Mallorca’s possessions

A possessió is a large rural and agricultural farming estate with a small central group of buildings called cases de possessió. These were active centres of production whose origin goes back to the Christian conquest in the 13th century, when the conquering Catalan aristocrats divided up the land from the pre-existing Islamic farmsteads. Some still have remains of great ethnological interest, such as cellars and olive oil mills.

The mountain estates, often cloaked by forests, also produced charcoal and lime, and in some areas of the Serra de Tramuntana there are many old charcoal and lime kilns to be found.

In the high mountain estates, snow was collected in special pits and then taken by night to the city for medicinal and food-related uses.

Several possessions between the coast of Deià and Valldemossa were acquired by Archduke Luis Salvador of Austria, who was captivated by the wonderful landscape of the island’s north coast. Son Marroig in Deià, now converted into a museum dedicated to the archduke, with extraordinary views over the peninsula of Sa Foradada, and Miramar, the old monastery founded by the erudite thinker and writer Ramon Llull, are two of his possessions which are open to the public. He also ordered the construction of the beautiful possessió de S'Estaca, another iconic farmstead in Valldemossa.

There are other important possesions on the island which are also open to visitors wishing to find out about the architecture and uses of these traditional rural Minorcan places. These include Raixa, in Bunyola, where the Serra de Tramuntana interpretation centre is located, Alfabia and its spectacular gardens, also in Bunyola, La Granja in Esporles and Els Calderers in Sant Joan.

Some of the island’s possessions have been converted into cosy rural tourist retreats located in beautiful rural enclaves, where you can relax and enjoy the quiet life.