Andratx () is a

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality'' may also mean the go ...

Mallorca Mallorca, or Majorca, is the largest island in the Balearic Islands, which are part of Spain and located in the Mediterranean. The capital of the island, Palma, is also the capital of the autonomous community of the Balearic Islands. The Bal ...

, one of the

Balearic Islands The Balearic Islands ( es, Islas Baleares ; or ca, Illes Balears ) are an archipelago in the Balearic Sea, near the eastern coast of the Iberian Peninsula. The archipelago is an autonomous community and a province of Spain; its capital is ...

, along the Mediterranean east coast of Spain. It is located on the southwest tip of the island. Port d'Andratx, located a few miles south of Andratx, is an exclusive resort.

History

The town of Andratx is ancient and until recently was mainly inhabited by local Majorcan people. The area was occupied by the Romans, who called the town ''Andrachium'', in the 2nd century BC and pottery and coins found there give evidence of this. The town was built inland from the coast as a precaution against the constant threat of raids from

Barbary pirates The Barbary pirates, or Barbary corsairs or Ottoman corsairs, were Muslim pirates and privateers who operated from North Africa, based primarily in the ports of Salé, Rabat, Algiers, Tunis and Tripoli, Libya, Tripoli. This area was known i ...

. In the 16th century a system of observation towers was erected on the island as a means of protection against pirates. From 14 towers in the municipalities of Andratx and Calvià, 12 still exist. The municipality also includes the towns of Port d'Andratx, Sa Coma, S'Arracó,

Sant Elm Sant Elm () is a town on the south-west coast of Majorca in the Balearic Islands of Spain. It lies in the municipality of Andratx. It is a picturesque fishing village at the far Southwest corner of Majorca, only a short drive from Andratx and Por ...

and Camp de Mar. It also includes the uninhabited islet

Sa Dragonera Sa Dragonera () is an uninhabited islet in the Balearic Islands, Spain, located just off the west coast of Majorca. It is currently a natural park. Geography Geologically speaking, Dragonera is an emerged part of the geologic system running s ...

. The municipality has undergone a transformation since 2004, following the input of EU finance which has resulted in a facelift for the town and also brought in foreign investment.

Geography

Andratx municipality is located in the southwestern corner of the

Sierra de Tramontana The Serra de Tramuntana (, es, Sierra de Tramontana) is a mountain range running southwest–northeast which forms the northern backbone of the Spanish island of Mallorca. It is also the name given to the comarca of the same area. On 27 June 201 ...

, the most significant mountains of the island of Majorca. In the southern part are a number of valleys, which are the most densely populated areas. The northern part of the municipality is mountainous and rugged, and is virtually uninhabited. The highest point is at 927 metres. Off the coast of the municipality is the islet of Sa Dragonera, declared a Natural Park in 1995. It can be accessed by sea from Puerto de Andratx or Sant Elm

Economy

The main activity in Andratx today is tourism. Agriculture and fishing as a means of livelihood have declined considerably, and is mostly practiced now for private consumption and recreation purposes. The main crops are

almonds The almond (''Prunus amygdalus'', Synonym (taxonomy)#Botany, syn. ''Prunus dulcis'') is a species of tree native to Iran and surrounding countries, including the Levant. The almond is also the name of the edible and widely cultivated seed of th ...

carob The carob ( ; ''Ceratonia siliqua'') is a flowering evergreen tree or shrub in the Caesalpinioideae sub-family of the legume family, Fabaceae. It is widely cultivated for its edible fruit pods, and as an ornamental tree in gardens and landscap ...

fig The fig is the edible fruit of ''Ficus carica'', a species of small tree in the flowering plant family Moraceae. Native to the Mediterranean and western Asia, it has been cultivated since ancient times and is now widely grown throughout the world ...

s and

citrus fruit ''Citrus'' is a genus of flowering trees and shrubs in the rue family, Rutaceae. Plants in the genus produce citrus fruits, including important crops such as oranges, lemons, grapefruits, pomelos, and limes. The genus ''Citrus'' is native to So ...

and

grapes A grape is a fruit, botanically a berry, of the deciduous woody vines of the flowering plant genus ''Vitis''. Grapes are a non- climacteric type of fruit, generally occurring in clusters. The cultivation of grapes began perhaps 8,000 years ago ...

producing "Santa Catarina" wine.

Demographics

Throughout the twentieth century the population gradually declined to a low in the 1950s. Since then the population has been recovering steadily except in 1960 when the population increased by 2,000 people. In the early twenty-first century the pace of growth has accelerated again. with 2,200 new inhabitants between 2001 and 2005 and increasing urban pressure on the environment, especially in the capital-population centers Andratx and Puerto de Andratx. Andratx is one of the municipalities of Mallorca with the highest percentage of foreign residents. According to the 2001 census about 15% of the population was foreign and among them 43% were EU nationals, including roughly 15% German, 15% British and 10% French.

Art

The main monuments in the municipality are Church of Santa Maria de Andrach, Iglesia de la Virgen del Carmen del Puerto de Andratx, Church of s'Arracó, the Castell de Son Mas (Now City Hall), the

Andratx Castle Andratx () is a Municipalities of Spain, municipality on Mallorca, one of the Balearic Islands, along the Mediterranean east coast of Spain. It is located on the southwest tip of the island. Port d'Andratx, located a few miles south of Andratx, ...

, and the former Trappist monastery, now in ruins. The legendary Teatro Argentino, dating back to 1912, belongs to former symbols of the municipality that have disappeared. Contemporary art is shown in the CCA Andrax Cultural Center (Centro Cultural Andratx), in Sa Coma, north of Andratx; in the Sa Taronja Cultural Association, west of Andratx; in the Liedtke Museum in the Port; and in the architecturally remarkable Studio Weil.

Notable people

Stephen Gately Stephen Patrick David Gately (17 March 197610 October 2009) was an Irish singer, who, with Ronan Keating, was co-lead singer of the pop group Boyzone; all of Boyzone's studio albums during Gately's lifetime hit number one in the United Kingdo ...

(1976–2009), singer *

Guy Hamilton Mervyn Ian Guy Hamilton, DSC (16 September 1922 – 20 April 2016) was an English film director. He directed 22 films from the 1950s to the 1980s, including four James Bond films. Early life Hamilton was born in Paris on 16 September 1922, wh ...

(1922–2016), film director; married to the below Kerima * Kerima (born 1925), actress; married to the above Guy Hamilton *

John Noakes John Noakes (born John Wallace Bottomley; 6 March 1934 – 28 May 2017) was an English television presenter and former actor. He co-presented the BBC children's magazine programme ''Blue Peter'' in the 1960s and 1970s and was the show's longes ...

(1934–2017), television presenter *

Baltasar Porcel Baltasar Porcel i Pujol (; Andratx, Majorca, 14 March 1937 – Barcelona, 1 July 2009) was a Spanish writer, journalist and literary critic. His enormous legacy credited him as one of the greatest authors in Catalan literature from the 20th century ...

(1937–2009), novelist *

José Luis de Vilallonga José is a predominantly Spanish and Portuguese form of the given name Joseph. While spelled alike, this name is pronounced differently in each language: Spanish ; Portuguese (or ). In French, the name ''José'', pronounced , is an old vernacul ...

(1920–2007), actor *

Peter Hook Peter Hook (born Woodhead; 13 February 1956) is an English musician, best known as the bassist and co-founder of the rock bands Joy Division and New Order. Hook often used the bass as a lead instrument, playing melodies on the high strings wi ...

(born 1956), musician (

Joy Division Joy Division were an English rock band formed in Salford in 1976. The group consisted of vocalist Ian Curtis, guitarist/keyboardist Bernard Sumner, bassist Peter Hook and drummer Stephen Morris. Sumner and Hook formed the band after attend ...

, New Order) *

Mark Lawrenson Mark Thomas Lawrenson (born 2 June 1957) is a former professional footballer who played as a defender for Liverpool, among others, during the 1970s and 1980s. After a short career as a manager, he then became a radio, television and internet pu ...

(born 1957), footballer and broadcaster

Gallery

References

External links

Ajuntament d'AndratxAndratx tourist information
{{authority control Municipalities in Mallorca Populated places in Mallorca