"Alcudia, an ancient roman town" Top 5 Page for this destination Alcudia by russian_yaz

Alcudia, with roman ancient archaeological sites, a delicious local cuisine, historic quarter formed by Renaissance and ancestral homes, with La Albufera, a natural park created in 1988, with than 200 bird species that can be seen there all year round. And of course don't miss the nearby Pollenca town and Cap de Formentor, an amanzing place.

With all this options, it's not weird that many people choose this place to walk and wonder around. For english speakers is a paradise, almost every bar and restorant give services on english. As Andraitx is the paradise to german speakers, this is the one for the english speakers.

Several farmsteads were established on the island during the Muslim occupation of Mallorca, which began in 902. Alcúdia, whose name means hill in Arabic, was one of them. Very few vestiges remain from the Muslim settlement of the area, except for some place names.

The Christian conquest at the hands of Catalan King Jaime I's troops arrived in the thirteenth century (1229). Almost all of Alcúdia and Pollença passed into the hands of the Order of Templars. The King's successor, his son Jaime II, ordered a village to be built on the site of the earlier Arab farmstead of Alcúdia. It was granted the status of the parish's main township in 1298 and dedicated to Saint James. Work was then begun on the construction of its walls, which were completed in 1362.

The echoes of insurrections from the mainland against Carlos I of Spain, recently installed as king, reached Mallorca in the early sixteenth century. The situation of the peasants and the village's poorest inhabitants sparked off a popular uprising called las Germanías (or brotherhoods), which lasted two years.

During this time, Alcúdia's walls sheltered several representatives of the island's nobility, who waited there until royal troops could put down the rebellion. Alcúdía's authorities remained faithful to Carlos I and in exchange, the Emperor granted the township various privileges in 1523. The coastal location of the parish of Alcúdia attracted the pirates and corsairs who assiduously besieged the Balearic Islands in the sixteenth and seventeenth century.

The port was repaired in 1779 as part of a policy to repopulate the territory. Almost a century later, in 1870, work on draining la Albufera was completed, which encouraged people from other points of the island to settle in the area. Nevertheless, Alcúdia's economy truly recovered when an electrical plant was installed in the port (1913), which began to supply the entire island in 1957. The establishment of different industries, such as the coalmines of Son Fe, lent diversity to the types of jobs available and propitiated a decline in farming.

Bars on the plaza

Town Hall Major, 9
Tel. 971 548 071

Local Police Bastió de Sant Ferran
Tel. 971 545 066

Alcúdia-Safrà Health Care Centre Formentera, 5, Finca Es Safrà
Tel. 971 546 371

Port d'Alcúdia Tourist Information Bureau Passeig Marítim
Tel. 971 547 257

Alcúdia Tourist Information Bureau Ctra. Artà, 68
Tel. 971 892 615

Cultural facilities, phones and addresses

Monograph Museum of Pol·lèntia Sant Jaume, 32 Alcúdia
Tel. 971 547 004

Can Torró Library Serra, 15
Tel. 971 547 311

Yannik and Ben Jakober Foundation Sa Bassa Blanca
Tel. 971 897 163

Alcúdia Auditorium
Pl. de la Porta de Mallorca, 3, Tel. 971 897 185

Port d'Alcúdia Library Teodor Canet, 11, Port d'Alcúdia
Tel. 971 897 040

Roman Houses of La Portella Av. Prínceps d'Espanya
Tel. 971 548 07

Acudia beach

Nature places of interest
The municipality of Alcúdia lies in a privileged enclave between the bays of Alcúdia and Pollença and has 30 km of coastline and beautiful mountain landscapes. Different nature areas of special interest can be found in the 60 square kilometres that the municipality covers.

The coastal area of la Albufereta is a 5-km-long wetlands carpeted by typical marshland vegetation, in which ditch reeds and bulrushes abound. Sea lilies and different types of orchids also grow there. The area is populated by a number of migratory waterfowl that use it as a stopover on their annual journey to warmer climes. Grey herons, western marsh harriers, black-winged stilts, little grebes' almost 200 species nest or feed in this territory in different seasons of the year, which why la Albufereta was declared a specially protected waterfowl area. To the north, this territory is the site of the island's largest and best-conserved tamarisk forest.

The nature areas of La Victòria- with sandy beaches such as Illot and Aucanada, and a height of 444 metres which offers magnificent views ' and Sa Punta Manresa are other waterfowl sanctuaries. Falcons, crows and kestrels can be found in its rocky zones and European shags, herring gulls and the occasional osprey can be found in its coastal areas. Ditch reeds, scrub and Aleppo pines are the predominant flora.

Southwest of the village of Alcúdia is Puig de Sant Martí, a hill covered by mastics, palmito trees and several pine groves, which offers splendid views of S'Albufera Nature Park, located between the municipalities of Muro and Sa Pobla. The Son Fe Mountains, a small range of hills inhabited by firecrests, a bird that nests in pine trees, the Balearic green toad and a type of endemic snail, is located next to the nature area of Puig de Sant Martí.

The flattest part of the municipality is used to cultivate cereals, almonds, figs and olives. However, Alcúdia's ecological heritage also conceals hidden waters: fields of posidonia oceanica, expanses of algae and coral complete the municipality's natural treasures.

The Bay of Alcúdia is an excellent setting for waterskiing and diving and there are several companies that offer equipment and courses for both beginners as well as for experienced athletes. Visitors can also take guided excursions on land or sea.

Furthermore, the municipality has a riding centre and hang-gliding school.