Puig Major is the highest peak on the

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Cana ...

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 ...

. With an elevation of above sea level. It is situated in the

Serra de Tramuntana 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 ...

mountains. As the mountain is located in a military zone, the neighbouring peak

Puig de Massanella Puig de Massanella is the second highest peak on the Spanish island of Mallorca. It is situated in the Serra de Tramuntana mountains. It is the highest peak on the island whose summit is accessible, as its higher neighbour Puig Major Puig Majo ...

(1,364 m) is considered the highest accessible summit on the island. The nearest 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 ...

to Puig Major is

Sóller Sóller () is a town and municipality near the north west coast of the Balearic Island of Mallorca, Spain, 3 km inland from Port de Sóller, in a large, bowl-shaped valley that also includes the village of Fornalutx and the hamlets of Biniarai ...

, a village near the north west coast of Majorca.

Military Zone

There is currently a military installation, a radar, of the

US Air Force The United States Air Force (USAF) is the air service branch of the United States Armed Forces, and is one of the eight uniformed services of the United States. Originally created on 1 August 1907, as a part of the United States Army Signal ...

at its summit. As a consequence of the

Cold War The Cold War is a term commonly used to refer to a period of geopolitical tension between the United States and the Soviet Union and their respective allies, the Western Bloc and the Eastern Bloc. The term '' cold war'' is used because the ...

, the first Friendship, Defense, and Cooperation Agreement between Spain and the United States, signed in 1954, agreed on the installation of radar at the top of Puig Major for

NATO The North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO, ; french: Organisation du traité de l'Atlantique nord, ), also called the North Atlantic Alliance, is an intergovernmental military alliance between 30 member states – 28 European and two No ...

air control of the Western Mediterranean, starting the works of the new road, barracks, reservoir and radar station in 1955. In December 1959, they were completed, and access was permanently restricted. In 2000 the facilities were modernized, and a new type of radar was installed, which has recently allowed the demolition of some obsolete buildings and facilities near the summit. The Puig Major base is an organic-operational dependency of the Combat Air Command. Puig Major Air Barracks/Air Surveillance Station EVA-7. Its installation meant a tremendous environmental impact on the area due to the need to truncate the summit to obtain a flat surface, which meant a loss of height of around 9 meters. The access road to the summit, with a very aggressive layout (straight lines, without adapting to the contours of the terrain) and without any prevention of environmental or landscape impacts, destroyed the old stone path that ascended from the Coll de N'Arbona, widely used by the people of

. The accumulation of debris cones or scree, as a result of these works, has caused significant damage to the slopes of the summit, which are the habitat of numerous endemic plants. Being military land and belonging to the Zayas family, access requires the appropriate military authorization from the US Air Force. Their barracks are also at the foot of Puig Major, very close to Son Torrella. During the second half of the 20th century, two orange protective spheres containing all the radar equipment remained on the summit. They became popular among Mallorcans with the name "Las Bolas" or "Ses Bolles." In 2005 a single, larger sphere was built due to a technological renovation.

Hiking

Hiking Hiking is a long, vigorous walk, usually on trails or footpaths in the countryside. Walking for pleasure developed in Europe during the eighteenth century.AMATO, JOSEPH A. "Mind over Foot: Romantic Walking and Rambling." In ''On Foot: A Histor ...

has an extensive tradition in

, and hikers love the Puig Major for its beautiful routes, such as the climb to Penyal des Migdia to the southwest of the summit or Morro D'en Pelut to the north. Both courses partially entangle the intrusion into the military zone, commonly without permission.

Gallery

File:PuigMajor.jpg, Puig Major File:PuigMajor10.jpg, Radar station on Puig Major File:PuigMayorAvión.jpg, Puig Major seen from a plane File:Puig major in majorca spain arp.jpg, Puig Major (immediately to the right of the cactus) seen from the village of

Fornalutx Fornalutx () is a mountainous Municipalities of Spain, municipality and village on Majorca (''Mallorca''), one of the Balearic Islands, in Spain. The nearest town is Sóller, which can be reached by foot via a series of footpaths and pathways and ...

(near Soller) File:Puigmajorlino.jpg, Dawn on the Penyal des Migdia with view of Puig Major and the air force installations

References

Mountains of Mallorca Mountains of the Balearic Islands {{Balearics-geo-stub