Pollença (Balearic Catalan: ; es, Pollensa) is a town and

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 ...

in the northern part of the island of

Majorca 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 ...

, near

Cap de Formentor Cap de Formentor () is the northernmost point of Majorca, on the Formentor peninsula. Location Cap de Formentor is located on the northernmost point of the Balearic Island Majorca in Spain. Its highest point, ''Fumart'', is 384m above sea le ...

and

Alcúdia Alcúdia () is a municipality and township of the Spanish autonomous community of the Balearic Islands. It is the main tourist centre in the North of Majorca on the eastern coast. It is a large resort popular with families. Most of the hotels ...

. It lies inland, about west of its port,

Port de Pollença Port de Pollença (Balearic ; es, Puerto Pollensa) is a small town in northern Majorca, Spain, on the Bay of Pollença about 6 km east of Pollença and two kilometres southeast of Cala Sant Vicenç, Majorca, Cala Sant Vicenç. Cap de Formen ...

History

The name "Pollença" comes from the name of the Roman settlement of "

Pollentia 250px, Church of San Vittore at Pollenzo. Pollentia, known today as Pollenzo ( pms, Polèns), was an ancient city on the left bank of the Tanaro. It is now a ''frazione'' (parish) of Bra in the Province of Cuneo, Piedmont, northern Italy. In an ...

", the excavated remains of which lie several kilometers away, at the modern municipality of Alcúdia. It was founded by the Catalans in the 13th century some from the coast in an effort to avoid pirate attacks.

Main sights

Most houses were built in the 17th and 18th centuries and many streets are very narrow and compact, a legacy from the medieval era. The central square, called Plaça Major, has numerous outdoor cafés and is dominated by a large 13th-century church ''Esglèsia de Nostra Senyora dels Àngels'' (Our Lady of the Angels) which was built by the

Knights Templar , colors = White mantle with a red cross , colors_label = Attire , march = , mascot = Two knights riding a single horse , equipment ...

. One of the town's most distinctive features is the 365-step stairway north of the square; this leads up to a chapel on top of the hill known as Calvary. On

Good Friday Good Friday is a Christian holiday commemorating the crucifixion of Jesus and his death at Calvary. It is observed during Holy Week as part of the Paschal Triduum. It is also known as Holy Friday, Great Friday, Great and Holy Friday (also Hol ...

this is the setting for the most dramatic parade of the year. First, on the road winding up the back of the hill, there is a reenactment of the

Stations of the Cross The Stations of the Cross or the Way of the Cross, also known as the Way of Sorrows or the Via Crucis, refers to a series of images depicting Jesus Christ on the day of Crucifixion of Jesus, his crucifixion and accompanying prayers. The station ...

. This is followed by a mock crucifixion on top of the hill after which the figure of Christ is ceremonially removed from the Cross. There is a sombre, torchlit parading of the body of Christ through the town led by hundreds of people in cloaks, masks and pointed hats and done in total silence save for the slow beating of a drum. The town also has a 19th-century bridge of Romanesque design that crosses a stream to the north of town. Most visited sights in Pollença town: Plaça Mayor, Plaça Vella, Can Llobera, Convent, Joan March Gardens, Calvari and Roman Bridge.

Beaches

*Cala Figuera *Cala Murta *Cala Formentor *Cala Sant Vicenç (Cala Molins, Cala Barques, Cala Clara and Cala Carbó) *Cala Boquer *Puerto Pollença Beach *Llenaire Beach *Can Cuarassa Beach CalaFiguera.jpg, Cala Figuera. File:The 365 Calvari Steps.jpg, View from the top of the 365 Calvari Steps File:Church at Pollensa.jpg, At the top of the 365 Calvari Steps is this church

References

External links

*
Pollença tourist guideSOM POLLENÇA, tourist municipalityPollensa Town
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pollenca Populated places in Mallorca