Cas Marquès was property of one of the most important noble families of Mallorca, the marquess of Bellpuig, who owned a large number of properties in Artà as in the rest of the island. The house, belonging to the Middle Age period, has been completely renovated and enlarged during the last centuries. It is a two storey building occupying a whole block of houses, which means it has two facades. On the facade facing Rafel Blanes street we find the main round arch portal with the coat of arms of the marquess of Bellpuig and the Cross of Saint James. Highlights are the balconies and the roof eave supported with large cantilevers. The other facade, facing Trespolet square, features a secondary portal and another portal, which is currently walled in and gave access to the garden. Inside the garden, enclosed by a big wall, we can observe different apertures that permitted the access to horsemen and carts. Due to the constant nobility battles during the 17th century, walls were reinforced developing its present fortified appearance.
Can Rafel Blanes is a Neoclassical manor house dated from 1897. Its symmetry and its white and yellow facade makes it outstanding in the neighbourhood. It is a three storey building with a viewpoint as fourth storey. The most outstanding architectural element is the anteroom of the entrance portal, supported by columns of Ionic inspiration. We find the same motif in the central window of the main floor. The facade colour game, the mouldings, the lintel and circular windows show us a rich architectural language
Can Epifani is on Pou Nou Street and it is the most emblematic and impressive Modernist building of Artà. It was built in 1880 with the patronage of Mr. Epifani Fàbregues. According to oral tradition, Antoni Gaudí designed the building facade due to the close friendship he had with the owner. It is worth highlighting its unique undulated facade with its round arch apertures, excepting the entrance portal with lintel. The protected walls are decorated with horizontal stripes of yellowish colour. Nowadays, it has been converted into a luxury hotel, preserving its Modernist essence in its facade as well as inside.
Posada dels Olors (Olors Inn) dates from the 17th century. This was the family house to one of the most powerful families in Artá: the Font of Olors. This astonishing building was remodelled extensively along the 19th century in order to reflect the wealth and prestige of the lineage. The complex is articulated through two blocks with three different levels. This geometry draws an internal courtyard, currently a beautiful garden. The family shield is carved on the facade and the main door opens to a path leading to the garden. Old cisterns are located in the backyard. Nowadays, the complex functions as an old people’s home.
Son Morei Vell is on the road connecting Artà with the Hermitage of Betlem, 5 kilometres away from the urban centre. The mentioned possessió takes its name from their owners during the 16th century. Before, Alqueria Vella, the old farmhouse, Verger and the farmhouses of Biniagorga were part of Son Morei, but nowadays only 80 hectares make up the possessió. The houses and the farming premises are distributed around an interior courtyard. The housing area is divided in two: the landlords' and the farmhouse tenants' houses, which share the same facade. This building features two entrances: one with a lintel portal framed with white white stripes and a second round arch portal framed by a band and crowned with an heraldic shield. Highlights of the place are undoubtedly the defence tower and the chapel. The defence tower, dated from the 15th century, is quadrangular and is attached to the houses. It features two floors and a terrace with pyramidal battlements and the remains of a machicolation. Nowadays, access is made from the interior of the houses. We find the modern chapel separated from the rest of buildings. It has a quadrangular floor plan and little remains from the two arrises that made up the roof as it was reused as a tafona (Mallorcan oil mill) with some of its machinery preserved. On top of the access portal an heraldic shield, a small rose window and a triangular bell-gable can be observed
These hatcheries are located on the rock formations near the beach of Colònia de Sant Pere. Built in the early 20th century, there were used to keep fish alive for later sale or to use as bait. The hatcheries are partially built on the sea with local materials and sandstone. These constructions are a hundred meters away from each other and feature a circular floor plan with mortar and a concrete circular vault. Through the sandstone doors the visitor will find a square receptacle for the fis
The Casal d'Artà is a manor house sited in Pou Nou street, just in the heart of the historical centre of the village. It was built during the 19th century and it was restored recently to become an urban hotel. It is a three floor building with an entrance portal flanked by two balcony windows. The first and second floors feature three forged iron balcony windows. All the apertures of the facade present a wide plain moulding and two grey impost lines. The building facade has a base line of stone.
This dolmen is located in Es Canons, between Colònia and Betlem residential areas. This megalithic tomb was built around the 2000BC as a collective necropolis. It remained in use until circa 1650aC. The central chamber was accessed through a narrow corridor. The human remains of the entire community were placed there along with small grave offerings. These included ceramic pots, bone tools, punches and copper and bronze elements. The corridor and the chamber were surrounded by a circle of sandstone slabs. This complex was covered by a stone burial mound, its original aspect being that of a big promontory with a little entrance to the funerary chamber. Currently, only the perimeter and the base lines of the corridor and the chamber are visible. The site was excavated by the University of the Balearic Islands.
Sant Salvador corresponds to the most emblematic place of Artá. Located on a small hill that dominates the entire environment of the village. The most outstanding elements of the complex are the walled enclosure, the sanctuary and the outbuildings of Es Donat. Its location has meant that it has been a strategic place throughout different historical periods. The first news we have of the place are from the Muslim occupation of the island, being located on top of a fortification, known as Almudaina, which had a mosque. With the Catalan conquest of the island, King James I, appropriated this site, converting the mosque into a Christian temple. The enclosure of the wall describes an ellipse, highlighting the main tower, dedicated to San Miguel. In the 16th century it was rebuilt as a place of refuge for the locals from corsair attacks; and in 1967, the entire enclosure was restored at the request of the Society of Friends of the Castles, erecting a new tower and placing battlements around the perimeter. The present sanctuary is a building that was begun in 1825 and blessed in 1832, although the two towers that flank it were not finished until the end of the century. Formally it is a church of Renaissance style, of Latin cross, without apse and covered with barrel vault. The dome, decorated by Salvador Torres in 1892, represents the Glory. Inside is preserved the Romanesque carving of the Virgin Sant Salvador, originally from the monastery of Bellpuig, patron saint of Artá since 1922. The original 13th century church was burned down when it was used as a hospital during the plague of 1820. It is also worth mentioning the Donat house, a building from around the 16th century, used as a house for the person in charge of the maintenance of the Almudaina and the sanctuary. Its current appearance is due to the reconstruction it underwent in 1971. The building is structured on two levels. This is flanked by two linteled windows and closed by an iron trellis. But the most significant element of this building is located in the first height of the facade, it is a Renaissance window framed by two semi-detached columns that support an architrave ornamented with geometric plant motifs. Thanks to the restoration carried out, this building can be seen in its maximum splendor.
Alaró was the first municipality in Mallorca to have an urban electricity network, even before Palma. Electricity was brought to Alaró thanks to two villagers, brothers Gaspar and Josep Perelló Pol, who had a soap and oil business. Gaspar, who had travelled to Barcelona on business, was dazzled by the potential offered by the big city's electrification and he wanted Alaró to benefit from what he had seen there. His dream came true, thanks to capital that he himself invested and to the support of a handful of people from Alaró, who were convinced of the advantages that electricity represented. Overcoming the reticence of many villagers, the Perelló brothers brought experts from Catalonia and built a power station and electricity supply network that was inaugurated on August 15th 1901, coinciding with local festivities in the village. A power station tower still remains. It was restored in 2001 to mark the centenary of the inauguration.
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