passeig
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molinar

foto antiga

History and heritageThe origins of es Molinar date back to the seventeenth century


The neighbourhood started to be built in the middle of the nineteenth century along with the windmills for grinding flour in the area (since demolished), partly because of the outbreaks of cholera that hit the city of Palma, which at that time was still enclosed by its walls, and caused citizens to abandon the walled city for fear of contracting the illness.

The windmills stopped being used before the twentieth century and in 1947 there were only the remains of a dozen cottages. These mills were used as huts until the motorway and Joan Maragall street were built.

The chapel of Our Lady of Remedies, founded in 1850, was built on a plot provided by the port authority by popular request, and for 37 years it was the only church open for public worship. It closed in 1928. In 1999 it was almost in ruins, following years of being used for various activities, until in the early twenty-first century it was converted into its current use as a house, in which the rose window on the façade and some internal elements have been preserved.

The port features the oldest yacht club in the Balearics and has always had a very important traditional fishing presence. The wind rose monument stands out with a weathervane in the form of a shag on its peak to show which way the wind is blowing.

See location

Marine ecosystem

The seabed here is primarily sandy. Species of fish that are typical of sandy bottoms can be found, such as the Atlantic horse mackerel (Trachurus trachurus), the Mediterranean horse mackerel (Trachurus mediterraneus), the common pandora (Pagellus erythrinus) and the red mullet (Mullus barbatus). In addition, other species can be found that inhabit the rocky seabed or Neptune grass meadows, such as the white seabream (Diplodus sargus) and Couch’s seabream (Pagrus pagrus).

Species of marine flora can also be found there, such as dead man’s fingers (Codium fragile), “cistoseira balear” (Cystoseira balearica), peacock’s tail (Padina pavonica), “acetabulària mediterrània” (Acetabularia acetabulum) and “peluqueta” (Codium vermilara).

Finally, the jellyfish that can be found near this beach are the mauve stinger (Pelagia noctiluca), with a strong sting like that of a nettle, the common jellyfish (Aurelia aurita), which has a painful sting, the fried-egg jellyfish (Cotylorhiza tuberculata), with a very weak sting, and the sea raft hydrozoa (Velella velella), which does not sting. It is also worth noting that in 2018 there was an unusually large number of Portuguese men-of-war (Physalia physalis) owing to the entrance of Atlantic water currents into the Mediterranean between February and April.

Safety, services and accessibilityBathing area

SHOWER

NO ACCESIBILITY POINT

LOW-RISK BATHING AREA

Birds of interest


Owing to its coastal character, typical sea-bird species can be found in this area. The shag (Phalacrocorax aristotelis) can be seen all year round, swimming and fishing near the coast or on the rocks in the area. Gulls are also present all year round, such as the yellow-legged gull (Larus michahellis) and Audoin’s gull (Larus audouinii), a species endemic to the Mediterranean.

Other species of seabird can be seen in the area during the autumn and winter, such as the cormorant (Phalacrocorax carbo), the little egret (Egretta garzetta), the ruddy turnstone (Arenaria interpres), the sanderling (Calidris alba), the black-headed gull (Chroicocephalus ridibundus) and the Sandwich tern (Sterna sandvicensis).