Virtual trip round the Capdepera Castle

In 1300 King Jaume II pronounced the "Ordinacions" founding, amongst others, the town of Capdepera and commanding the public who lived scattered around the area, to build a walled area for them to live in, around the watch tower of Miquel Nunis, built on a strategic hill that dominated the surrounding land and had a view of the channel that separated Mallorca and Menorca.

First the church and a cistern were built. The construction of the walls of the town was finished at the end of the XIV century, incorporating later the towers to improve the defence of the fortress. The church was extended from the XVI to XVIII centuries and inside there is a carving of Christ from the XIV or XV century, and the Gothic statue of the Verge de l'Esperança, the patron saint of Capdepera, venerated since the XVI century.

A large number of the villagers of Capdepera were not in favour of abandoning their land to live within the fortified walls, known popularly as the Castle of Capdepera. Therefore all the villagers were ordered to be locked inside the fort to strengthen their defence. Initially some 50 houses were built inside the fortress that at the end of the XVI century, due to the large number of pirates of the time, were increased to over 150, occupying most of the available orchards.

The present urban centre of Capdepera was formed as from the XVII century, when the villagers of the castle began to leave it and live at the foot of the hill. At the end of the XVIII century there were only some twenty houses inhabited inside the walls and the new urban centre outside the walls already had over 200 houses. As from the reforms of the XVIII century, promoted by the Spanish monarchy, the control and defence of the coast passed into professional military hands, so that the walled area became a barracks under the authority of a governor. The Casa del Gobernador dates from that time, which is one of the few dwellings that is preserved inside the castle as the villagers used the stones from their former houses to build the new homes.

The soldiers abandoned the castle in 1854 and it passed into private hands until its owners donated it in 1983 to the Capdepera Town Council, that in 2000 organised the Commemoration of 700 years of the Castle of Capdepera.

The walled area can be visited in the summer every day from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. and the rest of the year between 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. The entrance costs 2 euros. More information on 971 81 87 46.

More photographs of the Castell de Capdepera:

- Photographic report carried out by MallorcaWeb (27 photos)

Photos © BalearWeb

Date of publication: 08/09/2002

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