The Bay of Pollença welcomes and inspires tourists and artists from all over the world

The bay of Port de Pollença offers a long beach and promenade fringe, which from the beginning of the 20th century welcome and inspire tourists and artists from all over the world. 

Port de Pollença, known by the people from Pollença as “eu Moll” (the dock), is the second town of the municipality. It is a clear example on how tourism can completely change the economy and the aspect of a place in only some decades.  At the beginning of the 20th century “eu Moll” consisted only in a small group of fishermen houses. With the arrival of the first tourists, among them a great number of renowned artists who fell in love with the landscape, touristic establishments were opened and the Port de Pollença was consolidated as a town. 

Along the 20th century Port de Pollença grew progressively to adapt to the continuous increasing of the visiting tourists, to which the arrival of the military, aviators and other people related with the Seaplane Base was added in the 40’s. The touristic boom in the 60’s and 70’s supposed the expansion of the hotel industry and of the town, but in a more controlled and respectful way for the environment than in other tourist resorts. 

Today Port de Pollença is a quiet and nice place by the sea where the local neighbours mix with the tourists and with other Majorcan who come here to spend the summer months. It is a tourist destination which has managed to combine the economic opportunity of tourism with the landscape and environment preservation.

The bay of Pollença offers a long stretch of beaches and promenades which start in the area of the Colom Promenade and it continues along the seafront of the town and reaches the Albufereta getting into the neighbouring municipality of Alcúdia.  

The Saralegui Promenade homes the Fishermen’s Association which emerged in 1944. Its origin was the association “The Beach Bees, mutual aid society and education”, which was founded by the Argentinean painter Atilio Boveri in 1912. This was the location of the old school called “El Posito” from 1921 to 1968. In number 44 of this street we find Ca les Monges (the Nunnery), one of the most known houses and profoundly linked to the local history. The Sisters of Charity were established here in 1915 to develop the social and educational mission which was requested by the neighbours.    

In the Anglada Camarasa Promenade we find the Miramar Hotel (before Can Pilles), which started its activity as an inn in 1912. In the same promenade we also find Can Pescador, the only fishing hut which is preserved in the whole seafront, witness of that first “mollers” (first inhabitants from the town) who lived from the sea. At the end of the promenade we find a bust of the painter Hermenegildo Anglada Camarasa (1973-1960), promoter of the Painting School of Pollença.  

After that point, the promenade narrows to become the Vora Mar Promenade, which gets to the Military Base. This stretch offers a quiet and relaxing walk. The pines overlook the sea, the old summer houses and the new buildings show that tourism and environment preservation are compatible. 

The port facilities are found in what is known as the “moll dels pescadors” (fishermen’s dock) or “moll vell” (old dock). Here we find the port offices and the fishermen working place “La Llonja”, surrounded by the traditional fishing boats called “llaüts” (wooden boats of little tonnage). All that contrasts with the modern building of the Club Nàutic (Yatch Club). The Club Nàutic Port de Pollença was built in 1961 by a group of twenty-five members presided by Javier Marichalar (the Marquis of Ciria) and in 1993 His Majesty the King granted it with the Royal title. 

The Airbase is a military installation dated from 1937, although in the twenties Pollença’s bay was already used as a base by Italian seaplanes. Nowadays the base homes seaplanes which are used for firefighting.