Andratx () is a

municipality A municipality is usually a single administrative division having municipal corporation, corporate status and powers of self-government or jurisdiction as granted by national and regional laws to which it is subordinate. The term ''municipality' ...

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 ...

, one of the

Balearic Islands 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, ...

, along the Mediterranean east coast of Spain. It is located on the western tip of the island. Port d'Andratx, located a few miles south of Andratx, is an exclusive resort.

History

The town of Andratx is ancient and until recently was mainly inhabited by local Majorcan people. The area was occupied by the Romans, who called the town ''Andrachium'', in the 2nd century BC and pottery and coins found there give evidence of this. The town was built inland from the coast as a precaution against the constant threat of raids from

Barbary pirates The Barbary corsairs, Barbary pirates, Ottoman corsairs, or naval mujahideen (in Muslim sources) were mainly Muslim corsairs and privateers who operated from the largely independent Barbary states. This area was known in Europe as the Barba ...

. In the 16th century a system of observation towers was erected on the island as a means of protection against pirates. From 14 towers in the municipalities of Andratx and Calvià, 12 still exist. The municipality also includes the towns of Port d'Andratx, Sa Coma, S'Arracó,

Sant Elm Sant Elm () is a town on the south-west coast of Majorca in the Balearic Islands of Spain. It lies in the municipality of Andratx. It is a picturesque fishing village at the far Southwest corner of Majorca, only a short drive from Andratx and Por ...

and Camp de Mar. It also includes the uninhabited islet Sa Dragonera. The municipality has undergone a transformation since 2004, following the input of EU finance which has resulted in a facelift for the town and also brought in foreign investment.

Geography

Andratx municipality is located in the southwestern corner of the Sierra de Tramontana, the most significant mountains of the island of Majorca. In the southern part are a number of valleys, which are the most densely populated areas. The northern part of the municipality is mountainous and rugged, and is virtually uninhabited. The highest point is at 927 metres. Off the coast of the municipality is the islet of Sa Dragonera, declared a Natural Park in 1995. It can be accessed by sea from Puerto de Andratx or Sant Elm.

Economy

The main activity in Andratx today is tourism. Agriculture and fishing as a means of livelihood have declined considerably, and is mostly practiced now for private consumption and recreation purposes. The main crops are

almonds The almond (''Prunus amygdalus'', syn. ''Prunus dulcis'') is a species of tree from the genus ''Prunus''. Along with the peach, it is classified in the subgenus ''Amygdalus'', distinguished from the other subgenera by corrugations on the sh ...

carob The carob ( ; ''Ceratonia siliqua'') is a flowering evergreen tree or shrub in the Caesalpinioideae sub-family of the legume family, Fabaceae. It is widely cultivated for its edible fruit, which takes the form of seed pods, and as an ornam ...

, figs and

citrus fruit ''Citrus'' is a genus of flowering plant, flowering trees and shrubs in the family Rutaceae. Plants in the genus produce citrus fruits, including important crops such as Orange (fruit), oranges, Mandarin orange, mandarins, lemons, grapefruits, ...

and

grapes A grape is a fruit, botanically a berry, of the deciduous woody vines of the flowering plant genus ''Vitis''. Grapes are a non- climacteric type of fruit, generally occurring in clusters. The cultivation of grapes began approximately 8,0 ...

producing "Santa Catarina" wine.

Demographics

Throughout the twentieth century the population gradually declined to a low in the 1950s. Since then the population has been recovering steadily except in 1960 when the population increased by 2,000 people. In the early twenty-first century the pace of growth has accelerated again. with 2,200 new inhabitants between 2001 and 2005 and increasing urban pressure on the environment, especially in the capital-population centers Andratx and Puerto de Andratx. Andratx is one of the municipalities of Mallorca with the highest percentage of foreign residents. According to the 2001 census about 15% of the population was foreign and among them 43% were EU nationals, including roughly 15% German, 15% British and 10% French.

Art

The main monuments in the municipality are Church of Santa Maria de Andrach, Iglesia de la Virgen del Carmen del Puerto de Andratx, Church of s'Arracó, the Castell de Son Mas (Now City Hall), the Andratx Castle, and the former Trappist monastery, now in ruins. The legendary Teatro Argentino, dating back to 1912, belongs to former symbols of the municipality that have disappeared. Contemporary art is shown in the CCA Andrax Cultural Center (Centro Cultural Andratx), in Sa Coma, north of Andratx; in the Sa Taronja Cultural Association, west of Andratx; in the Liedtke Museum in the Port; and in the architecturally remarkable Studio Weil.

Notable people

Stephen Gately Stephen Patrick David Gately (17 March 197610 October 2009) was an Irish singer who, with Ronan Keating, was co-lead singer of the pop group Boyzone. All of Boyzone's studio albums during Gately's lifetime hit number one in the United Kingdom, ...

(1976–2009), singer *

Guy Hamilton Mervyn Ian Guy Hamilton (16 September 1922 – 20 April 2016) was an English film director. He directed 22 films from the 1950s to the 1980s, including four James Bond films. Early life Hamilton was born in Paris on 16 September 1922, son of ...

(1922–2016), film director; married to the (''below'') Kerima *

Peter Hook Peter Hook (born 13 February 1956) is an English musician. He was the bassist and co-founder of the post-punk band Joy Division and its successor New Order. He often used the bass as a lead instrument, playing melodies on the high strings wi ...

(born 1956), musician (

Joy Division Joy Division were an English Rock music, rock band formed in Salford in 1976. The group consisted of vocalist, guitarist and lyricist Ian Curtis, guitarist and keyboardist Bernard Sumner, bassist Peter Hook and drummer Stephen Morris (musici ...

, New Order) * Kerima (born 1925), actress; married to the above Guy Hamilton *

Mark Lawrenson Mark Thomas Lawrenson (born 2 June 1957) is an English former professional association football, footballer who played as a Defender (association football), defender for Liverpool F.C., Liverpool, among others, during the 1970s and 1980s. After ...

(born 1957), footballer and broadcaster *

John Noakes John Noakes (born John Wallace Bottomley; 6 March 1934 – 28 May 2017) was an English television presenter and actor. He co-presented the BBC children's magazine programme '' Blue Peter'' in the 1960s and 1970s and is the show's longest-servin ...

(1934–2017), television presenter * Baltasar Porcel (1937–2009), novelist *

José Luis de Vilallonga José is a predominantly Spanish and Portuguese form of the given name Joseph. While spelled alike, this name is pronounced very differently in each of the two languages: Spanish ; Portuguese (or ). In French, the name ''José'', pronounced , ...

(1920–2007), actor

Gallery

References

External links

Ajuntament d'AndratxAndratx tourist information
{{authority control Municipalities in Mallorca Populated places in Mallorca