Things to do in Mallorca – visit Bellver Castle
Bellver Castle in Mallorca – Majestic, absorbing and thoroughly photogenic…
Looking for things to do in Mallorca? Visit Bellver Castle! Just three kilometres away from Palma in Mallorca stands a simply magnificent castle, which is now home to the Palma History Museum.
The majestically rounded sphere of Bellver Castle is predominantly gothic in its style and is extremely striking in itself but when coupled with the stunning views over the Mediterranean Sea the castle offers, the word breath-taking immediately springs to mind.
From high up on the opposite side of the bay, looking right across the Palma seafront, Bellver Castle makes a spectacular sight as it protrudes from the surrounding woodland – A truly magnificent piece of engineering, which has to be one of the most photogenic features on Mallorca.
Whilst Bellver Castle might be now filled with romance and beauty, as with most castles, not all of its history was beautiful. People were taken here and imprisoned and shot during the Spanish Civil War. Building work on the castle commenced in 1300 under orders from King James II of Mallorca.
In 1395, King Juan I of Aragon set up his court in Bellver Castle in order to escape the Black Death, which was ravaging mainland Spain at the time.
In the 16th century many modifications took place on the castle due to the fact that “artillery” was now a major weapon in the European theatre of war, and the castle had to be able to both fire artillery and defend against it. In 1717, during the Spanish War of Succession, political prisoners were imprisoned at Bellver Castle.
The last time Bellver Castle was used as a prison was during the Spanish Civil War when 800 republican prisoners were housed here. It was a grim and miserable war, which has left its mark on many of the older people throughout Spain to this day.
Prominent Republican figures were executed at Bellver Castle and the solid walls of the castle offered no defence to those helpless captives, who died within the fortress, high above Palma and the Mediterranean Sea.
By comparison, today the castle is used positively, namely for history and learning. It is open for visitors to ponder the dark deeds of man, as well as the great skill and knowledge of the medieval architects and stonemasons. It is a place where one can simply drink in the air, look at the view and feel energised from its stupendous location.