Inca, the City of Leather (Mallorca)

Inca, the City of Leather

A place where you can combine two pleasures - shopping and traditional cuisine
Inca, the City of Leather

A place where you can combine two pleasures - shopping and traditional cuisine
Inca, the City of Leather

A place where you can combine two pleasures - shopping and traditional cuisine

Inca, the City of Leather

A place where you can combine two pleasures - shopping and traditional cuisine

For decades, Inca has been an important centre for the manufacture and sale of leather articles such as handbags, jackets, shoes, wallets and other accessories. Its local industry began to prosper during the 19th century with the success of small artisan workshops, which over time became factories employing a large part of the region’s population. Today the city preserves much of this tradition, whose history is told in the Museum of Leather and Footwear.

Inca is the birthplace of internationally famous leather brands such as Yanko and Camper, as well as well-established, trend-setting fashion firms like Lottusse, Farrutx, Kollflex, Barrats and Munper. Many have outlet stores in the city, where you can find all types of women’s, men’s and children’s footwear, handbags, jackets, waistcoats, belts, gloves, hats, travel bags, briefcases, purses, wallets and items of jewellery.

Inca’s recent history was forged from the leather industry, and the city is dotted with monuments dedicated to local shoemakers who were an economic driving force for the island. The Museum of Leather and Footwear shows you this history with a permanent exhibition of machinery and objects related to the leather industry. It is housed in a former military barracks dating from 1915, comprising a main building with a parade ground and several wings.

This is an enterprising and commerce-friendly city, with a host of clothes shops and accessory stores, especially in the streets around the central square, with its Church of Santa Maria la Major. The square also has an arcade and bars with bustling terraces, which are especially busy on Thursdays, when the weekly market is held, with dozens of stalls selling local produce, clothing, accessories, toys, jewellery and kitchenware.

The city is also known for its cellers, old wine cellars transformed into restaurants serving traditional cuisine. Some of them still have their huge wooden wine casks, and are usually decorated with objects associated with farming life and Mallorca’s characteristic llengos fabrics. This is the best place to try traditional dishes like frit - fried spicy meat and chopped vegetables - and tumbet, a sublime combination of aubergines, potatoes and red peppers.

There are also many cake shops and patisseries, some of great renown, famous for their millefeuille pastries, such as cremadillos, which are filled with cream or chocolate, and Inca’s hard, salted crackers, perfect on their own or with cold cuts.

Inca is located 30 km from Palma, and the city is easily reached by a regular train service from the capital’s Intermodal Station.