SOLLER

Nestled in a luxurious valley, well protected against pirate attacks in the days of yore, Soller owes its name to the Arab word "sulliar", or golden shell.

In fact, long before the city of Valencia became a bitter rival, Soller was the heart of wine, oil and orange country. Most of its produce was exported to France and Belgium, making the fortune of the inhabitants, who then set up countless wholesale trade exchanges, especially with the Cóte d´Azur. When these traders returned to their native village, they built splendid houses. This trade also explains why the Soller natives still speak fluent French today.

From Soller, it is only five kilometers to the port by way of a small train imported from San Francisco at the turn of the century. The port itself is quite beautiful and characteristic because it is so sheltered that, from the shore, it seems more like a perfectly round lake than a harbor. A small oratory standing nearby commemorates the legend of Ramón de Penafort, a monk who was persecuted by King Jaime after he decried the King´s cohabitation with an unmarried woman. A contribution from one of our visitors : Hi Hans Olof I saw your pages on Majorca and found many things I did not already know - thankyou. I would be very grateful to learn more but I have something to tell you. The trams of Soller did NOT come from America. They were (well three of the four "old" ones) constructed on the Spanish mainland by a company called Carde y Escoriaza (bodywork), with Siemens-Schuckert electricals and Brill running gear. The fourth tramcar, the one with the metal body, was obtained from Bilbao tramways. I know the idea that the trams came from San Francisco is very romantic but just isn't true. From a fellow lover of the Island of Mallorca, Barry Emmott Visit my website on the Railways of Mallorca on: http://www.BazzaSoft.freeserve.co.uk/mallorca.htm

In spite of a royal decree to the contrary, de Penafort tried to return to Spain. However, Jaime ordered all ships to refuse clerical passengers. At that point, with no other choice, the monk threw his mantel onto the waters and, using one of the edges as a sail, crossed the Balearic Sea safe and sound to Barcelona.

The adventurous and courageous spirit of the Soller townspeople is also embodied in a May holiday called the festival of the "ses valentes dones". It celebrates the 1561 victory over the Turkish corsair Otxalí, who landed on the island with 1.700 men and the intention to put it under his thrall.

During the battle, two sisters, Francisca and Catalina Casasnovas of Cán Tamany, distinguished themselves by killing many of the assailants with an iron bar they used to look the door.

During the festival, a bar symbolizing the valor and courage of the woman of Soller is displayed, while a group of dancers act out a battle between the Christians and the Moslem invaders.