MANACOR

Manacor is located 50 Km from Palma, and with a surface area of 260.22 km2 and 30,000 inhabitants, it is one of the largest municipalities on Mallorca. It is the county administrative centre and is home to different public bodies which serve the region, such as the Inland Revenue office. It also serves as a commercial centre for all the surrounding villages.

Manacor is famous for its artificial pearl industry. The first factory was set up in 1902 by Eduard Frederic Hug Heusch, a German industrialist, and in 1952 this factory introduced a new pearl called Majorica, which was of a much higher quality than the rest. Every day hundreds of tourists go on organised visits to see how the pearls are produced.

The other important industry in Manacor is based around wood, especially furniture production. In fact, its fame is such, that people from all over the island come to Manacor to buy their furniture.

There are a remarkably high number of horse racing fans in the area, and there are chariot races held every weekend at the Hipódromo, which is on Carretera de Palma going towards Sant LLorenç des Cardassar.

There is a market in Plaça Ramon Llull every Monday, and there is a daily vegetable market in Plaça de la Constitució, which is located behind the Church de la Mare de Déu dels Dolors, and is where local smallholders come to sell their produce.

The local countryside contains many prehistoric archaeological remnants, as well as evidence of Palaeochristian life from the Roman period. This shows us that the area has been inhabited since ancient times. The urban structure radiates out from Ses Dames, the octagonal nucleus that dates from the fourteenth century.

In contrast to the impressive landscape of the municipal area, the town is based on a uniform layout and has an inconsistent level of quality in its construction. However, the centre of the town does have a certain character, especially around Calle de n'Olesa and Plaça de la Constitució (more popularly known as Plaça de les Verdures, which translates as Square of the Vegetables, and comes from the vegetable market held here), which are near the pedestrianised streets of the main shopping area.

There are some buildings in the town which stand out and merit a visit. Of particular note are the Convent Sant Vicenç Ferrer which has an interesting cloister and rectory, and the Parish Church of Mare de Déu dels Dolors. The latter is a large church whose bell tower stands above the rest of the buildings in the town - it pertains to the Neo-Gothic style and its facade remains unfinished. Also noteworthy are the remains of the old Palacio de los Reyes de Mallorca (Palace of the Mallorcan Kings), which can be found amongst the buildings next to the church; and the Torre de ses Puntes, which used to be a country house, but now lies within the town. The Fartàritx neighbourhood, which is out of the centre as you head south, contains the remains of what was the biggest mill on Mallorca.