Plaça Major, Palma de Mallorca

On the beautiful, rectangular Plaça Major, the main square in the Upper Town, which is seamlessly framed by yellow-painted facades and arcades, tourists are almost among themselves.

The surrounding houses are said to date back to the 14th century. However, they are certainly not all original. On the site where house number 5 stands today stood the birthplace of Ramón Llull (*1232), one of Mallorca's most famous figures. A plaque commemorates this. It was demolished approximately 200 years ago.The Casa Negra, the seat of the Spanish Inquisition, stood in the middle of the square until 1823. Everything considered unchristian was condemned here, and sometimes even publicly burned. For example, witches, heretics, and Jews. The rulers forgot only themselves.After the demolition of the Casa Negra, the fish market was first established here, and later the fruit and vegetable market, which all moved to the Mercat de l'Olivar after the Spanish Civil War.Afterward, the square was redesigned. Flower pots and water basins were installed. But that didn't last either. In 1969, the Plaça was redesigned again, taking on its current appearance. A five-story shopping center and an underground parking garage were built underneath. However, their concession has already expired.In travel guides and online, the Plaça Major is touted as one of the city's attractions and a meeting place and social hub for locals. In fact, the houses surrounding the square are the only authentic thing about this place. What you get here is expensive and usually of poor quality. The tourists themselves are to blame: restaurant owners who started out serving Mallorcan or at least Spanish cuisine had to switch to international cuisine, as the average tourist prefers pizza, pasta, and burgers to trying something new.

Large inner courtyard, but unadorned and overpriced. If you have a coffee, you should go to St. Eulalia Square, which is romantic, architecturally more beautiful and green and the prices are going up