Bellver castle in Palma goes back to approximately 120 BC when the Romans set up a hilltop base there.
Approximately 2,500 of the original 10,000 Spanish castles remain today, one of which is the unusual and well maintained Bellver (meaning “lovely view”) Castle constructed in 1300 AD. It has become a very popular attraction for visitors to Palma. There is a magnificent view from the hill overlooking the Bay of Palma. The castle was built with spectacular Gothic architecture set up in a circular style. There are three semi-circular towers and another tower around a central courtyard. There are also pine woods and a chapel. The ground floor of the castle has flat ceilings with round arches, and the upper floor has Gothic style arches. Rock quarries 40 to 60 meters below the ground produced some of the stone that was used in constructing the caste.
This castle was constructed for a defense of Majorca against the troops of Isabel and Ferdinand and was used as a military prison through the War of the Spanish Succession and the Spanish Civil War up until the 1950′s. One of the prisoners, Gaspar Melchor de Jovellanos, wrote many of his famous works here.
The castle was also originally a residential palace for Jaime II, the King of Majorca. The moat surrounding the castle is guessed to be 30 to 50 feet deep, and the tower could only be reached across a very narrow bridge that only held two attackers side by side, making it very difficult to breach. You can walk around the moat and then explore the castle, which is open to visitors daily except for Sundays and holidays.
The central government gave control of Bellver Castle and the nearby woods to the Palma Council with the condition that a museum be installed there. That museum in the castle contains archaeological artifacts and beautiful pottery going back about 3,000 years as well as Roman sculpture and antique art, much of which surfaced during excavations. It all gives a picture of the fascinating history of the area. The building is also used for cultural activities such as programs of classical music.
