The north-eastly point of Majorca is the rugged headland called Cap de Formentor, also known as the ‘Meeting Point of the Winds’. Nature has created a spectacular landscape of steep cliffs rising from the blue Mediterranean Sea. The peninsula is 12 kilometres long but it is never more than 3 kilometres wide and the highest point is called Fumat Hill, or Smoked Hill. People have lived on the peninsular since pre-historic times, either in caves or walled settlements, and the Romans established a foundry for making pig-iron on the headland.
The road from Port de Pollença to Cap de Formentor was built by Italian engineer Antonio Paretti in the 1960s and it twists and turns its way across the steep slopes (he also built the famous Sa Calobra road). You can visit Paretti’s memorial at the Mirador de la Creueta and, if you have a head for heights, walk to the lookout point. There is watchtower on the summit of Albercuix hill above the memorial. It was built in the 1550s so lookouts could keep watch for Ottoman fleets, raiding from North Africa.
Continuing east, we come to the road junction for Formentor Hotel, a long established hotel overlooking Pollença Bay. Plots were sold along the peninsular when the owner, Miquel Llobera, died and the Argentinean artist Adan Diehl built the hotel in 1928. It soon became an exclusive holiday destination for the rich and famous, including Winston Churchill, Edward Windsor, Prince of Wales (the one who abdicated the British crown to marry Mrs Simpson in 1936). Niceto Alcalá Zamora, the first Prime Minister and then President of the Second Spanish Republic, also stopped at the hotel.
The Spanish Civil War closed Hotel Formentor in 1936 but it held an international congress dedicated to the 13th Century Majorcan philosopher, writer and poet Ramon Llull in the 1950s. The Formentor Novel Prize attracted top novelists and publishers from around the world by offering the highest value literary prize in 1960. In the 1990s heads of state of the European Union met at the hotel for discussions.
Continuing east along the peninsular, the road hugs the steep slope and passes through a tunnel where it is just too steep. The terrain gets more rugged with each turn and then there is one final turn and Cap de Formentor lighthouse comes into sight.
The lighthouse was completed in 1892 and its light kept sailors safe for over 100 years as they navigate the dangerous waters around the headland. There is a car park next to the lighthouse and as you take in the views across to Alcudia and Menorca, spare a thought for the lighthouse keepers in the past. Along the way you may have seen signposts for the Cami Vell de Faro, which means the Old Lighthouse Path. The keepers had to walk along the cliff tops in all weathers to get to work before the road was built. And then they had to make the long trail to get back home again.
Cala St Vicenç is a secluded bay north-east of Pollença and people also lived in the area in pre-historic times. They farmed the land, fished in the sea and carved out caves to bury their dead. The Necropolis has a large stone structure at the entrance and there are eleven caves in a park on the road into Cala St Vicenç.
The resort’s two beaches look across to the rugged coastline of the Formentor peninsular. The vertical cliffs which rise out of the sea are an impressive sight, especially when the seas are rough. Keep an eye out for the gothic style retreat overlooking the larger of the two beaches.
Pollença Castle is out of sight on a craggy summit to the west and it is also known as the Castell del Rei or the King’s Castle. The Moors started the castle back in the 10th Century, not long after they occupied the island. They called it the Alcazar de la Garriga or the ‘Castle of the Mountains’. The small structure has a commanding position and King James the Conqueror took eight years to capture it from the Moorish leader called Xiap. It was the last place on Mallorca to surrender following the conquest of Palma in December 1229.
King James gave the castle to the Knights Templar, the owners of nearby Pollença, and they strengthened the walls and built a chapel. It was handed to the Knights Hospitaller after the Mallorcan Templars were disbanded in 1314.
In 1284 King Phillip III of France invaded Aragon and James II of Mallorca joined the crusade against his brother, Peter III. Peter retaliated in May 1285, landing his large fleet at Santa Ponça. Palma city, Bellver castle, Alaró castle and Santueri Castle surrendered peacefully and the island was soon his. However, Berenguer Arnau l’Illa refused to surrender Pollença Castle because he was keeping King James safe inside.
The Kingdom of Mallorca’s flag was still flying when Peter the Great headed off to Barcelona at the end of June and the siege continued. The people of Pollença supplied the castle until they were stopped and made to swear allegiance to King Peter on ‘pain of body and goods’. But the supplies ran out at the end of August and Berenguer surrendered after James escaped to the mainland. From then on the castle was known as the Castell del Rei or the King’s Castle.
The fortification was then reduced to a watchtower and the garrison kept a look out for pirates looking to raid Pollença. The garrison was further reduced when Albercutx Fort was built overlooking Pollença harbour. The King’s Castle was briefly used to hold sailors in quarantine in 1564 but its days were numbered. It was abandoned in 1715 and sold to Marques of Desbrull a century later; it finally served as a watchtower during the Spanish Civil War.
So next time you consider going to Pollença, consider visiting Cala St Vicenc or Cap de Formentor. Your choice will depend on your sense of adventure!
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