Almudaina Palace

Almudaina Palace is one of the oldest structures of Palma de Mallorca, the capital of the Balearic Islands. This archipelago belonging to Spain, washed by the warm waves of the Mediterranean Sea, is in itself very attractive to tourists, not to mention one of its islands – Mallorca, the capital located on it and, of course, the ancient royal palace, which we will introduce to our readers today.

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Palma de Mallorca has quite a few palace buildings, including some where monarchs stayed. But the Almudaina Palace is special among them. It differs from the others by its solid age, unique architecture and interior decoration. Erected back in the X century, it served as the residence of Arab viziers. Since 1230, the palace was first the seat of the ruler of Mallorca and later of the King of Aragon.

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Highlights

The Almudaina Palace retains its status as a royal palace even now, although Spain’s ruling dynasty only owns half of the building. Its other half is occupied by the country’s National Museum. For tourists to be in this place, especially deeply interested in history, a real blessing: after all, the walls of the Palace of Almudaina were witnesses to so many events and remember so many high-ranking persons of blue blood! Eh, if its walls could talk…

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The Almudaina Palace is one of the world’s most famous monuments of ancient Moorish architecture. It is among the central architectural structures of the capital of the Balearic Islands and is considered one of the oldest palaces of this level in Spain. It fits in perfectly with the architecture of this part of Palma de Mallorca and harmoniously complements the Cathedral, opposite to which it is located. For many years and centuries this magnificent palace served as a residence for various rulers. Members of the Spanish royal family visit here very often even today, as if to emphasize the unique status of the Almudaina Palace as an important component of the national historical and cultural heritage.

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A visit to the popular attraction invariably includes in the program of local guides. Reviews of tourists about the time spent within its walls can be summarized by a short but succinct phrase: “What a pity that the tour ended so quickly!” Foreigners especially like the unique exhibits stored in the halls of the National Museum. And in general, the unique atmosphere reigning inside the building allows everyone to feel like a real king or queen for a short moment.

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History of Almudaina Palace

Long ago, when our era had not even arrived yet, the world was ruled by the right of the strong. To fail to fortify one’s city, to fail to mobilize the population to defend it, was to be in danger of invasion and destruction. Therefore, it is quite understandable that in those olden times on the site of the present palace was a defensive fortification. When the area was invaded by the Romans, they did not dismantle it and put it on guard of their city – Palmeria.

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Over time, the Roman Empire fell, and several centuries after that, the ancient fortress was destroyed by the Moors. But, as they say, holy place… They immediately erected a new structure here and gave it a simple name – Almudaina, which translates as fortress. Actually the royal palace in its modern understanding and appearance appeared in the early XIV century. King Jaime II the Just, the ruler of Aragon in 1291-1327, gave his permission to build it. For a long time the building served as the main residence for the valiant knights – defenders of Majorca. When Arab rule came to an end and the first Christians appeared in the Balearic Islands, his majesty ordered the reconstruction of the Almudaina Palace, giving it Gothic features, and soon announced that it was henceforth the royal abode.

Time ran inexorably forward, leaving traces of different eras on the appearance of the majestic residence. Each new ruler updated its interior to his taste. Thus, in the palace Almudaina appeared in the Great Hall for receptions, the Royal Hall, the Chapel of St. Anne and the Armory. During the time of Philip II, the palace was home not only to the monarch, but also to the viceroy and commander-in-chief of the state’s armies.

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As we said above, at present, the Almudaina Palace remains the official summer residence of the Bourbons, the ruling family of Spain. The current King Philip VI and Queen Letizia, as well as former head of state Juan Carlos I and his wife Sofia, stay within its walls during their visits to Mallorca. For official events, the first persons of the monarchy use the upper floors. Tourists are lucky to see the royal couple at least from afar or, at the very least, to watch the august motorcade departing.

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Architectural features

Almudaina is not a single building, but an entire palace complex consisting of several structures. The king’s residence is the former Muslim palace proper, to which the Throne Hall adjoins on the east side and the Queen’s apartments on the west. The perimeter is flanked by ancillary rooms added later. Adjoining the western façade is the Royal Garden with its pretty fountains. This park area was recreated in the 60s of the last century. However, many houses had to be sacrificed – they were demolished. In the vicinity of the park is the Arco de la Drassana, which tourists also visit with interest.

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Somewhat gloomy associations are evoked by the crenellated tower of the Heads. In former times, it was used to hang the heads of executed criminals – hence the name. But the second tower of the palace – Torre Del Angel – symbolize life: it is crowned by a statue of the Archangel Gabriel, considered the patron saint of Palma de Mallorca.

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The main courtyard of the Almudaina Palace has its own name: Patio de Armas. In ancient times, it served as a military plaza, where military parades were held and military drill checks were carried out. The attention of visitors is invariably attracted by a pretty fountain with a lion and sculptures, which has survived to this day from the times of Arab rule. Once you’ve explored the courtyard, don’t be in a hurry to leave. Right from here you can walk up the stairs to the royal apartments. Needless to say, the richly furnished rooms with magnificent interiors are a delight for everyone.

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Directly opposite the main portal of the Cathedral is the main entrance to the palace complex – it leads to the royal courtyard. It is worth paying attention to the Chapel of St. Anne, which is simply impossible to pass by without stopping. It is built in the Gothic style, but is equipped with a unique Romanesque portal made of white and pink marble. The portal is decorated with bas-reliefs: on the tympanum you can see the image of the Virgin Mary with the Virgin Child, and on the capitals of the columns – mythological animals. The original retablo (as the Spanish version of the altarpiece is called), which local artist Raphael Moher painted in 1456, is on display inside the chapel.

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There is a chapel of its own, only it is small, and in the queen’s courtyard. It bears the name of St. Jaime. In the area between the palaces of the king and queen, there were Arab baths during Muslim rule. The remains of these ablution rooms have survived to this day. Sometimes we hear that they are mistakenly called “hammam”, which is easy to perceive and remember. In fact, such a name are Turkish baths, but it seems that no one cares: for the convenience of understanding the accuracy of terms can be compromised.

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Interior

The Almudaina Palace is visited by hundreds of thousands of tourists every year, always admiring this outstanding piece of architecture, which has become the pride, the real calling card of the popular resort of Palma de Mallorca.

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The part of the building that is the official royal residence houses a huge number of works of art. There are Spanish tapestries of XVII-XVIII centuries, earlier (XVI-XVII centuries) Flemish tapestries. The paintings depicting the Battle of Lepanto, which took place in 1571, are a real delight. And this is not a complete list. They are so harmoniously integrated into the interior that it begins to seem as if the servants of the Moorish lords brought them to the front doors not a few centuries ago, but literally yesterday.

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In the palace complex, if we talk about it as a whole, ancient paintings are present almost everywhere. And here you can also see pieces of furniture of the past centuries, Flemish carpets of the XVI-XVII centuries, medieval fireplaces, samples of military ammunition. In one of the halls even preserved frescoes dating back to the XIV century. There are several rooms inside the Almudaina Palace that have not survived in their original form, but they have been restored and now they are bright examples of elegance and style.

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One of the rooms is remarkable for its black and white ceiling, rather narrow, symbolizing light and darkness or, alternatively, day and night – perception and associations depend on the observer’s imagination. This room plays the role of a kind of an entrance hall: through it one can pass to the next three halls, which are much larger. All the rooms are separated from each other by arches in Gothic style. Not immediately, but you can guess that originally all the halls were combined into one large room. It was used as a banquet hall for various celebrations. Tables were brought here, which were literally bursting with all sorts of viands. Getting acquainted with these rooms, their interior decoration, involuntarily begin to feel like a time traveler.

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The Great Hall, or Tinell, is another notable architectural element of the Almudaina Palace. Back in the 16th century, it was divided into two levels in order to accommodate more people. Equally architecturally interesting are the Palau del Rey, the royal chambers in a rectangular tower, and the Chapel of St. Praxeda.

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Opening hours and ticket prices

The Almudaina Palace is open to the public throughout the week, with no lunch breaks or weekends. Only the mode of operation on weekdays and holidays is slightly different. In April-September from Monday to Friday it is open from 10:00 to 17:45, in October-March – from 13:00 to 16:00. On Saturdays and holidays it is from 10:00 to 13:15 regardless of the season.

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The cost of a regular ticket is 4 euros. Representatives of privileged categories pay almost half as much – 2.3 euros. Children can pass free of charge.

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How to get there

The Almudaina Palace is reached by the city’s public transportation, namely buses nos. 102, 103, 104, 106, 107 and 111. Exit at the Catedral stop.

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