A perfect place for history lovers

While you’re holidaying on the island, you may want to check out the Mallorca’s capital city, Palma. 🙂 Filled with a range of fantastic cultural and historical attractions, the heart of the island is a holidaymakers dream. 😀 Therefore, if you choose to go to the Mallorcan capital, I’ll suggest you to make time to visit the Royal Palace of La Almudaina, one of the city’s star attractions. La Almudaina is the Royal Castle or Palace of the city of Palma and is located next to the Cathedral which hosts rich tapestries, paintings and rooms. 🙂 When it comes to its history, the castle was modified from the Muslim Alcazar.

The work started in 1281 and continued until 1343 during the reigns of James II, the son of James I the Conqueror, Sancho I and James III. The Almudaina was the seat of the prosperous independent kingdom of Mallorca in the 14th century, during the reigns of the aforementioned monarch and his successors Sancho I and James III, until it passed to the Crown of Aragon with Peter IV in 1349. In its walls, it distils the history of the islands from the time of the megalithic settlements. 🙂 Also, the palace’s interior decoration includes a variety of tapestries, paintings and furniture from different historical periods.

In present it is used by the King as an official residence for state ceremonies and receptions in the summer. The building comprises a rectangular turret housing the King’s Palace, and a wing extending along the west facade that formed the Queen’s Palace, a large hall called the Tinell, built on the southern city wall that overlooks the sea and a royal chapel delimiting the courtyards: the Queen’s Courtyard to the north and the King’s Courtyard and Patio de Armas to the south.

Surrounded by a fabulous green space in the form of the S’Hort des Rei you can walk along shady paths or sit a while and listen to the gushing fountains. The S’Hort del Rei gardens make a pleasant place to sit beneath the fountains watching the world go by. The gardens were rebuilt in the 1960s, forcing the demolition of several houses; their best known landmark is Joan Miro’s Egg sculpture, which few people can resist sticking their heads through. :)) Also, while you’re there, look out for the Arc de la Drassana, once the gateway to the royal docks; near here is a statue of a hondero or Balearic slinger. 🙂

But, we can’t talk about The Royal Palace of La Almudaina without mentioning its main attraction – the changing of the guard ceremony(Relevo de la Guardia de Honor). Held at noon on the last Saturday of every month in front of the Palace, this event is a sight to behold. During this colourful ceremony, soldiers don historic uniforms to emulate the traditions set down by those who came before them, putting on a fantastic show for you to watch! 😀