History

Mallorca, was created 150 million years ago, and the flora and fauna of the island indicate that it was once joined to the other Balearic islands and  to the Iberian peninsula. The earliest evidence of human habitation is from around 5000BC.

Located at the northern end of the Sierra Tramuntana mountains, in a valley enclosed by the Puig de Maria and the Calvari, Pollenca now has a population of more than 8000. 

Little is known of the original inhabitants of the area, but Phoenicians, Greeks, and then Cartheginians were successively dominant. Recorded history really starts with the Roman invasion in 123BC. There was certainly a Roman settlement on the site of Pollenca, but the fourth century bridge over the Sant Jordi stream is all that remains.

The Roman town of Pollentia, the capital of the island at the time, was not here but on the site of modern Alcudia. There the exposed foundations of part of the Roman town, and of a delightful small theatre, can be visited without charge. 

The Vandals (Arian Christians - considered heretical by Rome) overthrew the Romans in 425AD and were themselves defeated by the Christian Byzantines (from Sardinia) in 534. From the start of the eighth century Islamic ("Moorish") raiders from N.Africa were a constant threat and the island was finally overun by an Islamic army from Cordoba in 902. For over three hundred years the island prospered under Islam, despite several changes in rule following invasions by different Muslim factions.

The Islamic name for the town which we know as Pollenca was Al-Bulansa; the remaning came after the Christian Catalan "reconquest" of Majorca in 1229. It was a reconquest only in a religious sense, as the Catalans had not previously ruled Majorca.

The old town we see today is mostly 17th and 18th century, with a medieval layout of narrow streets. The main church, Nostra Senyora dels Àngels, was built by the Knights Templar and faces the main square where the market is held every Sunday. The Templars played an important role in the growth of the town, having been given much of the land around Pollenca by King James I after the reconquest in recognition of their military and financial support.
 
The two key roles of the Templars were to protect pilgrims en-route to the Holy Land, and to sustain the Christian settlements there. To this effect they operated a large fleet; well managed and more powerful than that of any country at the time. It included numerous highly maneuverable war galleys equipped with rams. They also owned an extensive merchant fleet to carry treasure, pilgrims, troops, horses and commercial freight. These plied the Mediterranean and beyond, but their principle naval base was here in Majorca.

A unique feature of Pollenca is the Calvari hill which has strong Christian traditions. One of the town's distinctive features, it has a 365-step path leading from just north of the main square up to a chapel at the summit. Each Easter this is the setting for the most dramatic parade of the year. First, on the road winding up the back of the hill, there is an enactment of the 13 stages of the cross. This is followed by a mock crucifixion in front of the chapel. Then there is a macabre, torch lit, solemn parading of the cross through the town by hundreds people in cloaks, masks and pointed hats, in total silence save for the slow beat of a drum.

As elsewhere in Majorca (Alcudia, Soller, Andratx etc) the coastal outpost of Puerto Pollensa was an undefended base for fishermen and merchant sailors, and up to a century ago had changed little. However, in the early 1900's it began to attract discerning travellers and artists. The construction of both the Hotel Formentor and the Hotel Illa d'Or in 1929 attracted more prosperous visitors. Both hotels continue today as understated, peaceful havens of hospitality.

An early guest at the Illa d'Or was Agatha Christie, the world's best selling novelist (over 2 billion sold apparently!), who spent several weeks there and wrote the collection of short stories entitled "Problems in Pollensa Bay". Published in 1936 and still in print, it features the fictional "Hotel Pino d'Oro".

For real name dropping though, the Formentor has few rivals; Winston Churchill, the Duke of Windsor, President Bush (senior), Haile Selassie, the Dalai Lama, Charlie Chaplin, Audrey Hepburn, John Wayne, Gary Cooper, Laurence Olivier, F. Scott Fitzgerald, the Prince of Wales, Charles Chaplin, Rainaldo Luza, Douglas Fairbanks, Michael Douglas, Placido Domingo, and numerous others.  Peter Ustinov became a regular visitor after filming "Evil Under the Sun" there in 1982; he used to moor his yacht off of the beach for two weeks each year, spending the days on board and sleeping in the hotel.

More recently, Harry Secombe had a property near Puerto Pollensa and in his declining years swore by "Doctor Majorca". Currently the singer Robbie Williams owns a villa on the Formentor peninsular which is pointed out to passengers on passing boat trips.

The modern influx of northern Europeans is just the latest in an endless stream of foreign invaders. Who can blame them for wanting to spend time in such a beautiful corner of the world?