The tower of Paraires, together with the tower of Señales or Portopí, are the only two examples of coastal towers and are located at the mouth of the port of Portopí, one of the ports of Palma de Mallorca (Balearic Islands, Spain). Their function was signaling and defensive. The two towers closed the port with a chain. The tower has a square ground plan, flat roof and four blind walls with loopholes as openings. The roof is finished with battlements. The foundations are from Roman times, protected as a national monument (Bien de Interés Cultural) in 1876.
Palace dating from the XVIII century with a magnificent stairway and lovely gardens. Located in the township of Bunyola, this estate includes an ancient Mallorcan house boasting one of the loveliest gardens on the island. It was purchased by the Ministry of the Environment and the Council of Mallorca in 2002, and it was slated to be converted into a major international environmental centre. It is also a piece of island history, which spans a period between the 15th and 19th centuries. It's clear historical value led the government of the Balearic Islands to protect it by declaring it an Asset of Cultural Interest. Its gardens just beckon you to get lost with a great book in your hands, to retreat from the noise of the world for a spell just as the driving force behind the most important refurbishment of the home, Antoni Despuig i Dameto (1745-1813), must have done. Despuig turned the estate into a magnificent classical palace with an Italianate air whose ground floor houses an important art collection. The history of Raixa, nestled at the foot of the Sierra de Tramuntana (Tramuntana mountain range), dates back to the presence of the Muslims on Mallorca, who chose this site for founding their ARaixa farmstead because of its plentiful water and fertile lands. Next to it is another estate, Biniatzar, which is said to have been the exemplary olive-producing farmstead during the Islamic times. After the Catalans conquered the island in the 13th century, Raixa was passed among a series of owners, such as the Zaforteza-Tagamanent family, until it fell into the hands of the Despuig family in the 17th century.
The Auditorium of Palma, one of the great cultural references of Mallorca. Its façade overlooks the sea, specifically the port, and has one of the best panoramic views of the city. Here takes place, throughout the year, much of the cultural and social life of Palma de Mallorca. Rare is the day that it does not host several music or theater shows, some interesting congress, international meetings of the most diverse disciplines and sciences, or even debates on current issues. In addition, the Auditorium of Palma is celebrating its 50th anniversary in 2019.
The path we have taken is known by the name of "Dalt Murada", and from here we can see what were once the boundaries of the Roman city which stretched from the palace of La Almudaina to the eastern end of the Episcopal palace. On the southern façade of this building, looking towards the sea, we can see a walkway with Modernist-style guard posts which are attributed to the famous Catalan architect Antoni Gaudí, as well as the iron railings of some windows. The wall we can see at the foot of the cathedral is the old Roman city wall, which was transformed during the Middle Ages and totally rebuilt over the course of the centuries. In fact, the whole sea front of the fortified city was reconstructed in the 18th century with the new city wall on top of the one we can see now, built on top of land reclaimed from the sea. The highlights of this structure are the guard posts that have a Baroque form. The area known as ses Voltes is a former barracks completed in 1802 and refurbished by the architects Elies Torres and José A. Martínez Lapeña between 1983 and 1991, for leisure and cultural use.
In the 16th century this house belonged to the Desclapers family. It is a 15th-century Gothic building to which subsequent alterations were made. The patio is located on the left of the third covered section, with an octagonal central pillar in Gothic style supporting two diminished arches and a framework of beams with modillions. Further to the left is the staircase and the regionalist gallery dating from 1929.
Built in the 18th or beginning of the 19th century, apparently all that remains from the original house is the courtyard. A segmental arch separates the entrance, with its wooden ceiling, from a Catalan-style staircase that is now set in an enclosed space.
The Font de la Vila in s'Hort des Bril was an important water supply point for the village of Artà since the Muslim period. Over the years, a series of structures were created to overcome the difficulties presented by the unevenness of the land. Nowadays, we can find some remains of all this infrastructure created to transport water from its original spring to distribute it among the country and the village. Pont den Vell is the best example, an impressive aqueduct dated from the 16th century. It is situated over Es Revolts torrent, a hundred meters away from town, on the Artà-Alcudia road. Defined by a round arch made with pieces of sandstone, stone and mortar, it has a big buttress to support its weight on one of its sides. We find other points where the canal is preserved, probably reusing the old Muslim water network known as Qânat. Qânat is a network of subterranean water canals (siquies) built around the 10th century during the Arab occupation of the island. Construction consisted in excavating a shaft down to the aquifer, from where the water springs. The water was drawn out using a small canals and gravity. The entire complex was covered by a dry-stone barrel vault and every so often a cistern was built, offering access for maintenance as well as providing air and light. We find the Qânat of Font de la Vila on the Artà-Alcudia road, 300 metres away from the aquifers and two kilometres away from town. It features a 100 meters long mine with eight cisterns or entrances. Its dimensions permit access by one person on foot. The gallery was excavated using dry-stone supports on the sides and is covered with irregular and plain stone blocks. At some points, its flat roof becomes a gable roof. The central canal is excavated in the rock to permit water circulation on its sides. This construction is still used to this day due to its quality and functionality.
16th century building once housing the Criança, an institution created by Canon Antoni Genovard, dedicated to the education of upper-class girls and which, after its foundation, was managed by Sister Isabel Cifre. The courtyard features octagonal pillars.
Artà connected to Mallorca's railway in 1921. This brought in faster communication with Manacor and Palma and increased the transport of people and goods. It's worth noting that the project was promoted with private funds, mainly from the businessman Rafel Blanes. The station and the group of secondary buildings were raised at the sides of the railway track, on the stretch along Costa i Llobera avenue. The train stopped working in 1997, leaving these group of buildings unusable for several years. The main building, of perfect symmetry, has three floors and rectangular shape. The lintels over the windows are decorated with geometric motifs of red and white ceramic. They are worth a look! Beside, we find an old coal cellar and the toilets. Finally, in the area we find three more buildings that are private properties nowadays.
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