ONE OF THE MOST MAGICAL PLACES IN POLLENÇA

This lighthouse, a true feat of construction given the steep terrain, a peninsula that offers a perfect balance between nature and art

The northernmost point of Mallorca is a place of outstanding natural beauty that has served as inspiration for many artists. The Formentor headland, along with Cavall Bernat in Cala de Sant Vicenç, is one of the most photographed and portrayed places on the island.

The lighthouse that can be seen at this point, standing 210 metres above sea level, was opened in 1863 as part of the coastal lighting scheme to provide greater safety for boats sailing off Mallorcan shores at night. But of all the lighthouses built back in the days, the Formentor one proved the most difficult due to its location in one of the island's most rugged and isolated places, which on the other hand allows you to enjoy the highest focal plane in Mallorca.

What's more, Pollença's most famous poet Miquel Costa i Llobera (1), whose family lived on this headland, was inspired by this place to write his iconic poem 'The Pine Tree of Formentor' (2). Since 1959, the Hotel Formentor (3) has been host to the 'Literary Conversations in Formentor', a gathering of leading authors set in motion by Spanish Nobel Prize winner Camilo José Cela and attended by writers such as Vicente Aleixandre, Gerardo Diego, Blas de Otero, José Hierro, Carlos Fuentes and José Saramago, to name just a few.

(1) Miquel Costa i Llobera: Considered one of the greatest Catalan-language poets of all time, Miquel Costa i Llobera was born in 1854 to one of the wealthiest families on the island, yet his inclination towards literature made him eschew his role as executor of the family inheritance. His poetry has a classical, regionalist and religious tone. Religion was such an influence on him that he became a priest. He was also a key player in the rebirth of Catalan culture in Pollença and the whole of Mallorca, successfully giving the language local prestige and normality in literary and official circles. He died in Palma de Mallorca in 1922. In Pollença there is a square and a monument dedicated to his memory.

(2) "The Pine Tree of Formentor":

There is a tree in my land which my heart worships: cedar is its foliage, grass its verdure, nestled among its evergreen spring leaves; it suffers the storms lashing the shore, oh aged warrior.

The beloved flower does not peep out from its branches, the fountain its fruit shall not caress but its blessed front with aromas bathe, and its terrain is the steep coast, its water source the deep sea.

On seeing the divine light etch the waves, it does not hear the faint trill that gives mankind pleasure; nor does it perceive the wild cry of the sea eagle, nor feel the enormous power of the gale which its crown does quiver.

From the silt of the earth no abject sustenance does it take; twisting its roots into the rock outcrop. It imbibes dew and rain, radiant light and wind; and like the old prophet receives sustenance from celestial effluvium.

Oh sublime tree! Ensign of life do I discern, the majestic immensity dominates here and there. If the ground is hard for you, be heaven your destination, and let thunder and tornado still fill you with glory and pleasure.

Oh yes! When the shore is saved from the winds and waves with a horrid din, you laugh and sing with the fierce storm, and your majestic head of hair triumphs over the looming clouds.

Tree, I envy your luck! On the impure land an ideal sacred figure in you I see. Fighting, constantly winning, looking down from above, living and feeding on the sky and pure light ...Oh friend, oh noble being!

Come on, oh strong soul! You spurn the filthy mud, and on the stark peaks fervidly set roots. The waves of this world will crash at your feet, and free like the kingfishers above the deep sea will your songs fly.

(3) Hotel Formentor: The Hotel Formentor was opened by German-born Argentinian millionaire Adam Diehl in 1929, with the dream of creating a space where artists could draw inspiration from the surroundings. Even though the hotel welcomed many guests, this wasn't enough to cover the huge amounts of money Diehl had ploughed into the project and he ended up financially ruined, eventually leaving the island in 1935 to settle permanently in Buenos Aires. Since then the hotel has changed hands twice, always keeping its doors open to accommodate a host of politicians, artists and celebrities from around the world, including Winston Churchill, the Dalai Lama, Le Corbusier, Severo Ochoa, Charlie Chaplin, John Wayne, Audrey Hepburn and Grace Kelly, to name just a few.

Attention!

Before leaving, check the status of the road network in real time in the incident viewer for Majorca roads. Information on traffic regulation at the Formentor lighthouse.