Bellver Castle

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Bellver Castle
Castell de Bellver, view from Palma
patio

The Castell de Bellver ('Bellver Castle') is a fortress that towers over Palma , the capital of Mallorca .

The Castell de Bellver, 112.6 meters above sea level, about 3 km west of downtown Palma, is unique in Spain and Europe. Because unlike most defense structures, it is circular. The castle is built around the inner courtyard, and the two floors surrounding the courtyard are also rounded. The arcades on the lower floor are Romanesque . The colonnade on the upper floor is Gothic . From the outside, the whole complex looks tightly closed and impregnable, while the two-story loggias surrounding the inner courtyard with their playful pillars express pure joie de vivre.

Surrounded by a 4 meter wide moat, the castle has three towers that rise above the round parts, while the fourth tower, the Torre de l'Homenatge , is located outside the round building and is connected to the actual fortress by a small bridge . Visitors can access it from the terrace on the second floor, which was a strategic surveillance point. From there, the observer can see many kilometers inland and towards the sea. This has also given the castle its name: Bellver means "beautiful view".

In the bottom of the torre , a bottom hatch leads into a cave with a rectangular window on only one side. This cave was used as a dungeon into which prisoners were thrown from a height of five meters. Under the castle is an artificially created cave system, the Coves d'Avall , which was created by the mining of materials during the construction work. The castle has been used as a prison over and over again over the centuries. The most famous prisoner was the Justice and Tax Minister Gaspar Melchor de Jovellanos at the beginning of the 19th century (from 1802 to 1808) , who was freed by the French. The Museum of the City History of Palma has been located on the ground floor since 1936.

history

  • In 1300 the right builder was found: Pere Salvà, who had already rebuilt the Almudaina Palace.
  • The building was completed in 1309. Jacob II (Jaume II) could be satisfied with the work. He used it as a protective castle and residence.
  • 1349, after Jacob III. (Jaume III.) Had lost the battle for Llucmajor, the castle became a prison for his widow and children.
  • In the 19th century, coins were made in the castle.
  • In 1931, the state gave the building and the surrounding forest to Palma City Council, who turned the building into a museum.

Web links

Commons : Castell de Bellver  - Album with pictures, videos and audio files

Individual evidence

  1. ↑ a b Bellver Castle. Ayuntamiento de Palma, accessed October 27, 2012 (Spanish).
  2. ↑ Jürgen Bungert: 101 Mallorca: Insider Tips and Top Destinations . 1st edition. Iwanowski, 2012, ISBN 978-3-86197-041-5 , pp. 224 .
  3. ^ Castell de Bellver. Ancient Fortress and now one of the most popular monuments in Mallorca. mallorcawebsite.com, accessed October 26, 2012 .
  4. ^ Nana Claudia Nenzel: ADAC travel guide plus Mallorca . 1st edition. ADAC, 2007, ISBN 978-3-89905-270-1 , p. 35 .
  5. ↑ Bellver Castle in Palma, Spain: Sightseeing in Palma. pain.info for Germany, accessed on October 26, 2012 .

Coordinates: 39 ° 33 ′ 49 ″  N , 2 ° 37 ′ 9 ″  E