Of interest to visitors
Few visitors suspect it, but Mallorca is an authentic place of pilgrimage for historical organ experts, and Santanyí is home to one of the most spectacular and well-studied instruments on the island. This splendid organ was constructed in 1762 by legendary maestro Jordi Bosch. Originally it was installed in one of Palma’s most important monasteries. When the monastery was demolished in the 19th century, the organ was transferred to what was then the new church of Santanyí. In 1983 the instrument was restored by the German Gerhard Grenzing, one of the most prestigious experts in the world. The village’s old gateway and the remains of the wall constructed in the 16th century witnessed dark ages. But they are not the only historical buildings to awaken interest. Can Crestall, the Mondragó Park interpretation centre (Calle Llaneres 8 in Santanyí, Monday - Friday 8:00 am to 3:00 pm), is interesting not only for its exhibitions devoted to nature in the park, but also because it is a very well-preserved traditional Mallorcan house. The village is both interesting and pleasant, with a pedestrian zone and numerous cafés where one can while away some time agreeably, and shops for wandering around. Anyone looking for regional products will be interested to hear that a very famous Mallorcan cheese is produced in this municipality - Grimalt. Another highly-prized product is the Bon Gelat ice cream brand, made using traditional methods. The village offers a diverse range of shops and cultural life. There are art galleries, and a cultural centre which is the venue for exhibitions and other events (Can Jaume Antoni, Calle Portell, 11).
Whilst not very practical as a souvenir, it is interesting to know that Santanyí stone is considered the best in Mallorca. It was used in the construction of some of the island’s main monuments, and abroad, too, such as in the Castel Nuovo of Naples, Italy, for example.
Profile of the municipality
Santanyí lies 56 kilometres from Palma and includes the villages of La Costa, S'Alqueria Blanca, Cala Santanyí, Calonge, Es Llombards, Cala Llombards, Son Mňger, Cala Figuera, Portopetro, Cala d'Or and Es Cap des Moro. Cap de ses Salines, the southernmost point of the island, is also part of the municipality and offers beautiful rural scenery. The municipality has a coastline of 48.2 kilometres and a surface area of 12,639 hectares.
Archaeological sites
Like many other municipalities on Mallorca, Santanyí houses archaeological sites the origins of which date back to the pre-Roman cultures, that is the talayotic and pre-talayotic cultures. These villages were built in stone and had impressive dimensions, which can still be made out today.
Son Danús Vell, on the side of the Santanyí-Campos road (km 4.8), is the name of one of Mallorca’s historical ‘possessions’, or estates, formerly an Arab farmstead by the name of Binilassar. Here one can see a defence tower adjoining the house, and several talayotic buildings or remains of them around it. The largest one is circular and has a diameter of 12 metres. The farmhouse was later built on the site of the village.
A walk of approximately one hour will take visitors to Punta des Baus, the ruins of a talayotic village on the coast, near Cala S'Almonia. It was already deserted when the Romans established their rule in the 2nd century BC. Nearby is a cave with an underground lake which supplied the ancient settlers with fresh water, called "Drach Cave" (Cova des Drac), but which has nothing whatsoever to do with the cave of the same name in Portocristo which receives so many visitors.
A little history
The name Santanyí is probably derived from the Latin expression, “Sancti Agnini” (sacred lamb). It is one of Mallorca’s most historical villages, founded in the year 1300 by King Jaume II. Its pre-Christian origins literally came to light in 2001 when work was being carried out on the new Plaza Mayor, and revealed what had for centuries been the village’s main water pump, quite probably constructed by the Arabs who ruled the island until 1229. Until the 18th century, Santanyí lived under constant threat from the pirates who often used the island of Cabrera – now a natural park – as a base for their operations. Only after this threat disappeared did local “santanyiners” begin to leave the walled enclosure in order to settle in the different villages, the oldest of which is Llombards, cited in a document dating back to 1301. Up to the 1950s the inhabitants of Santanyí earned a living from farming, and it was one of the poorest villages on the island because of the aridity of its lands. The municipality’s economic level and profile changed radically with the tourism boom, although the land is still worked and crops grown, and many of the old traditions are still observed.
