Sóller () 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' ...

near the north west coast of the

Balearic Island The Balearic Islands are an archipelago in the western Mediterranean Sea, near the eastern coast of the Iberian Peninsula. The archipelago forms a Provinces of Spain, province and Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Spain, ...

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 ...

, Spain, 3 km inland from

Port de Sóller Port de Sóller () is a village and the port of the town of Sóller, in Mallorca, in the Balearic Islands, Spain. Along with the village of Fornalutx and the hamlet of Biniaraix they combine to form Sóller. The combined population is around 12,000 ...

, in a large, bowl-shaped valley that also includes the village of

Fornalutx Fornalutx () is a mountainous 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 the hamlet of Binibassi ...

and the hamlets of Biniaraix and Binibassi. The population is around 14,000. The ''

Tranvía de Sóller The Tranvía was a tram, streetcar system that served Manila and Metro Manila, its surrounding cities during the early years of the 20th century. History Prior to the tranvia, modes of street transportation in Manila were mostly horse-drawn, ...

'' tram links Sóller to

Overview

Sóller is linked by the historic railway, the

Ferrocarril de Sóller The Ferrocarril de Sóller (; ), acronym FS, is an interurban railway and the name for the company which operates the electrified narrow-gauge tracks running between the towns of Sóller and Palma on the Spanish island of Mallorca (stopping at ...

, and by a highway with a tunnel, to the Majorcan capital of Palma. The Ferrocaril was built on the profits from the orange and lemon trade and completed in 1911. The

Andratx Andratx () is a municipality on Mallorca, one of the Balearic Islands, along the Mediterranean east coast of Spain. It is located on the western tip of the island. Port d'Andratx, located a few miles south of Andratx, is an exclusive resort. His ...

Pollença Pollença () is a town and municipality in the northern part of the island of Mallorca, near Cap de Formentor and Alcúdia. It lies inland, about west of its port, Port de Pollença. History The origin of the name "Pollença" can be traced ba ...

highway also runs through the valley. The present-day economy is based mainly on

tourism Tourism is travel for pleasure, and the Commerce, commercial activity of providing and supporting such travel. World Tourism Organization, UN Tourism defines tourism more generally, in terms which go "beyond the common perception of tourism as ...

and the expenditure of foreign residents, complementary to the agricultural economy based around

citrus ''Citrus'' is a genus of flowering trees and shrubs in the family Rutaceae. Plants in the genus produce citrus fruits, including important crops such as oranges, mandarins, lemons, grapefruits, pomelos, and limes. ''Citrus'' is nativ ...

and

olive The olive, botanical name ''Olea europaea'' ("European olive"), is a species of Subtropics, subtropical evergreen tree in the Family (biology), family Oleaceae. Originating in Anatolia, Asia Minor, it is abundant throughout the Mediterranean ...

groves. Soller is unique compared to towns on the rest of the island due to its geographical isolation, being surrounded by the

Serra de Tramuntana Serra (Latin for " saw") may refer to: People and fictional characters * Serra (surname), a list of people and fictional characters * Serra (given name), a list of people and fictional characters * Serra (footballer), Portuguese footballer Jos ...

. This isolation from all other major towns on the island, made it easier to trade with French merchants arriving by sea.

Main sights

The focus of the town is the ''Plaça Constitució'' which is surrounded by cafés and has

plane tree ''Platanus'' ( ) is a genus consisting of a small number of tree species native to the Northern Hemisphere. They are the sole living members of the family Platanaceae. All mature members of ''Platanus'' are tall, reaching in height. The type ...

s and a fountain in its centre. The tram passes through the Plaça on its way to and from the main station which has been restored to incorporate a museum of

Picasso Pablo Diego José Francisco de Paula Juan Nepomuceno María de los Remedios Cipriano de la Santísima Trinidad Ruiz y Picasso (25 October 1881 – 8 April 1973) was a Spanish painter, sculptor, printmaker, Ceramic art, ceramicist, and Scenic ...

and

Joan Miró Joan Miró i Ferrà ( , ; ; 20 April 1893 – 25 December 1983) was a Catalan Spanish painter, sculptor and Ceramic art, ceramist. A museum dedicated to his work, the Fundació Joan Miró, was established in his native city of Barcelona ...

. The church of Sant Bartomeu (

Saint Bartholomew Bartholomew was one of the twelve apostles of Jesus according to the New Testament. Most scholars today identify Bartholomew as Nathanael, who appears in the Gospel of John (1:45–51; cf. 21:2). New Testament references The name ''Bartholomew ...

) facing the east side of the Plaça is flanked by the ''ajuntament'' (

town hall In local government, a city hall, town hall, civic centre (in the UK or Australia), guildhall, or municipal hall (in the Philippines) is the chief administrative building of a city, town, or other municipality. It usually houses the city o ...

) and the Banco de Sóller, a remarkable 1912 '' Modernista'' building with defining ironwork, by the Catalan architect Joan Rubió i Bellver, a follower of

Antoni Gaudí Antoni Gaudí i Cornet ( , ; ; 25 June 1852 – 10 June 1926) was a Catalans, Catalan architect and designer from Spain, widely known as the greatest exponent of Catalan ''Modernisme''. Gaudí's works have a style, with most located in Barc ...

. The bank's organisation was founded in 1889 with the money of emigrants who returned prosperous to Sóller. On the other hand, the church can clearly be seen standing out from the canopy of the town from other parts of the Vall de Sóller (the surrounding valley). The original building dates from some time before 1236. The current main interior structure is now largely

baroque The Baroque ( , , ) is a Western Style (visual arts), style of Baroque architecture, architecture, Baroque music, music, Baroque dance, dance, Baroque painting, painting, Baroque sculpture, sculpture, poetry, and other arts that flourished from ...

(1688–1733). The ''campanar'' (belltower) blends in well with its

neo-Gothic Gothic Revival (also referred to as Victorian Gothic or neo-Gothic) is an architectural movement that after a gradual build-up beginning in the second half of the 17th century became a widespread movement in the first half of the 19th century ...

design. The remarkable façade is a 1904 construction, also by Joan Rubió. The old street plan is of

Islamic Islam is an Abrahamic religions, Abrahamic monotheistic religion based on the Quran, and the teachings of Muhammad. Adherents of Islam are called Muslims, who are estimated to number Islam by country, 2 billion worldwide and are the world ...

origin and lined with historic houses of the sixteenth to eighteenth centuries. The town has a covered market and is bisected by a fast flowing river with a number of bridges. Sóller is also notable for the houses built in the early twentieth century by emigrants who returned wealthy to the town, particularly those on the ''Gran Via'' which reflect the ''

fin de siècle "''Fin de siècle''" () is a French term meaning , a phrase which typically encompasses both the meaning of the similar English idiom '' turn of the century'' and also makes reference to the closing of one era and onset of another. Without co ...

Art Nouveau Art Nouveau ( ; ; ), Jugendstil and Sezessionstil in German, is an international style of art, architecture, and applied art, especially the decorative arts. It was often inspired by natural forms such as the sinuous curves of plants and ...

styles of France. The renowned ''Jardí Botanic'' (

botanical garden A botanical garden or botanic gardenThe terms ''botanic'' and ''botanical'' and ''garden'' or ''gardens'' are used more-or-less interchangeably, although the word ''botanic'' is generally reserved for the earlier, more traditional gardens. is ...

) is on the outskirts of the town and is laid out with the plants of the Balearics and the

Mediterranean The Mediterranean Sea ( ) is a sea connected to the Atlantic Ocean, surrounded by the Mediterranean basin and almost completely enclosed by land: on the east by the Levant in West Asia, on the north by Anatolia in West Asia and Southern ...

islands. The Modernista mansion in the garden houses ''El Museu Balear de Ciències Naturals''Museu Balear de Ciències Naturals
/ref> (The Museum of Balearic Natural Sciences).

Events

* "Firó" is Sóller's most important and well-known festival, commemorating its sacking by

Moorish The term Moor is an exonym used in European languages to designate the Muslim populations of North Africa (the Maghreb) and the Iberian Peninsula (particularly al-Andalus) during the Middle Ages. Moors are not a single, distinct or self-defi ...

pirates on the 11 May 1561. As part of the festivities, 4 battles are reenacted (2 in the Port, 1 in La Huerta and 1 in the town square). Locals dress up as turbaned pirates or in traditional dress and stage mock battles to repel the invaders with fireworks. * Since 1980, Sóller has hosted the "Sa Mostra" week-long international

folklore Folklore is the body of expressive culture shared by a particular group of people, culture or subculture. This includes oral traditions such as Narrative, tales, myths, legends, proverbs, Poetry, poems, jokes, and other oral traditions. This also ...

festival between May and July. It was started by the traditional dance group "Aires Sollerics". * August sees the celebration in honour of the

patron saint A patron saint, patroness saint, patron hallow or heavenly protector is a saint who in Catholicism, Anglicanism, Eastern Orthodoxy or Oriental Orthodoxy is regarded as the heavenly advocate of a nation, place, craft, activity, class, clan, fa ...

of Sóller,

St. Bartholomew Bartholomew was one of the twelve apostles of Jesus according to the New Testament. Most scholars today identify Bartholomew as Nathanael, who appears in the Gospel of John (1:45–51; cf. 21:2). New Testament references The name ''Bartholomew ...

, which features bonfires and devilish masquerades in a spectacle called the "correfoc" ("fire-run"). Local groups such as the "Escladabutzes" invade the town square in an allegory of hellfire, before being driven back by the "correaigua" ("water-run"), where the local fire department refreshes the crowds. * Each January, Epiphany is celebrated as the Day of the Three Wise Kings, and processions of the Magi proceed from the Port to the town square, throwing sweets to crowds of eager children. Traditionally, it is more popular than the western Christmas on 25 December.

Museums

* Museo de la Mar, a maritime museum. Located in the Oratorio de Santa Caterina d'Alexandria (13th century). (Puerto de Sóller) * Museu de Sóller: Casal de Cultura (1640), an

ethnographic Ethnography is a branch of anthropology and the systematic study of individual cultures. It explores cultural phenomena from the point of view of the subject of the study. Ethnography is also a type of social research that involves examining ...

museum and art gallery. Calle de Sa Mar, 13 (Sóller) * Can Prunera (a.k.a. Can Magraner) (1911), a modernist townhouse museum. Calle de la Lluna 86 y 90 (Sóller) * Museo de Ciencias Naturales y Jardín Botánico (1985), the local botanical garden and natural sciences museum. Carretera al Puerto de Sóller

Notable people

* Gregorio Bausá (1590-1656), painter *

Albert Hauf Albert Guillem Hauf i Valls (born 1938 in Sóller, Mallorca, Spain) is a Majorcan philologist, literature historian and literary critic. He is a specialist in Catalan and Occitan medieval literature. Life He graduated in romance Philology in t ...

(b. 1938), philologist * Joan Miquel Oliver (b. 1974), musician *

Tuni Tuni is a City in Kakinada district of the Indian state of Andhra Pradesh. It is a second biggest City in Kakinada district. Freedom fighter Alluri Sitaramaraju studied here. It is a major commercial marketing centre for more than 200+ sur ...

(b. 1982), footballer *

Colm Meaney Colm J. Meaney (; ; born 30 May 1953) is an Irish actor. Known for his performances across screen and stage, he has received seven nominations from the Irish Film & Television Academy, winning twice for 2001's '' How Harry Became a Tree'', and ...

(b. 1953), Irish actor

Gallery

File:0069-Turm Port de Sóller.JPG, Torre Picada File:Mallorca - Banco de Soller.jpg, The Banco de Sóller File:StrassenbahnLinienplanSoller1997.png, Map of the Sóller Tramway File:FS Tram Old Car.JPG, A tramcar in the Port of Sóller File:Sóller 2016.jpg, The old town of Sóller

References

External links

Sóller Tourist GuideVeu de Sóller (local weekly newspaper), in CatalanSetmanari Sóller (local newspaper), in Catalan.Jardín Botánico (botanical garden), in Catalan and SpanishMuseu de Ciencias Naturales
{{DEFAULTSORT:Soller Populated places in Mallorca