The Main square, Palma, Guide du visiteur et quoi faire à proximité

The Plaça Major is a large arcaded square in the old centre of Palma, the capital of Mallorca. It was built in the nineteenth century on the site of the Inquisition's headquarters, so a calm place for a coffee also carries one of the darker chapters of the island's past.

The story behind it

The square occupies the ground of the former Convent of San Felipe Neri and several neighbouring houses. For centuries this was the seat of the Inquisition in Mallorca, whose tribunal was set up in 1488 and was especially harsh toward the Xuetes, the descendants of Jewish families who had been forced to convert. After the Inquisition's building was pulled down in 1823, the site stood empty for about ten years before work began on the first wing, which was finished in 1838.

The project did not stop there. Building continued well into the twentieth century, when an underground car park and commercial galleries were added beneath and around the square. What you see today is a planned, uniform space designed for commerce and leisure, placed deliberately over a site people had good reason to want to forget.

What to look for

• The continuous arcades around the square give it an orderly, enclosed look, with shops and cafes tucked under the arches.
• The regular rows of upper windows and balconies show how the square was planned as a single, uniform composition rather than growing house by house.
• The narrow streets that open off the corners are worth a glance, as the contrast between the open square and the tight old lanes shows how much the area was cleared and rebuilt.
• The open centre of the square is a good spot to stop and picture what stood here before the 1820s, since nothing visible on the surface marks the Inquisition's old headquarters.

Tips for your visit

• Allow 15 to 30 minutes if you only want to look around and perhaps have a drink, longer if you linger at a cafe terrace.
• It is an open public square, so you can walk in at any time, though the shops and cafes keep their own hours, so check current opening hours.
• Morning is quieter and easier for photographs of the arcades, while the evening suits a relaxed drink.
• The square sits in the heart of the old town, so you can easily combine it with the nearby streets, the town hall area and the cathedral on foot.

See it on a quest

Romantic Palma de Mallorca: Fall in Love Again is a good way to see the square as one stop on a longer walk through the old town. The app tells you about each place as you arrive, and you solve a puzzle on the spot. One ticket covers the whole group.

Murder Mystery: Death in the Shadows in Palma suits a square with a shadowed past. You reach it on foot as part of a route through the area, hear about it from the app, and solve a puzzle in front of you. One ticket covers the whole group.

From Castle to Palma Master takes you through the city stop by stop, with the app telling you about each place and a puzzle to solve where you stand. One ticket covers the whole group.