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Sea
Culture
Stone
Sand
Salt
Life Mediterranean |
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Situation |
Natural
Surroundings |
Beaches |
History |
Monuments |
Places
of interest |
Festivity
& Fair |
Markets |
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Situation
The municipality of Ses Salines, whose name comes from
its thousand year history as a source of salt - it is being
extracted during Roman times - is situated in the south east
corner of Mallorca; between the towns of Santanyí and Campos.
 The
Coast, bathed by transparent waters, offers its
visitors multiple islets and virgin beaches of fine white sand
and abundant foliage.
Winter storms deposit frothy
waters on the salt flats - "cocons" in Mallorquín
- which are then dried out in the summer sun, leaving a covering
of tangy crystaline salt.
The Colònia de Sant
Jordi spreads
out over the fabulous beaches of Ets
Estanys, and Es Trenc
on one side and Es Dolç
and Es Carbó on the other. This area,
wich used to be home to a few fishements, is today one of
the most popular tourist centres on the island.
The town od Ses Salines, capital on the
municipality,
lies only seven kms. from the coast. It has spacious snd straight streets, modern buildings and an elegant parish church wich was
finished at the turn of the century and is dedicated to the
town's patron saint, Sant Bartomeu, providing a guide and a point
of reference for the fishermen on this coast.
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Natural
Surroundings
Ses Salines, southern municipality in Mallorca,
is one of the most remarkable ecologically interesting places in
the Island and one of the most unusual spots in the Mediterranean.
The Autonomous Government of the Balearic Islands has
declared part of the municipality to be an Area of Special Scenic
and Rural Interest.
The beach of Es
Trenc, the coastal area and the Island of Cabrera form a magical
triangel in the Balearic Islands because of it combines
the beauty of the coastline with the peacefull magic of the country-side. With the centre of Colònia de Sant Jordi as
a base, it is possible to explore some of the loveliset and most
unspoilt beaches in the whole of Mallorca.
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Beaches
There is no dubt that one of the greatest
attractions of Ses Salines is the beaches, for their beauty and tranquility. The visitor can choose from the
following: Sa
platja des Port, Es Dolç, Ets Estanys, Es Carbó and Ses
Roquetes surrounded by a protected natural area
Sa
Platja des Port.
This beach, located next to the marina and fishing port of Colònia de
Sant Jordi, offers excellent facilities for recreation and
leisure pursuits for the visitors. There you can swim, sail and
snorkel with the added advantage of having the best of everything
within easy reach. It is one of the most ideal places for
enjoying the regional cooking based on sea food which has made
the region famous.
Es Dolç
Ets Estanys
Located in the vecinity of the salt
flats, symbol
of the Municipality, there is a very attractive play of light
formed by salt and the sea and the special vegetation of
humid zones which enables you to enjoy one of the most
appreciated ecosystems in the Island.
Es
Carbó and Ses Roquetes
This group of beaches forms one of the unspoilt
areas along our coastline. Its a calm, crystalline waters, the
view looking out to Cabrera and the closeness
of the islet of Na Moltona, which you can reach by swimming,
makes Es Carbó and Ses Roquetes a favourite
place for lovers of sea and sun. They can be reached on foot from
the beach in the harbour.
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History
The Talaiots (IX BC.), megalitic monuments to the
Bronze Age are an indicator of the origin of the agriculture and
livestock raising which still continues today.
The salt flats od Sa Vall
or Colònia de Sant Jordi are the oldest in Mallorca
(IV BC.) and are the first used by Punic traders. Salt continued
to be the main interest of the civilisations tha followed, Roman, Byzantine, Arab and
Christian. The importance of these sources of
salt explain the etumological origin of the Municipality. Salt is
still extracted today, using traditional methods, during August.
During Islamic times, Ses
Salines was a farmstead belonging to the Judge of Manacor,
until 1230 when the Island was conquered by King Jame I
and Mallorca became part of the Catalan-Aragonese Kingdom.
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Monuments
Ses Salines has vestiges of prehistoric
and prohistoric settlements:
Talaia Joana and Talaiots the Na
Mera, Es Mitja Gran, Els Antigors, etc. Punic remains, the
island Na Guardia and wrecks of roman ships dot the coast;
the XV century fortress, called S'Estany, next to the salt flats; the
watchtower, built during the XVI century and situated
in the S'Avall estate and, next to the parish church, the
fortress Torre de C'an Bàrbara, great monuments of
militar architecture.
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Places
of interest
A stroll around the village of Ses
Salines will
enable you to admiere the local architectural style, which is
distinguished by the colour of its stone and, at the same
time, you will discover that the traditions and the customs in
the region of the Mitjorn of Mallorca still
continue. Taking the route throught the main square, you should
visit Can Bàrbara Tower, and also the old windmills in the village.
If you continue with your journey along the calle de
Camp Lladó you will reach the area of dés Torrent where
you will find la Talaia Joana, one of the most important prehistoric remains on the
Island. There are also archaeological sites in these lands of
salt and sea.
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Festivity
and Fair
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Sant Antoni (17th.
January)
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Sant Jordi
(23rd. April)
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" Fira-Espectacle del
primer de Maig" (The Fair of 1st. May)
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The Summer Festival of Colònia
de Sant Jordi (first Saturday and Sunday of August)
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Sant Bartomeu in Ses
Salines (24th. August)
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Markets
Markets selling the typical products of the region are
held in Ses Salines every Thursday morning and in Colònia
de Sant Jordi every wednessday afternoon.
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