Island of Mallorca - Beautiful setting of Son Marroig in Spain

The spectacular setting of Son Marroig on the Island of Mallorca in Spain gives one a glimpse into the lifestyle of a person that not only lived there but ultimately made these islands better known to the rest of the world.

This tour of the Island of Mallorca is purposely being broken into different hubs for brevity reasons.

Son Marroig deserves individual mention as it has a rich history.

Already showcased in Part One was the village of Valldemossa as well as the Carthusian Monastery and the famous visitors to that monastery...Frederic Chopin and George Sand.

We had already toured the fore-mentioned spots and learned a bit about that history when we were next taken to Son Marroig.

Son Marroig

The Island of Mallorca offers vistas to satisfy the most discerning of travelers.

Those seeking stunning scenery in which to become inspired can come here for various purposes.

Some visitors may just want to do some of the following:

Vacation

Rest

Relax

Meditate

Recover (Chopin's intent)

Others may become inspired to do some of this:

Write

Compose

Paint

Draw

Photography

Create other art forms

As a matter of fact, we were told by our tour guide that over 2,000 fine art painters live on the Island of Mallorca.

This, of course, does not take into consideration the additional people that live on the island making a living or who are retired or have vacation homes here.

Per Capita income here is the highest in all of Spain according to our tour guide.

People like Michael Douglas live here.

Son Marroig is located between Valldemossa and Deia.

It is about 3 kilometers to the west of Deia and we had been enjoying seeing some of the wonderful scenery on the island as we were being transported.

A rolling landscape with terraced hillsides, prolific groves of almond and olive trees, stone houses and occasional views of the Mediterranean Ocean and seaports greeted our curious eyes as we traversed the island.

Son Marriog is situated on a steep hillside with a spectacular view of the ocean lying at it's feet some distance below.

So why (you might ask) is Son Marroig historic and have importance?

What made this particular mansion worthy of a special visit?

The answer is this:

It was once owned by the Archduke Luis Salvador of Austria.

He purchased this land and inhabited the residence ( Son Marroig) in the late 1800's and lived there for long periods of time totalling over forty years.

The Archduke not only purchased the land where Son Marroig is situated but other land and residences on the island as well.

These other residences include Son Moragues which is now turned into a restaurant. Miramar which was one of his favorite summer places and S'Estaca, a Moorish Mansion which is now owned by Michael Douglas.

Luis Salvador of Habsburg was considered to be an eccentric person and for much of his life was able to do much of what he pleased.

Among other things the Archduke was known for some of the following:

He was a globetrotter

A writer, authoring many books

An adventurer

A lover of nature

A seaman

He was interested in science

And, above all, because of these wide and varied interests he was responsible for publicizing the Balearic Islands, and specifically, Mallorca, resulting in other people becoming much more familiar with the Islands.

Statues have been erected on the Island of Mallorca in the Archduke's honor.

Today Son Marroig has been turned into a museum and also a concert hall.

The Ionic temple was built after the Archduke no longer owned Son Marroig. This striking temple certainly adds a focal point to the back part of the mansion as it draws one's eyes towards the sea.

A spit of land juts out into the sea below Son Marroig and is titled Na Foradada which means the perforated rock. If one looks at the upper left-hand side of the photo one can see a window opening in the rock obviously caused by the forces of erosion.

Those of us on the tour were happy that we got to spend a little time at Son Marroig, both inside the building and also roaming the beautiful grounds. It became understandable to us why Archduke Luis Salvador of Austria claimed this for one of his abodes on the Island of Mallorca, Spain. Spectacular scenery with the Mediterranean ocean waves crashing below as well as the privacy offered by this location must have greatly pleased his nature loving sensibilities.