Andratx
Encyclopedia
Andratx is a municipality
on Majorca, one of the Balearic Islands
, along the Mediterranean east coast of Spain. It is located on the southwest tip of the island.
On 10 October 2009 Stephen Gately
, of Boyzone
fame, died of natural causes
in the town, aged just 33. His death was due to pulmonary oedema. Also on 11 October 2009, the rest of Boyzone arrived in the town to pay their respects to Gately and to help his family with taking his body back to Dublin, Ireland
(Gately's origin) for his funeral on 17 October 2009.
The municipality also includes the towns of Port d'Andraitx, Sa Coma
, S'Arracó, Sant Elm and Camp de Mar. It also includes the uninhabited islet Sa Dragonera.
, the most important mountains of the island of Majorca.
In the southern part are a number of valleys, which are the most densely populated areas. The northern part of the municipality is mountainous and rugged, and is virtually uninhabited. The highest point is at 927 metres.
Off the coast of the municipality is the islet of Dragonera, declared a Natural Park
in 1995. It can be accessed by sea from Puerto de Andrach.
, the former president Felipe Gonzalez
and Adolfo Suarez
, film directors Guy Hamilton
and Fernando Trueba
and opera singer Regine Crespin
, among others. Other notable people who have properties in the area include TV presenters John Noakes
and Selina Scott
whose 2009 book, a Long Walk in the High Hills, is based on her early experiences in Andratx.
The agriculture and fishing has become virtually obsolete, mostly for consumption and for recreation purposes. The main crops are almonds, carob, figs and citrus (fruit). It also produces "Santa Catarina" wine.
|+ style="font-weight: bold; font-size: 1.1em; margin-bottom: 0.5em"| Demographic evolution
! 1900 !! 1910 !! 1920 !! 1930 !! 1940 !! 1950 !! 1960 !! 1970 !! 1981 !! 1991 !! 2001 !! 2005 !! 2007
|-
| align=center| 6,516> 6,262
6,113
5,778
5,077
3,768
4,113
6,043
6,336
6,869
9,034
9,906
10,939
Throughout the twentieth century the population gradually declined to a low in the 1950s. Since then the population has been recovering steadily except in 1960 when the population increased by 2,000 people. In the early twenty-first century the pace of growth has accelerated again. with 2,200 new inhabitants between 2001 and 2005 and increasing urban pressure on the environment, especially in the capital-population centers Andratx and Puerto de Andratx.
Andrach is one of the municipalities of Mallorca with the highest percentage of foreign residents. According to the 2001 census about 15% of the population was foreign and among them 43% were nationals, including roughly 15% German, 15% British and 10% French.
The main monuments in the municipality are Church of Santa Maria de Andrach, Iglesia de la Virgen del Carmen del Puerto de Andratx, Church of s'Arracó, the Castell de Son Mas (Now City Hall), the Andratx Castle, and the former Trappist monastery, now in ruins. The legendary Teatro Argentino, dating back to 1912, belongs to former symbols of the municipality that have disappeared.
Contemporary art is shown in the CCA Andrax Cultural Center (Centro Cultural Andratx), north of Andratx; in the Liedtke Museum in the Port; and in the architectonically remarkable Studio Weil.
Municipality
A municipality is essentially an urban administrative division having corporate status and usually powers of self-government. It can also be used to mean the governing body of a municipality. A municipality is a general-purpose administrative subdivision, as opposed to a special-purpose district...
on Majorca, one of the Balearic Islands
Balearic Islands
The Balearic Islands are an archipelago of Spain in the western Mediterranean Sea, near the eastern coast of the Iberian Peninsula.The four largest islands are: Majorca, Minorca, Ibiza and Formentera. The archipelago forms an autonomous community and a province of Spain with Palma as the capital...
, along the Mediterranean east coast of Spain. It is located on the southwest tip of the island.
History
The town of Andratx is ancient and until recently was mainly inhabited by local Majorcan people. It has undergone a transformation since 2004, following the input of EU finance which has resulted in a facelift for the town and also brought in foreign investment.Stephen Gately
Stephen Patrick David Gately was an Irish pop singer–songwriter, actor, dancer, musician and author, who, with Ronan Keating, was one of two lead singers of the pop group Boyzone. All of Boyzone's studio albums hit number one in the United Kingdom, their third being their most successful...
, of Boyzone
Boyzone
Boyzone are an Irish boy band comprising Keith Duffy, Mikey Graham, Ronan Keating,Shane Lynch, and formerly Stephen Gately. Boyzone have 19 singles in the top 40 UK charts and 21 singles in the Ire charts. The group currently have 6 UK number one singles and 9 number one singles in Ireland with 12...
fame, died of natural causes
Death by natural causes
A death by natural causes, as recorded by coroners and on death certificates and associated documents, is one that is primarily attributed to natural agents: usually an illness or an internal malfunction of the body. For example, a person dying from complications from influenza or a heart attack ...
in the town, aged just 33. His death was due to pulmonary oedema. Also on 11 October 2009, the rest of Boyzone arrived in the town to pay their respects to Gately and to help his family with taking his body back to Dublin, Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
(Gately's origin) for his funeral on 17 October 2009.
The municipality also includes the towns of Port d'Andraitx, Sa Coma
Sa coma
Sa Coma is a town on the eastern coast of the island of Majorca, Spain. It is close to the towns of Cala Millor and Cala Bona in the municipality of Sant Llorenç des Cardassar....
, S'Arracó, Sant Elm and Camp de Mar. It also includes the uninhabited islet Sa Dragonera.
Geography
Andratx municipality is located in the southwestern corner of the Sierra de TramontanaSerra de Tramuntana
The Serra de Tramuntana is a mountain range running southwest-northeast which forms the northern backbone of the Spanish island of Majorca. It is also the name given to the comarca of the same area...
, the most important mountains of the island of Majorca.
In the southern part are a number of valleys, which are the most densely populated areas. The northern part of the municipality is mountainous and rugged, and is virtually uninhabited. The highest point is at 927 metres.
Off the coast of the municipality is the islet of Dragonera, declared a Natural Park
Natural park (Spain)
In Spain, a natural park is a natural space protected for its biology, geology, or landscape, with ecological, aesthetic, educational, or scientific value whose preservation merits preferential attention on the part of public administration. The regulation of the activities that may occur there...
in 1995. It can be accessed by sea from Puerto de Andrach.
Economy
The main activity in Andratx today is tourism. During the summer months there are many celebrities, such as the former model Claudia SchifferClaudia Schiffer
Claudia Schiffer is a German model and occasional actress, who reached the peak of her popularity during the 1990s, initially due to her resemblance to Brigitte Bardot. Schiffer is one of the world's most successful models, having appeared on over 500 magazine covers...
, the former president Felipe Gonzalez
Felipe González
Felipe González Márquez is a Spanish socialist politician. He was the General Secretary of the Spanish Socialist Workers' Party from 1974 to 1997. To date, he remains the longest-serving Prime Minister of Spain, after having served four successive mandates from 1982 to 1996.-Early life:Felipe was...
and Adolfo Suarez
Adolfo Suárez
Adolfo Suárez y González, 1st Duke of Suárez, Grandee of Spain, KOGF is a Spanish lawyer and politician. Suárez was Spain's first democratically elected prime minister after the dictatorship of Francisco Franco, and the key figure in the country's transition to democracy.-Parents:He is a son of...
, film directors Guy Hamilton
Guy Hamilton
Guy Hamilton is an English film director.Hamilton was born in Paris, France where his English parents were living. Remaining in France during the Nazi occupation, he was active in the French Resistance...
and Fernando Trueba
Fernando Trueba
Fernando Trueba is a Spanish book editor, screenwriter, film director and producer.Between 1974 and 1979 worked as a film critic for Spain's leading daily newspaper EL PAIS. In 1980, founded the monthly film magazine CASABLANCA, which he edited and directed during its first two years...
and opera singer Regine Crespin
Régine Crespin
Régine Crespin was a French singer who had a major international career in opera and on the concert stage between 1950 and 1989. She started her career singing roles in the dramatic soprano and spinto soprano repertoire, drawing particular acclaim singing Wagner and Strauss heroines...
, among others. Other notable people who have properties in the area include TV presenters John Noakes
John Noakes
John Noakes is a British television presenter and personality, best known for co-presenting the BBC children's magazine programme Blue Peter in the 1960s and 1970s. He remains the show's longest-serving presenter, with a stint that lasted 12 years and 6 months...
and Selina Scott
Selina Scott
Selina Scott is a British newsreader, journalist, television producer and presenter.- Background and early life :Scott was born in Scarborough, North Riding of Yorkshire in 1951, the eldest of five children...
whose 2009 book, a Long Walk in the High Hills, is based on her early experiences in Andratx.
The agriculture and fishing has become virtually obsolete, mostly for consumption and for recreation purposes. The main crops are almonds, carob, figs and citrus (fruit). It also produces "Santa Catarina" wine.
Demographics
! 1900 !! 1910 !! 1920 !! 1930 !! 1940 !! 1950 !! 1960 !! 1970 !! 1981 !! 1991 !! 2001 !! 2005 !! 2007
|-
| align=center| 6,516>
Throughout the twentieth century the population gradually declined to a low in the 1950s. Since then the population has been recovering steadily except in 1960 when the population increased by 2,000 people. In the early twenty-first century the pace of growth has accelerated again. with 2,200 new inhabitants between 2001 and 2005 and increasing urban pressure on the environment, especially in the capital-population centers Andratx and Puerto de Andratx.
Andrach is one of the municipalities of Mallorca with the highest percentage of foreign residents. According to the 2001 census about 15% of the population was foreign and among them 43% were nationals, including roughly 15% German, 15% British and 10% French.
Art
Contemporary art is shown in the CCA Andrax Cultural Center (Centro Cultural Andratx), north of Andratx; in the Liedtke Museum in the Port; and in the architectonically remarkable Studio Weil.
Notable people
- José Luis de Vilallonga (1920-2007) - actor
- Baltasar PorcelBaltasar PorcelBaltasar Porcel i Pujol was a balearic writer, journalist and literary critic. His enormous legacy credited him as one of the greatest authors in Catalan literature from the 20th century.-Biography:...
(1937–2009) – novelist - Stephen GatelyStephen GatelyStephen Patrick David Gately was an Irish pop singer–songwriter, actor, dancer, musician and author, who, with Ronan Keating, was one of two lead singers of the pop group Boyzone. All of Boyzone's studio albums hit number one in the United Kingdom, their third being their most successful...
(1976-2009) - singer