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Pollença () is a town and
municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having municipal corporation, corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality' ...
in the northern part of the island of
Mallorca Mallorca, or Majorca, is the largest of the Balearic Islands, which are part of Spain, and the List of islands in the Mediterranean#By area, seventh largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. The capital of the island, Palma, Majorca, Palma, i ...
, near
Cap de Formentor Cap de Formentor () is the northernmost point of Majorca, Mallorca, on the Formentor peninsula. Location Cap de Formentor is located on the northernmost point of the Balearic Islands, Balearic Island Majorca, Mallorca in Spain. Its highest poi ...
and
Alcúdia Alcúdia () is a municipality and township of the Spain, Spanish autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of the Balearic Islands. It is the main tourism, tourist centre in the north of Majorca on the eastern coast. It is a large r ...
. It lies inland, about west of its port,
Port de Pollença Port de Pollença (Balearic ; ) 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 Formentor is connected to ...
.


History

The origin of the name "Pollença" can be traced back to the name of the Roman settlement of Pollentia, the excavated remains of which lie several kilometers away, at the modern municipality of Alcúdia. The displacement of the toponym is due to the fact that, during Late Antiquity, the city of Pollentia became depopulated, but the name remained to designate the region. In the Islamic period, the capital of the district, called ''Bullansa'', was located in the place where, centuries later, the town of Pollença would be founded. Throughout its history, Pollença was a site of significant military confrontations, due to its prominent geographical position, some from the coast, in an effort to avoid pirate attacks. It witnessed the battles of the Christian conquest and the expedition of King
James I of Aragon James I the Conqueror ( Catalan/Valencian: ''Jaume I or Jaume el Conqueridor''; Aragonese: ''Chaime I'' ''o Conqueridor''; ; 2 February 1208 – 27 July 1276) was King of Aragon, Count of Barcelona, and Lord of Montpellier from 1213 to 1 ...
, and also became the last stand of King
James III of Majorca James III ( – ), known as James the Rash (or the Unfortunate), was King of Majorca from 1324 to 1344. He was the son of Ferdinand of Majorca and Isabella of Sabran. Life James was born in Catania, Sicily. Margaret of Villehardouin, Jame ...
. After the
Conquest of Majorca The conquest of the Majorca, island of Majorca on behalf of the Roman Catholic kingdoms was carried out by King James I of Aragon between 1229 and 1231. The pact to carry out the invasion, concluded between James I and the ecclesiastical and s ...
, the
Order of the Temple The Poor Fellow-Soldiers of Christ and of the Temple of Solomon, mainly known as the Knights Templar, was a Military order (religious society), military order of the Catholic Church, Catholic faith, and one of the most important military ord ...
and other magnates acquired lands in Pollença, which later passed to the Order of Saint John in 1312. The population grew rapidly until the
Black Plague The Black Death was a bubonic plague pandemic that occurred in Europe from 1346 to 1353. It was one of the list of epidemics, most fatal pandemics in human history; as many as people perished, perhaps 50% of Europe's 14th century population. ...
of 1349. Pollença was a key site in military conflicts, such as the Christian conquest and the struggles between the kings of Mallorca and Aragon. During the Revolt of the Brotherhoods, Pollença aligned with the rebels, but in 1522 it was brutally suppressed by the royal army on the day known as the "Day of the Devastation." During the 15th and 16th centuries, Pollença also had to face pirate attacks. In 1534, the people of Pollença repelled a landing in Formentor; in 1537, they ambushed a group of Saracen corsairs who had disembarked at Cala Estremer. However, the events of 1550 stand out, when the Turkish corsair
Dragut Dragut (; 1485 – 23 June 1565) was an Ottoman corsair, naval commander, governor, and noble. Under his command, the Ottoman Empire's maritime power was extended across North Africa. Recognized for his military genius, and as being among "the ...
occupied the town with 1,500 men. The people of Pollença, led by Joan Mas, confronted them and managed to force them to re-embark, though they lost more than thirty captives in the process. The bravery of Joan Mas and the other fighters contrasted with the negligence of the watchtower guards, the castle keeper, and the captain of arms, Pere Brull, who was punished with banishment from the town. These events are commemorated every 2nd of August during the town's patronal festivals with a reenactment of the battle between ''Moros i Cristians''.


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 Order of the Temple. 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, also known as Holy Friday, Great Friday, Great and Holy Friday, or Friday of the Passion of the Lord, is a solemn Christian holy day commemorating the crucifixion of Jesus and his death at Calvary (Golgotha). It is observed during ...
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 Via Dolorosa, Way of Sorrows or the , are a series of fourteen images depicting Jesus in Christianity, Jesus Christ on the day of Crucifixion of Jesus, his crucifixion and acc ...
. 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 Cap de Formentor () is the northernmost point of Majorca, Mallorca, on the Formentor peninsula. Location Cap de Formentor is located on the northernmost point of the Balearic Islands, Balearic Island Majorca, Mallorca in Spain. Its highest poi ...
*Cala Sant Vicenç (Cala Molins, Cala Barques, Cala Clara and Cala Carbó) *Cala Boquer *
Port de Pollença Port de Pollença (Balearic ; ) 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 Formentor is connected to ...
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