Acquisition of the Castell de Alaró

The project

‘Rock castles’ are the name given to fortresses that were built on steep crags, following the same pattern: as defensive bastions of resistance for the population at different moments in history, and with complex hydraulic systems and storage rooms.

There are three in Mallorca, the castles of Santueri in Felanitx, Rei in Pollença and Alaró, located in the Serra de Tramuntana mountain range. The latter has been documented since the Muslim period, although it is better known for the 13th century historical event that the legendary figures of Cabrit and Bassa played a leading role in, defending the crown of Mallorca against the siege by the troops of King Alfonso of Aragon.

The Castell de Alaró complex still has five cisterns dating from the Muslim period that are of significant ethnological interest, as they formed a chain for collecting running water. The hydraulic systems for the collection of water are features of great interest, and were the main reason for the for the mountain range being declared a world heritage site.

In 2011, UNESCO declared the Sierra de Tramuntana a World Heritage Site, in the category of Cultural Landscape. This region of Mallorca is an exceptional example of the sustainable integration of human beings in a natural environment, as a region scarce in resources has ingeniously been transformed into an area suitable for agriculture and for habitation.

Around the same time, the Consell de Mallorca drew up the Sierra de Tramuntana Consortium Management Plan in 2009. This defines the short- and long-term priorities for the management of the heritage and landscape of this region of the island of Mallorca. One of these objectives is to recover and protect ethnological assets, especially those linked to the terraces, the hydraulic systems and the ancestral technology for water collection and management.

The aim of this project is to provide the Consell de Mallorca with the budget to acquire the Castell de Alaró - Es Verger estate, valued at €1,000,600. The building is located on the 822-metre-high peak of the same name, in the municipality of Alaró. It was declared a site of cultural interest in 1931, and there is evidence that it has been in existence since the year 902.

This project will also fulfil the strategic objectives of the Sierra de Tramuntana Consortium Management Plan, such as improving knowledge, awareness and public participation in matters concerning the landscape, promoting the protection and management of landscapes of special cultural interest and fostering public access to the area.