Mallorca Properties in the northwest

The Northwest of Mallorca: The Serra de Tramuntana

The Northwest of Mallorca
The Northwest of Mallorca

The landscape zone Serra de Tramuntana is named after the large mountain range in the extreme northwest of Mallorca, but goes a little further in its area. Approximately 110,000 inhabitants live in the entire region. The mountain range itself is more than 90 kilometres long and covers an area of 1067 square kilometres. About 20,000 inhabitants live here in the mountains, most of them in the municipality of Sóller. At its highest point, Puig Major, which is also the highest point in Majorca, the mountain range reaches a height of about 1500 metres.

The Serra de Tramuntana is very well accessible by hiking and cycling trails, but has so far been largely spared from mass tourism, making it an ideal destination for individual holidaymakers and nature lovers. In many parts it offers the visitor untouched nature and unique forms of vegetation in spectacular landscapes. The Mallorca midwife toad, which does not exist anywhere else in the world, calls this area its home and also the rare two-headed hood snake, the Hydra of Mallorca, comes from this area. The northwest of the landscape zone is completely on the coast and has some beautiful beaches and bays. In the higher altitudes of the mountains, the snow houses attract visitors, where snow and ice have been stored since the 16th century in order to sell it in the lower plains during the summer months. Today the huts are no longer used and are partly dilapidated.

In a basin of the municipality of Escorca is the Santuari de Lluc, a famous place of pilgrimage and the spiritual centre of the island, whose use dates back to prehistoric times and whose first chapel was built in the middle of the 13th century. An admirable small tourist destination in the mountains is the small village of Sa Calobra, which has only been inhabited by a few people since 1932 and has few houses, as it was hardly accessible, especially in the first half of the 20th century. The beach of the place is only 50 meters long, nevertheless, in the high season several bus but above all ship cargoes of tourists are driven here daily, since the contemplative little place is known for its wonderful views over the marvellous landscape.

In the historical capital of Sóller, a lot of agriculture is still practised today, especially the cultivation of oranges, olives, fruit and vegetables, although tourism has now become a major economic sector. In the centre of the town is the church of Sant Bartomeou, built at the beginning of the 13th century, but then rebuilt several times, so that several architectural styles can be observed, such as the Romanesque gates and walls, the neo-Gothic bell tower or the modernist façade on the now mainly baroque foundation. A botanical garden and several museums, including a natural science museum, are also located in the town, which can be seen as the gateway to the Serra de Tramuntana.