Folleto Mallorca Inglés

1 MallorcaAN INVITATIONAN INVITATION3 MALLORCA2A tripto the largest of theBalearic IslandsWhy Mallorca ?4 PALMA DE MALLORCAA labyrinth with a Mediterranean flavour6 BEACHESSand, atmosphere,alternatives10 LANDSCAPEThe inspiration of artists14 HISTORYA meeting pointfor cultures16 LEISURE AND PRODUCTSThe body, the mind,the Mediterranean18 HOSPITALITYA thousand and one nights,breakfast included20 CULTUREAn invitationto curiosity22 NATUREThe Island s treasure24 GEOGRAPHICAL MAPM allorca26 Port de ValldemossaInterior patio, Castell de BellverSa Canova d Art ValldemossaGlass craftsmanshipAN INVITATION5 MALLORCA4 Why Mallorca ?A plane in the sky heading forMallorca. Inside it are ahundred passengers who havechosen this destination forvery personal, very talking to each of thesepassengers we could discover the infinity of motivesthat have a bearing when people choose to spend theirholiday on the island. Without a shadow of a doubt, themain one is that Mallorca responds to the most diversewishes with an excellent offer.

2 One loves the interior ofMallorca, because of its idyllic, tranquil corners. Anotheris drawn by the pleasant urban, cosmopolitanatmosphere of Palma. A third one knows no better placeto practice a little cycle-tourism. The fourth one likes theTramuntana mountain range, the fifth is a painter, thesixth one plays golf, the seventh is a yachting fan andthe eighth is looking for night time entertainment andlively all have the same thing in common: Mallorca isperfect for possibly some of the passengers on our imaginaryplane are already acquainted with the island. If there isone piece of information which reflects the quality ofMallorca as a destination, it is the fidelity of its which is often transformed into somethinglasting, and which confers the status of residents onthem. There is no greater complement for a the following pages we will give you a small idea ofjust how big Mallorca is. We explain how a destinationfrequented year after year by seven million visitorspreserves its character and responds to such differentexpectations.

3 It is an invitation to travel with the mind,the soul and the body. In Mallorca , all three house,BanyalbufarPond in theSerra deTramuntanaFlowering almond treesPort of Cala FigueraRural figurePalma AirportAN INVITATION7 MALLORCA6 PALMA DE MALLORCAB ecause of its strategic situation in the WesternMediterranean, this city has drawn sustenance from allMediterranean cultures. Although its first inhabitants,the Romans and Muslims, left few remains, the mainstreets of the city centre still follow, to a large extent,the labyrinthine structure laid down over a millenniumago by the Romans. In the old town, the past is presentand future. It is one of the best-preserved historical citycentres in Europe. Losing oneself in the labyrinth ofalleyways can lead to discoveries, such as a traditionalcaf , a beautiful church or the elegant patio of a styles come together in many buildings. Duringrenovation work Gothic archways appear, or even thefoundations of the former Roman wall or traces of theMuslim and Jewish cultures.

4 As for the stately homesthat line the alleyways, only their patios allow us toglimpse the beauty that is hidden behind the impressivefa ades. Some of these monuments have been destinedto public use, enabling visitors to daydream of thesplendour of other regional capital reflects the diversity that is sotypical of the islands. It is home to both bars andmuseums, shopping centres and cultural centres, of anHistory of the capital of the Balearics123 of Palma by the of the Muslim era. Palmawas called Medina Mayurqa and was one ofthe eight main cities of the WesternMediterranean. Construction of Jaume I reconquered Mallorcafor the Christian flood opened up a rift in the it was used to build splendid avenues:the Rambla and the to 17th of theGothic Lonja and the Renaissance to 19th populationincreased from 28,000 to 42,000 of the wall. Palma spopulation rises to 300,000 stone monarch: La SeuPalma cathedral is, without a doubt, thesinglemost beautiful and spectacularhistorical building on the Balearicarchipelago.

5 The dimensions of this Gothictemple are comparable to those of the Domesin Cologne and Milan: 121 metres long, 55 and 44 m. high. It houses the mortalremains of three kings, of all the Island sbishops from Ram n de Torrella (1266), and ofinnumerable nobles and other citizens. It alsohouses great works of art, from the Gothiccreations of Sagrera to the modernist ones ofGaud .Legend attributes the project to the king ofthe Reconquest, Jaume I, but it is more likely itwas started under Jaume II and initiallydesigned as a chapel-mausoleum. As such itconstitutes an annexe to the former centralmosque, which served as a church for ahundred years and remains of which surviveduntil the 15th century. The cathedral projectgained direction definitively at the end of the13th century and continued until our last contribution is from the 21st century:a chapel which is the work of the famousMallorcan artist Miquel Barcel .Nighttime view of Palma, the Cathedral and the Palau de l Almudaina in the backgroundArab bathsOld cityParc de la Mar Centre Cultural Fundaci La Caixa ,former Gran HotelA labyrinth with a Mediterranean flavourAN INVITATION9 MALLORCA8inner city marked by history and of outskirtscharacterised by a modern, healthy is a city that surprises those who do not know Palma, the elegance of old and the day-to-day lifeof today live side by port, the entrance to the island for centuries, is afavourite port of call for cruise liners, as urban life isjust a few metres away, whilst at the same time theidyllic rural scenery is only a few kilometres and intimacy:the stately homesMallorca s great families had two mainseats: a rural estate with significantagricultural production, and a statelytown house.

6 These noble families spentthe summer in their country estates,whilst the rest of the year they residedin Palma. A characteristic of the Palmastately home is a sequence of spacesseparating what is public from what isprivate in a graduated fashion. Theintermediate space is the patio, which inits day was accessible to all the passers-by. There are still a few stately homeswhere one can perceive the atmosphereof old. Amongst the most splendid areCan Vivot; the Casal Solleric , now acultural centre; the Casal Balaguer ,the headquarters of the Fine ArtsCircle; and Can Marqu s, a museum-house that shows the customs of in detailCCuullttuurraall cceennttrreess aanndd AArrtt EExxhhiibbiittiioonnssCasal SollericPelaires Cultural CentreSa Nostra Cultural CentreKrekovic CollectionBarcel FoundationLa Caixa Gran Hotel FoundationMir FoundationPalau MarchSes VoltesMMoonnuummeennttssArab BathsBellver CastleCathedralLonjaAlmudaina Royal PalaceMMuusseeuummssCan Marqu sTorrents Llad Museum-HouseMuseum of Modern and ContemporaryArt Es BaluardMuseum of Spanish Contemporary Art,Juan March FoundationBiblical MuseumCathedral Museum Sports Museum Diocesan MuseumMuseum of the History of Palma(Bellver Castle)

7 Museum of MallorcaPorci ncula MuseumSan Carlos Military MuseumAntique Dolls MuseumSanta CreuPALMA DE MALLORCASa LlotjaCastell de BellverPort of PalmaPatio of a stately home Sa Llotja exhibition hallAN INVITATION11 MALLORCA10 Sand, atmosphere, alternatives BEACHESA beach is something more than a place where sea andland meet and where access to the water for bathing iseasy. Factors such as surroundings, services, quality ofwater and distance to one s accommodation come intoplay, without forgetting the climate, of 550 kilometres of coastline and a huge geographicaldiversity mean Mallorca can offer a range of beacheswhich is difficult to beat. A range including anythingfrom lively beaches like Arenal to hidden coves on theNorth coast that are raw material for constant factor is the quality of the water, officiallyAquatic activitiesMallorca is a paradise for bathing,diving, water skiing, windsurfing,surfing, and even boarding a submarineand seeing the coast from an entirelydifferent perspective.

8 Mallorca is aparadise for boat trips, panoramic tripsshowing the varied coastal landscapeswith their ancient watchtowers,villages, ports and hidden is a paradise for yachtingtourism: around 20,000 berths in over50 ports and marinas accommodatevessels ranging from traditional llauts to luxury is a paradise for having fun inthe water: it s never far away in anaquatic Trenc beachCala Carb Illetes beachCala Figuera de Calvi Detail of the sea bed, Gorgonias Port de S llerAN INVITATION13 MALLORCA12 BEACHES recognised by the European Environmental EducationFoundation. In 2004, 41 Mallorcan ports and beacheswere awarded Blue 300 days of sunshine a year are another key added to this is the wide range of leisurepossibilities: amusement parks, leisure centres, a broadcultural offer and the charms of the interior of fish, Donzelles Cala AgullaCala MesquidaCala San Vicen Cala Figuerade Pollen aMondrag Natural ParkCala EstanyAN INVITATION15 MALLORCA14 There can be no greater complement to a person sbeauty than a painter s interest in painting a portrait ofit.

9 The same is true of a region, but more specifically forMallorca, which groups together a larger number ofartists than any other territory of the same size. This isnot a new phenomenon. The Englishman Gordon West,in his description of a journey made in the 20s, meteven in those early days a foreign artist who was livingin a boarding house in Pollen a, where he paid his rentwith his paintings. Every village has its collection ofextraordinary characters, of diverse nationalities andorigins, who were unable to resist the magic of island s geology only explains this fascination to acertain extent. The continents of Africa and Eurasiameasure their strength under it. Although they do sowithoutvolcanoes or huge earthquakes,they areresponsible for some of the island s most spectacularscenery. From the Mirador des Colomer viewpoint onecan see the gigantic stoneformations doubled over by thework of many has three fundamentaltypes of landscape: the Tramuntanarange, the central plain and theSerra de Llevant.

10 The Tramuntana isQueen:its peaks reach over 1,400metres in height and its extensivearea means that the numerousmountaineers, walkers and cyclistsrarely feel crowded out. The centralplain is a collection of sedimentsfrom former seas, material frommountains displaced by the forcesof erosion and considerableamounts of sand from the Sahara,by courtesy of the winds of the lasttwo million Serra deLlevant range is gentler and not sohigh, reaching a maximum of variety of forms in whichbeauty manifests itself in 3,640square kilometres is mostspectaculardisplay is found in the Serra de Tramuntana, a scenicjewel which began to be protected in one way 120 yearsago, when an eccentric member of the Hapsburg familybegan purchasing properties that would, with thepassage of time, constitute a first-class cultural andscenic heritage (see inset The Archduke ). But everyyear the visitors who do not find the idyllic, discreetbeauty of the interior,with its gentle hills, villages, fields,windmills and country estates less attractive grow friends with the wind:the windmillsIn olden days,life in the Mallorcancountryside revolved around thewindmills.