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Though usually associated with the mass tourism which began in the 1960s, Mallorca (or Majorca) has been inhabited for thousands of years. Its relative isolation from the rest of Spain until quite recently has helped preserve its numerous sites of historic and cultural interest. Mallorca also has a unique natural beauty with many fine beaches and a mountainous interior.
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| Two views (above)
of the Cathedral in the capital of Palma de Mallorca. Construction
began in 1229, but the building was not completed until nearly 500 years
later. The Cathedral is built on the site of the former mosque
within the Almudaína, or former Moorish citadel.
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Detail of carving on the Porta Major (Great Door) of Palma Cathedral.
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Adjacent to Palma Cathedral is the Palau de l'Almudaína (Almudaína Palace), the former palace of the Moorish governors, rebuilt by Jaume II, King of Mallorca, in the late 13C. Today it houses Mallorca's legislature. |
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The Parc de la Mar (left) surrounds the Almudaína Palace, offering a restful respite from the hectic city below. |
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| Two street scenes
(above) in Palma, a perfect city for a leisurely stroll even in winter
with its tree-lined avenues, trendy boutiques, and numerous fine
restaurants.
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The Plaça Cort in the center of Palma is dominated by buildings in the late Renaissance style.
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To the southwest of Palma's center along the seafront is the Avenida Gabriel Roca, with numerous hotels and the city's yacht harbor. |
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| Two views (above)
of Bellver
Castle, in the outskirts of Palma. Built in the early
14C, it is of a unique circular design, and its location atop a small
hill affords a panoramic view of Palma and the surrounding countryside.
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A beautiful winter sunset over Palma's yacht harbor.
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Esporles is a fairly typical quiet town in Mallorca's interior. |
Valldemossa nestles in the mountains an hour's drive from Palma, and was where the composer Frédéric Chopin lived with his companion George Sand in 1838-9.
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Valldemossa - the plaza in front of the Royal Carthusian Monastery is in the center of the town. |
Deiá is a particularly prosperous town, famous as the site where the English writer Robert Graves lies buried in the churchyard.
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Sóller lies in a verdant valley a short drive from the sea, and is the terminus of a small antique electric tram from Palma. |
A cool, gray winter day in Sóller - oh well, at least there's no crowds of tourists!
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The beach at Port de Sóller, just a few kilometers from Sóller proper, is calm as a lake. |
In the hills south of Sóller are many quaint villages such as this, where one is as likely to hear German or English spoken as Catalán or Spanish.
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Morning sun glistens on the fog around the Monastery of / Monestir de Lluc, an important pilgrimage site since the 14C. |
Pollença lies near the northwest tip of Mallorca, and was founded in the 13C although there is an old Roman bridge within the town.
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Shoppers crowd a weekend market in Pollença. |
A beach on Mallorca's northern tip stands gloriously empty in January.
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The central and eastern parts of Mallorca are mainly flat or have gently rolling hills, and still preserve some agriculture. |
Near the center of Mallorca lies the small town of Petra, famous as the birthplace of Junípero Serra, the Franciscan missionary instrumental in establishing a chain of missions in California. This plaque commemorates the foundation of the Misión de San Francisco de Asís in modern San Francisco. |
The Balearic Islands in relation to the rest of Spain. Map courtesy of the Perry Castañeda Map Collection of the University of Texas.
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Detail of the Balearic Islands showing relative size of each island.
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