Sóller
Encyclopedia
Sóller (ˈsoʎə) is a town and municipality
near the north west coast of Mallorca
, in the Balearic Islands
of Spain. The town is some 3km 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 Orange Express links Sóller to Port de Sóller
.
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.
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 (The Museum of Balearic Natural Sciences).
Since 1980, Sóller has hosted a week-long international folklore
festival every July.
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...
near the north west coast of Mallorca
Mallorca
Majorca or Mallorca is an island located in the Mediterranean Sea, one of the Balearic Islands.The capital of the island, Palma, is also the capital of the autonomous community of the Balearic Islands. The Cabrera Archipelago is administratively grouped with Majorca...
, in 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...
of Spain. The town is some 3km inland, from the Port de Sóller
Port de Sóller
Port de Sóller is a village and the port of the town of Sóller, in Mallorca, in the Balearic Islands, Spain. Along with the village of Fornalutx and the hamlet of Biniaraix they combine to form Sóller. The combined population is around 12,000...
, in a large, bowl-shaped valley that also includes the village of Fornalutx
Fornalutx
Fornalutx is a mountainous municipality and village on Majorca, one of the Balearic Islands, in Spain. The nearest town is Sóller, which can be reached by foot via a series of pathways, and the hamlet of Binibassi. Surrounding mountains include the Alfabia Mountains and the Els Cornadors...
and the hamlets of Biniaraix and Binibassi. The combined population is around 14,000. A famous tramway, the Orange Express links Sóller to Port de Sóller
Port de Sóller
Port de Sóller is a village and the port of the town of Sóller, in Mallorca, in the Balearic Islands, Spain. Along with the village of Fornalutx and the hamlet of Biniaraix they combine to form Sóller. The combined population is around 12,000...
.
Sóller is linked by the historic railway, the Ferrocarril de Sóller
Ferrocarril de Sóller
The Ferrocarril de Sóller or FS is an interurban railway and the name for the company which operates the electrified gauge tracks running between the towns of Sóller and Palma on the Spanish island of Mallorca...
, and by a highway with a toll tunnel, to the Majorcan capital of Palma
Palma de Mallorca
Palma is the major city and port on the island of Majorca and capital city of the autonomous community of the Balearic Islands in Spain. The names Ciutat de Mallorca and Ciutat were used before the War of the Spanish Succession and are still used by people in Majorca. However, the official name...
. The Ferrocaril was built on the profits from the orange and lemon trade and completed in 1911. The Andratx
Andratx
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.-History:...
-Pollença
Pollença
Pollença is a town and municipality situated in the far north corner of the island of Majorca, near Cap de Formentor and Alcúdia. It lies about 6 km west of its port, Port de Pollença.-History:...
highway also runs through the valley. The present-day economy is based mainly on tourism
Tourism
Tourism is travel for recreational, leisure or business purposes. The World Tourism Organization defines tourists as people "traveling to and staying in places outside their usual environment for not more than one consecutive year for leisure, business and other purposes".Tourism has become a...
and the expenditure of foreign residents, complementary to the agricultural economy based around citrus
Citrus
Citrus is a common term and genus of flowering plants in the rue family, Rutaceae. Citrus is believed to have originated in the part of Southeast Asia bordered by Northeastern India, Myanmar and the Yunnan province of China...
and olive
Olive
The olive , Olea europaea), is a species of a small tree in the family Oleaceae, native to the coastal areas of the eastern Mediterranean Basin as well as northern Iran at the south end of the Caspian Sea.Its fruit, also called the olive, is of major agricultural importance in the...
groves.
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
Joan Miró
Joan Miró i Ferrà was a Spanish Catalan painter, sculptor, and ceramicist born in Barcelona.Earning international acclaim, his work has been interpreted as Surrealism, a sandbox for the subconscious mind, a re-creation of the childlike, and a manifestation of Catalan pride...
. 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
Modernisme
Modernisme was a cultural movement associated with the search for Catalan national identity. It is often understood as an equivalent to a number of fin-de-siècle art movements, such as Art Nouveau, Jugendstil, Secessionism, and Liberty style, and was active from roughly 1888 to 1911 Modernisme ...
building with defining ironwork, by the Catalan
Catalonia
Catalonia is an autonomous community in northeastern Spain, with the official status of a "nationality" of Spain. Catalonia comprises four provinces: Barcelona, Girona, Lleida, and Tarragona. Its capital and largest city is Barcelona. Catalonia covers an area of 32,114 km² and has an...
architect Joan Rubió i Bellver, a follower of Antoni Gaudí
Antoni Gaudí
Antoni Gaudí i Cornet was a Spanish Catalan architect and figurehead of Catalan Modernism. Gaudí's works reflect his highly individual and distinctive style and are largely concentrated in the Catalan capital of Barcelona, notably his magnum opus, the Sagrada Família.Much of Gaudí's work was...
. 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
Baroque architecture
Baroque architecture is a term used to describe the building style of the Baroque era, begun in late sixteenth century Italy, that took the Roman vocabulary of Renaissance architecture and used it in a new rhetorical and theatrical fashion, often to express the triumph of the Catholic Church and...
(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
Islamic architecture
Islamic architecture encompasses a wide range of both secular and religious styles from the foundation of Islam to the present day, influencing the design and construction of buildings and structures in Islamic culture....
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
Fin de siècle
Fin de siècle is French for "end of the century". The term sometimes encompasses both the closing and onset of an era, as it was felt to be a period of degeneration, but at the same time a period of hope for a new beginning...
Art Nouveau
Art Nouveau
Art Nouveau is an international philosophy and style of art, architecture and applied art—especially the decorative arts—that were most popular during 1890–1910. The name "Art Nouveau" is French for "new art"...
styles of France.
The renowned Jardí Botanic (botanical garden
Botanical garden
A botanical garden The terms botanic and botanical, and garden or gardens are used more-or-less interchangeably, although the word botanic is generally reserved for the earlier, more traditional gardens. is a well-tended area displaying a wide range of plants labelled with their botanical names...
) 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 (The Museum of Balearic Natural Sciences).
Since 1980, Sóller has hosted a week-long international folklore
Folklore
Folklore consists of legends, music, oral history, proverbs, jokes, popular beliefs, fairy tales and customs that are the traditions of a culture, subculture, or group. It is also the set of practices through which those expressive genres are shared. The study of folklore is sometimes called...
festival every July.
External links
- English-language home page of sollernet.com
- Sa Mostra - International Folklore Festival
- Veu de Sóller (local weekly newspaper), in Catalan
- Setmanari Sóller (local newspaper), in Catalan.
- Ferrocarril de Sóller (Sóller train), in English
- Jardín Botánico (botanical garden), in Catalan and Spanish
- Museu de Ciencias Naturales
- Ajuntament de Sóller (Townhall of Sóller), in English