Manacor travel information and video

Manacor



Manacor is a typical town with a population of around 30,000. It is most famous for its pearl factory and for its good-quality wooden furniture.

Aside from its attractive old centre, this is one of the least attractive towns on the island, and most visitors are simply passing through on the way to somewhere else.



About town

Manacor which is the regional capital is lively, restless and accessible; rapidly growing and a great centre for sport activities, shopping, industry and culture, including art and is a commercial and industrial town.

Narrow streets radiate randomly from its large central Gothic-style  church, whose spires soar above the surrounding low-rise buildings and 
tree-lined streets and squares.



Natural surroundings

The town of Manacor is situated in a valley, which experiences freezing winter fogs and the burning heat of summer.

It is surrounded by diverse landscapes and a countryside where large manor houses with defense towers dominate the horizon, former refuges for those fleeing Berber pirate attacks.

Today several such towers have been converted into establishments catering for agricultural and rural tourism.



History

Manacor offers a wealth of historical remains including important prehistoric sites from the Talaiotic era (1.200 to 900 BC) such as the megalithic remains of S’Illot Son Vaquer, Son Ribot or the site of S’Hospitalet Vell, a Talaiotic
 village which due to its size and monumental value is one of the most important on the island and also one of the most enigmatic. 



There are the remains of Son Pereto, a former chapel, on the Manacor to Sant Llorenc road, where the treasures of this tiny church are gradually being unearthed including the beautiful mosaics and a large number of other archaeological remains providing evidence and a reminder of the ancient Christian colony. These treasures can be viewed in Manacor’s Municipal Archaeological Museum situated in the Tower of the Enagistes (Manacor to Calas de Mallorca road).



Other interesting historical sites include the remains of the Paleo-Christian church of Sa Carrotja and the communication and defence tower " Torre des Falcons" in Porto Cristo; the humble remains of the Manacor Royal Palace" Torre del Palau" former dwelling of King James 11; the neo-Gothic building of the church of Sorrows in Manacor whose bell tower, known as the Rubi tower, is the highest building in the town, but the architectural jewel is without doubt the cloister of Saint Vicente Ferrer, one of the few cloisters in the country forming a twin gallery and which was declared a National Monument in 1919. Today, with the help of grants, it is being restored by a team of architects and surveyors.



Beaches

Manacor has recently experienced a great boom in tourism and the nearby beaches are well attended in the summer. 



Most of Manacor’s beaches have been awarded the Blue Flag for safety and facilities.

Places of Interest

Manacor is known to be the centre of Mallorca’s pearl industry and within Manacor you will find several large factories that allow visits.  Each factory gives a tour whereby you can watch the whole process of pearl manufacture. At the end you have the chance to see the showroom and purchase items of jewellery made on the 
premises.

Another industry for which Manacor is famous, and indeed Mallorca in general, is olive wood. There is a good factory on the entrance road to Manacor that allows visits. You can visit the showroom and see thousands of items hand crafted from olive wood. You will also see some of the antique machinery once used in the factory. The visit is free and prices are reasonable for the olive wood items. You will see everything from coffee tables to coasters, dominos and pens.



Local excursions
Beaches and coastal villages such as Porto Cristo. Explore the countryside and the Drach Caves. Safari park and an interesting Sunday market in Felanitx, 8½ miles away.



Cuisine

Traditional food is being rediscovered in the Balearics, which varies from island to island, but reflects the cuisine of Catalonia with its combination of sweet and savoury. 



Pork is a main ingredient as are vegetable dishes and soups.  Langosta a la parrilla sounds good where spiny lobster is served with local home made mayonnaise.  A must have is an ensaimada (spiral-shaped yeast bun) with your morning coffee – great with apricot jam.



Climate

Mallorca enjoys a typical Mediterranean weather, with mild winters and hot summers. During the months of July and August, the weather is hot and beautifully sunny, boasting around 11 hours of sun daily.

During the winter, the weather can get chilly, but is generally you can enjoy fine, mild weather on most days.