Mallorca :: Comparisson reports

"Now we’re going to examine the southwest district of the city. From the already mentioned Carrer d’en Salas, we can take Santa Creu, flanked on the left by the church of the same name. This street will take us to Plaça de Santa Catalina in front of the gateway with the same name. From right to left in this plaza we find poor houses with balconies, climbing up the hill. There are four trees of heaven. To the right we find the way up to the wall and, on the left, a skewed plaza with a fountain in the middle.

   

The alleys and streets between this plaza and Plaça de les Drassanes are almost all unpaved and only have poor houses with balconies. At times we find some outstanding stairs amongst these houses and one or another ogee window. Carrer de l’Olivera is very picturesque, and its lower part forms a staircase, serving as the backdrop for Santa Creu Church. Carrer de l’Almidonera and Carrer de les Corralasses end the same way, where there is a very old building, at number 10, with two “coronelles” arched windows.

At the barracks’ very entrance is the battery of salvos, from which there is a pretty view of the port and the roadstead. To the left we can see Cape Enderrocat, and, to the right, is the hill on which Bellver Castle and El Terreno are. Between both points we can see the dock, the opposite dock with the shipyards, and the boats anchored in the port. Descending down Carrer de Sant Pere, we can see a fair number of houses with balconies and iron balustrades and square or ogee windows to support the almost always modernized eaves.

The houses in Plaça de les Drassanes are poor buildings with balconies, excepting the Consolat de Mar which is next to the Llonja. In front of the gateway onto the sea is the simple yet very big house belonging to the Marquis of Ariany. On the facade looking out onto that plaza, it has modern balconies, while on the side looking out onto the garden over the wall, it has a very pretty gallery with seven front arches and two on the sides. From here is a good view of the port. The interior of the house is very luxurious.

In the middle of Plaça de les Drassanes is a hexagonal portico with a roof made of ordinary tiles supported on 64 pilasters, 32 outside and the rest inside, with smooth capitals. On one side of this shelter are stone tables to sell meat and fish. In the center is a fountain with a statue of the famous Mallorcan hydrographist, Jaume Ferrer. Unfortunately, the statue has been mutilated by stones children have thrown at it.

Where Plaça de les Drassanes branches off, forming a short hill, is a house at number 27, with a steel half-point portal and a modernized eave supported on square columns. In front is Carrer de la Glòria, and, on the house on the corner with this street and Carrer Apuntadors, we can see a pretty Renaissance window.

Carrer de la Glòria takes us to the short Carrer d’en Montenegro which joins Sant Feliu and Apuntadors streets. On the right of the latter street is the Serveras’ home, with Gothic windows on the top part of the facade. To the left is the Burgues’ house. Farther down and also on the right at number 6 is the house belonging to the Count of Montenegro, its balconies featuring decorated wrought iron rails and bearing the Despuig coat of arms.

The house’s patio is not very pretty. It’s divided into three portions with simple columns just like its capitals supporting diminished arches. The stairs are to the left. Everything is simple. By contrast, the interior is very luxurious, decorated with numerous and marvelous works of art. The staircase landing gallery has four Ionic columns which support the arches. Through them is a garden.

On the right side of Carrer de la Llonja, is the Llonja itself, the Escola de la Llonja and the garden. The street ends at Plaça de la Llonja. A part of this plaza’s surface is higher than the rest, leading up to the magnificent Llonja. The other one descends to the workshops of some wineskin-makers. Carrer de la Botería starts at this plaza, with square column galleries where many of these wineskin-makers work. Others have their workshops on Carrer de Remolars and Carrer d’en Sagrera which starts at Plaça de les Drassanes. On the right is the Provinciales Barracks, whose end has been left in mid-air as a result of that part of the wall falling down. It is a simple building with square, low windows.  To the left is the National Customs building and Sant Elm Church. This road ends at the main entrance to the city. Lastly, parallel to the Born is Carrer de la Mar, with its modern, balconied buildings, numerous blacksmiths’ and wineskin-makers. To the left, at number 4, is a large house with a rounded portal, above which we can see Mallorca’s and Aragón’s coats of arms held up by angels which also hold garlands made of Holm oak leaves. This street ends in the Born after traversing a wide arch."

Archduke Ludwig Salvator of Austria.Las Baleares por la palabra y el grabado. Majorca: City of Palma. Ed. Sa Nostra, Caja de Baleares. Palma de Mallorca. 1982.