Cap de Formentor () is the northernmost point of

Mallorca Mallorca, or Majorca, is the largest of the Balearic Islands, which are part of Spain, and the List of islands in the Mediterranean#By area, seventh largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. The capital of the island, Palma, Majorca, Palma, i ...

, on the Formentor peninsula.

Location

Cap de Formentor is located on the northernmost point of the

Balearic Island The Balearic Islands are an archipelago in the western Mediterranean Sea, near the eastern coast of the Iberian Peninsula. The archipelago forms a Provinces of Spain, province and Autonomous communities of Spain, autonomous community of Spain, ...

Spain Spain, or the Kingdom of Spain, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe with territories in North Africa. Featuring the Punta de Tarifa, southernmost point of continental Europe, it is the largest country in Southern Eur ...

. Its highest point, ''Fumat'', is 384 m above sea level. It has many associated bays, including ''Cala Figuera'', ''Cala Murta'' and ''Cala Pi de la Posada''. The Mallorcans also call the cape the ''Meeting point of the winds''.

History

In 1863, the

Formentor Lighthouse The Formentor () or Cap de Formentor Lighthouse is an active lighthouse on the Spanish island of Majorca. It is the highest lighthouse in the Balearic Islands with a focal height of above sea level, located on high cliffs at the tip of Cap de ...

was opened, the remote and rugged location on the Cap de Formentor making construction difficult. The only access was from the sea or via a long mule track. Following the death of the renowned Mallorcan poet

Miquel Costa i Llobera Miquel Costa i Llobera (10 March 1854 – 16 October 1922) was a Spanish poet from Majorca. He mainly wrote in Catalan language. He is regarded as a prominent figure of Catalan poetry. Marcelino Menéndez y Pelayo described him as an excellent ...

, author of the famous poem

The Pine of Formentor The Pine of Formentor (, ) is one of the most well-known and celebrated poems by Miquel Costa i Llobera. Technically, it is considered as the culmination of Romantic poetry, Romantic poetry in Catalan literature. History Miquel Costa i Llobera ...

and owner of the Cap de Formentor peninsula, it was divided into lots and sold. In 1928 Adan Diehl, an Argentinian native and art lover, decided to build the Hotel Formentor. The 13.5 km road which runs from

Port de Pollença Port de Pollença (Balearic ; ) is a small town in northern Majorca, Spain, on the Bay of Pollença about 6 km east of Pollença and two kilometres southeast of Cala Sant Vicenç, Majorca, Cala Sant Vicenç. Cap de Formentor is connected to ...

to Cap de Formentor was built by the Mallorcan engineer

Antonio Parietti Antonio is a masculine given name of Etruscan origin deriving from the root name Antonius. It is a common name among Romance language–speaking populations as well as the Balkans and Lusophone Africa. It has been among the top 400 most popular m ...

in 1925.Antonio Parietti, the creator of art road masterpieces
/ref> He also constructed the snake road to

Sa Calobra Sa Calobra is a small village in the Escorca municipality on the northwest coast of the Spain, Spanish Balearic Islands, Balearic island of Mallorca. The port village is a popular destination for coach trips and road cycling, road cyclists. It is ...

. As usual for mountain roads, when the slope is too steep, the road has to go oblique and switch direction when needed.

Attractions

The headland has a number of lookout and viewing points, including ''Mirador del Mal Pas'', also named ''Mirador d'es Colomer'' after the small island ''Colomer''. The panorama from Mallorca's Finisterre illuminates

Menorca Menorca or Minorca (from , later ''Minorica'') is one of the Balearic Islands located in the Mediterranean Sea belonging to Spain. Its name derives from its size, contrasting it with nearby Mallorca. Its capital is Maó, situated on the isl ...

in the east,

Cala Figuera Cala Figuera is a district of Santanyí on the island of Majorca, in the Balearic Islands of Spain, around 60 km to the south east of Palma. The traditional town was first mentioned in records in 1306 but it was not until the end of the 19t ...

in the west, and Alcudia with its sandy beach in the south. However, the view of the cliffs below is not for sufferers of vertigo as sea roars 300m below and the winds on the headland can be vicious. In the southeastern part, by ''Racó de Xot'', there is a

cave Caves or caverns are natural voids under the Earth's Planetary surface, surface. Caves often form by the weathering of rock and often extend deep underground. Exogene caves are smaller openings that extend a relatively short distance undergrou ...

with an opening into the sea. It has two entrances located about 8 meters over the surface of the water. The cave has a length of 90 meters and a height of 8 meters and is one of the most important sources of information for the prehistoric

talaiot A talaiot, or talayot (), is a Bronze Age megalith found on the islands of Menorca and Majorca forming part of the Talaiotic Culture or Talaiotic Period. Talaiots date back to the late second millennium and early first millennium BC. There are ...

culture. Image:Cap Formentor 2015 (Zuschnitt).jpg, Lighthouse at Cap de Formentor, Mallorca Image:Strand Cap Formentor Mallorca (21602497014).jpg, Formentor Beach Image:02017 0194 Formentor.jpg, A pine tree in Formentor inspired the local poet

Image:Punta_de_la_Noa.JPG, Punta de la Nao and road to the cape Image:Talaia d'Albercutx.jpg, The old watchtower as seen from Punta de la Nao

References

{{Authority control Landforms of Mallorca Pollença Articles containing video clips

Formentor Cap de Formentor () is the northernmost point of Majorca, Mallorca, on the Formentor peninsula. Location Cap de Formentor is located on the northernmost point of the Balearic Islands, Balearic Island Majorca, Mallorca in Spain. Its highest poi ...

Location

History

Attractions

See also

References