Raixa Estate

On Mallorca you can visit about a dozen of old estates. Raixa is a magnificent country estate, founded in the 13th century by the Arabs, but only the name has remained since those times. For tourists, the place is also interesting because the entrance is free.




Throughout history, the estate belonged to various noble families. It got a modern look in the 18th century, although vault of the chapel and porch in the courtyard remained from the 16th century. The porch, like many other parts of the estate, can be seen in the film "Evil Under the Sun", which was released in 1982. In contrast to another location on the Monjo Beach, here almost nothing has changed.








The best times for the estate began in 1660, when it was bought by the first Count of Montenegro, Ramon Despuig i Rocaberti. Over the following centuries he and his heirs, in particular Cardinal Antonio Despuig, gave it a truly luxurious look.


The first mention of the gardens dates back to the mid-18th century, in those days they were designed by Giovanni Lazzarini.




The rooms inside are pretty standard, but there are interesting ones, like an oil mill. In one of the rooms, in the 16th century, lived Catalina Tomas, a local Catholic saint and patroness of the city of Valldemossa.




Except the very first, the rest of the gardens were designed in the 19th century. They are quite large, get ready to climb the mountain.












Getting there: Parking N 39 40.747 E 2 40.366. You can get on bus 220 from Palma to bus stop Raixa and then walk 1 km on foot (timetable and map).