Sóller

Sóller
Municipality

Panorama of Sóller from the north

Coat of arms
Sóller

Location in Spain

Coordinates: 39°46′3.18″N 2°42′50.36″E / 39.7675500°N 2.7139889°E / 39.7675500; 2.7139889Coordinates: 39°46′3.18″N 2°42′50.36″E / 39.7675500°N 2.7139889°E / 39.7675500; 2.7139889
Country  Spain
Autonomous community  Balearic Islands
Province Balearic Islands
Island Majorca
Comarca Sierra de Tramuntana
Judicial district Palma de Mallorca
Government
 • Alcalde Carlos Simarro Vicens (PP)
Area
 • Total 42.80 km2 (16.53 sq mi)
Elevation 59 m (194 ft)
Population (2012)
 • Total 14,150
 • Density 330/km2 (860/sq mi)
Demonym(s) Solleric, Sollerica
Time zone CET (UTC+1)
 • Summer (DST) CEST (UTC+2)
Postal code 07100
Official language(s) Catalan and Spanish
Website Official website

Sóller (Catalan pronunciation: [ˈsoʎə]) is a town and municipality near the north west coast of Mallorca, in the Balearic Islands of Spain. The town is some 3 km inland, from the Port de Sóller, in a large, bowl-shaped valley that also includes the village of Fornalutx and the hamlets of Biniaraix and Binibassi. The combined population is around 14,000. A famous tramway, the Tranvía de Sóller links Sóller to Port de Sóller.

Overview

Sóller is linked by the historic railway, the Ferrocarril de Sóller, and by a highway with a toll tunnel, to the Majorcan capital of Palma. The Ferrocaril was built on the profits from the orange and lemon trade and completed in 1911. The Andratx-Pollença highway also runs through the valley. The present-day economy is based mainly on tourism and the expenditure of foreign residents, complementary to the agricultural economy based around citrus and olive groves.

Main sights

Sant Bartomeu Church
Port of Sóller

The focus of the town is the Plaça Constitució which is surrounded by cafés and has plane trees and a fountain in its centre. The tram passes through the Plaça on its way to and from the main station which has been restored to incorporate a museum of Picasso and Joan Miró. The church of Sant Bartomeu (Saint Bartholomew) facing the east side of the Plaça is flanked by the ajuntament (town hall) and the Banco de Sóller, a remarkable 1912 Modernista building with defining ironwork, by the Catalan architect Joan Rubió i Bellver, a follower of Antoni Gaudí. The bank's organisation was founded in 1889 with the money of emigrants who returned prosperous to Sóller. On the other hand, the church can clearly be seen standing out from the canopy of the town from other parts of the Vall de Sóller (the surrounding valley). The original building dates from some time before 1236. The current main interior structure is now largely baroque (1688–1733).

The campanar (belltower) blends in well with its neo-gothic design. The remarkable façade is a 1904 construction, also by Joan Rubió. The old street plan is of Islamic origin and lined with historic houses of the sixteenth to eighteenth centuries. The town has a covered market and is bisected by a fast flowing river with a number of bridges. Sóller is also notable for the houses built in the early twentieth century by emigrants who returned wealthy to the town, particularly those on the Gran Via which reflect the fin de siècle Art Nouveau styles of France.

The renowned Jardí Botanic (botanical garden) is on the outskirts of the town and is laid out with the plants of the Balearics and the Mediterranean islands. The Modernista mansion in the garden houses El Museu Balear de Ciències Naturals[1] (The Museum of Balearic Natural Sciences).

Events

Since 1980, Sóller has hosted a week-long international folklore festival every May.

Personalities

See also

References

  1. ↑ Museu Balear de Ciències Naturals
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