’s take on the arti…
reviewed
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Museum
This is a museum of local archaeological finds and a modest art collection.
The museum has archaeological bits and bobs, religious objects, ceramics and a modest art collection in eight rooms on a 1st-floor wing just before you reach the basilica.
reviewed
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Walls & Parc de la Mar
Most of Palma's defensive walls were destroyed in the late 19th century to allow easier expansion of the city. Only a section of the Renaissance sea wall, the Dalt Murada (begun in 1562, finished in 1801), remains impressively intact. In 1984 the Parc de la Mar (with its artificial lake, fountain and green spaces) was opened.
Looking tatty in parts, it is still a pleasing part of the view from the stout walls, and a pleasant place for a breezy drink at a terrace cafe in summer.
reviewed
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Remnants of 12th-century Arab wall
One block east of the Església de Sant Jeroni, you strike a portion of the 12th-century Arab city wall (with some heavy blocks from the Roman wall at the base), beyond which is a park named after the city gate that once stood here: Porta d’es Camp (Gate of the Countryside). The Muslims knew it as Bab al-Jadid (the New Gate).
reviewed
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Galeria K
This innovative little gallery presents Spanish and international painters and sculptors.
reviewed
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Poble Espanyol
This 'Spanish Village' is a copy of bits of Spanish towns from all over the country. It’s cheesy but intriguing and contains replicas of everything from typical Andalucian streets to Canary Islands houses, from the grand Bisagra gate of Toledo to Granada’s Muslim Alhambra. Buses 5, 29 and 46 take you close (alight at Avinguda d’Andrea Doria 41).
reviewed
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Palau March
This house, palatial by any definition, was one of several residences of the phenomenally wealthy March family. Sculptures by 20th-century greats, such as Henry Moore, Auguste Rodin, Barbara Hepworth and Eduardo Chillida, grace the outdoor terrace. Within lie many more artistic treasures from some of Spain's big names in art.
Entry is through an outdoor terrace display of modern sculptural works. Centre stage is taken by the enormous Orgue del Mar (1973) by Barcelona’s Xavier Corberó.
Inside, more than 20 paintings by Salvador Dalí around the themes 'Alchemy and Eternity' catch the eye, as does the extraordinary 18th-century Neapolitan baroque belén (nativity scene). …
reviewed
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Palau de l’Almudaina
Originally an Islamic fort, this mighty construction opposite the Catedral was converted into a residence for the Mallorcan monarchs at the end of the 13th century. It is still occasionally used for official functions when King Juan Carlos is in town. At other times you can wander through a series of cavernous stone-walled rooms that have been lavishly decorated.
The Romans are said to have built a castrum (fort) here, possibly on the site of a prehistoric settlement. The Wālis (governors) of Muslim Mallorca altered and expanded the Roman fort, while Jaume I and his successors modified it to such an extent that little of the Muslim version remains.
Now, as in medieval tim…
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Museu Fundación Juan March
This 17th-century mansion makes a good introduction to Spanish contemporary art. On permanent display are some 70 pieces held by the Fundación Juan March. Together they constitute a veritable who’s who of mostly 20th-century artists, including Picasso, Miró, Juan Gris (of cubism fame), Dalí and the sculptor Julio González.
After starting with the big names, the collection moves through various movements in Spanish art, such as that inspired in Barcelona by the Dau al Set review (1948–53) and led by Antoni Tàpies. Meanwhile, in Valencia, Eusebi Sempere and Andreu Alfaro were leading the way down abstract paths. Sempere’s Las Cuatro Estaciones (1980) reflects the…
reviewed
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Museu Diocesà
Opened in 2007 in its magnificent new home of the Palau Episcopal (bishop’s residence), the Museu Diocesà, behind the cathedral to the east, is a fascinating excursion for those interested in Mallorca’s Christian artistic history.
The first thing you see upon entering is a mind-boggling retaule (retablo in Spanish, an altarpiece) depicting the Passion of Christ (c 1290–1305) and taken from the Convent de Santa Clara. The episodes are shown with effusive detail: Palm Sunday, the Last Supper, St Peter’s kiss of betrayal. Christ flailed looks utterly unperturbed, while the image of his being nailed to the cross is unsettling. Off to the right, a key work is Francesc Com…
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Museo de Muñecas
Near the cathedral, this fascinating niche shop-cum-museum is dedicated to old dolls, with more than 500 examples from over 50 countries, from Ashanti fertility dolls to Shirley Temple. At the top of the steep stairs, you buy a ticket and are ushered through the back to two rooms jammed with old dolls, made of anything from cardboard to porcelain.
In the first room, countless versions of a popular Spanish doll, Mariquita Pérez, which first appeared in 1938 in San Sebastián, steal the show. Many of the dolls in the second room date to the 19th or early 20th centuries and the aim is to show you how dolls have evolved down through the decades. Cardboard Spanish dolls from th…
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Fundació Sa Nostra
The big Balearics building society, Sa Nostra, has a cultural foundation in Can Castelló, where it stages exhibitions. It is worth popping by just to check out the fine 18th-century courtyard, which now hosts a hip cafe. The temporary exhibitions at the centre are always worth a look.
The original house dates to the previous century, and it even has a few Modernista touches from renovation work done in 1909. Just in front of it is Font del Sepulcre, a Gothic baptismal font left over from a long-disappeared church. Inside it is a 12th-century Muslim-era well. Carrer de la Concepció used to be known as Carrer de la Monederia, as the Kingdom of Mallorca's mint was on this s…
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Església de Sant Crist de la Sang
Within the Hospital General (founded in the 16th century), you can behold the Gothic facade of this church. It is the object of pilgrimage and devotion, since the paso (a sculpted image used in processions) of 'Holy Christ of the Blood' is considered to be miraculous.
If you happen on a Mass, it's moving to see the devotion of the faithful who climb up behind the altar to venerate the image of Christ crucified, with long, flowing real hair and embroidered loincloth. Just on your left as you enter the church is a 15th-century nativity scene, probably imported from Naples.
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Església de Santa Eulàlia
One of the first major churches raised after the 1229 conquest, the Església de Santa Eulàlia is a soaring Gothic structure with a neo-Gothic facade (a complete remake was done between 1894 and 1924). It is the only such church in Mallorca, aside from the Catedral, with three naves. The baroque retablo is rather worn and you can’t get to the chapels in the apse.
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Església de Santa Creu
Work on this Gothic church began in 1335. The main entrance (Carrer de Santa Creu 7) is a baroque addition. What makes it interesting is the Cripta de Sant Llorenç (crypt of St Lawrence), an early-Gothic place of worship dating possibly to the late 13th century. Some paintings by Rafel Mòger and Francesc Comes are scattered about the interior.
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Es Baluard
Built with flair and innovation into the shell of the Renaissance-era seaward walls, this contemporary art gallery is one of the finest on the island. While its temporary exhibitions are always worth checking out, the core of the permanent collection – works by Joan Miró, Miquel Barceló and Picasso – and the setting are what give the gallery its cachet.
The 21st-century concrete complex has been cleverly built in and among the fortifications, which include the partly restored remains of an 11th-century Muslim-era tower (on your right as you arrive from Carrer de Sant Pere). The effect is a playful game of light, surfaces and perspective.
Inside, the ground floor hous…
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Centre Cultural Contemporani Pelaires
This private cultural centre is as interesting for its architecture as for its content (changing art exhibitions). The building, Can Verí, is a beautiful 17th-century town house that was also used for a while as a convent. This narrow pedestrian lane is rather chichi, home to galleries, antique shops and fashion boutiques.
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Catedral
Palma’s vast cathedral is the city's major architectural landmark. Aside from its sheer scale and undoubted beauty, its stunning interior features, designed by Antoni Gaudí and renowned contemporary artist Miquel Barceló, make this unlike any cathedral elsewhere in the world.
The Catedral occupies the site of what was the central mosque of Medina Mayurka, capital of Muslim Mallorca for three centuries. Although Jaume I and his marauding men forced their way into the city in 1229, work on the Catedral (La Seu in Catalan), one of Europe’s largest, did not begin until 1300. Rather, the mosque was used in the interim as a church and dedicated to the Virgin Mary. Work wasn…
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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…
reviewed
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Casa-Museu Joaquim Torrents Lladó
This fine old house, with a timber gallery overlooking a courtyard, belonged to the Catalan artist Joaquim Torrents Lladó (1946–93), who moved to Mallorca in the 1960s. The 1st and 2nd levels feature timber floors, 19th-century furniture and a changing display of the painter’s work, ranging from portraits to labels for Codorniu champagne. Occasional temporary exhibitions are staged here, too.
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Can Marquès
This exquisitely furnished mansion, the only one of its kind in Palma open to visitors, retains elements dating to the 14th century. It gives a fascinating insight into how the well-to-do lived around the turn of the 20th century. The building shows elements of Gothic, baroque and even Modernista influences. It hosts contemporary art exhibitions, but was closed for restoration at the time of research.
Once it reopens, enter the main pati (courtyard) where the family coach once clattered in, and climb the Modernista stairway to the main floor of the house, where the public can undertake a circuit through 10 rooms.
The immense Sala d’Entrada was a formal reception area and d…
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CaixaForum
This exhibition centre is run by one of Spain's biggest building societies, the Barcelona-based La Caixa. CaixaForum is housed in the wonderful Modernista building (the island's first) that was once home to the Grand Hotel. Pick up a free program at reception and flick through it at the ground-level cafe. There's also an excellent bookshop.
The Grand Hotel was once a city landmark that was built in 1900–03 by the Catalan master architect Lluís Domènech i Montaner and the first building in Palma with electricity and a lift. The hotel was shut down during the Civil War and never recovered. As well as the art exhibitions, other frequent activities put on here include lecture…
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Banys Àrabs
These modest Arab baths are the single most important remaining monument to the Muslim domination of the island, although all that survives are two small underground chambers, one with a domed ceiling supported by a dozen columns, some of whose capitals were recycled from demolished Roman buildings.
The site may be small, but the two rooms – the caldarium, or hot bath, and the tepidarium (warm bath) – evoke a poignant sense of abandonment. Normally there would also have been a third, cold bath, the frigidarium. As the Roman terms suggest, the Arabs basically took over a Roman idea, here in Mallorca and throughout the Arab world. These ones probably were not public but att…
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Joan Guaita Art
This sleek gallery is well known for its emphasis on contemporary Latin American artists.
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