It was not until the fifteenth century, in 1473, the tower was renamed "Torre de Canyamel" after the introduction of the cultivation of sugarcane in the region. In the sixteenth century, the tower was known as "Torre Vigía" (watchtower) or "Atalaya", then "Torre d’en Massot", the name of the then owners. The tower was also named "Tower Gabellí" (the nickname of the inhabitants of Capdepera).
After the recapture of Mallorca in 1229, King Jaume I the Conqueror, founder of the kingdom of Majorca, negotiated with the Muslim Minorca Treaty Capdepera, by which the latter went to the Christian monarch in 1231.
However, conflict continued in the Mediterranean and Moorish pirates (Saracens) threatened populations on the island of Mallorca. By order of the king, Gabellí Valley (now Valley of Canyamel) was placed under the protection of Montsó family built in the middle of the thirteenth century, the tower is now called "Torre de Canyamel" to defend region against the Saracen pirate raids, the tower served as a watchtower and a refuge for populations. She was named "Torre d’en Montsó".
The Tower of Canyamel is a robust tower with walls of thick at the base and a height of 23 m meters and is square in plan and has three floors. For his role as defense tower, the tower has loopholes, the battlements and crenellations.
Its Gothic architecture of the thirteenth century and its features make this medieval tower one of the few buildings of its kind in Europe and one in Mallorca.
When the Barbary threat ceased the Canyamel tower was transformed into a farmhouse and its annex building fold. In 2009 the tower was restored and reopened, houses a small museum. The barn was converted into a restaurant.
The ground floor is the great room, covered with a vault of gothic style, where people took refuge in the seats, the walls are pierced with loopholes for defense against the besiegers. On the ground floor, the museum traces the 700 year history of the tower - the thirteenth century to the twentieth century - through, among others, the screening of a documentary "Torre de Canyamel : Testimonio de la historia". A sand pair of mules (carro de parell) restored is exposed.
During the period of the agricultural revolution, the first floor was a large attic with large doors through which grain and other commodities were delivered for storage. The museum will now present an ethnographic collection: ceramics everyday, household items, sporting braided palm leaves, weaving carpets (nineteenth century), weaving tools, but also weapons and military furniture.
The upper floor of the tower consists of a terrace and a small ultimate tower defense (torre del homenaje or torreón) in the center of the terrace. The terrace is surrounded by a parapet and battlements battlements and is also pierced with loopholes and battlements.
The restaurant Porxada de sa Torre is a few meters from the Tower of Canyamel, housed since 1966 in the old barn of the breeding farm that once occupied the tower. This gives it a nice rustic setting with stone walls, wooden furniture and decoration of agricultural implements, and even a windmill.
Sa Porxada restaurant has earned a reputation for its cuisine mainly Majorcan tradition, with a touch of international cuisine. His specialty is suckling pig or "porcella" high in the finca owner and cooked over a wood fire. Rabbit with onions, cod "tumbet" the steaks to "la plancha" and foie gras are also popular.
The restaurant has a nice garden and a terrace.
Free parking.
Hours: 13:00 to 15:30 and 19:00 to 23:00. Closed on Mondays.
Location
Visits_small.jpg "Tower Canyamel Mallorca - Canyamel Tower. Click to enlarge the image in Adobe Stock (new tab).")
.jpg "Tower Canyamel in Majorca - The door to the tower Canyamel (author Frank Vincentz). Click to enlarge the image.")
.jpg "Tower Canyamel in Majorca - The door to the tower Canyamel (author Frank Vincentz). Click to enlarge the image.")
_small.jpg "Tower Canyamel Mallorca - Canyamel Tower. Click to enlarge the image in Adobe Stock (new tab).")
_small.jpg "Tower Canyamel Mallorca - Canyamel Tower. Click to enlarge the image in Adobe Stock (new tab).")
.jpg "Tower Canyamel in Majorca - The door to the tower Canyamel (author Frank Vincentz). Click to enlarge the image.")
Practical Information
.jpg "Tower Canyamel Mallorca - Prospectus of the Torre de Canyamel. Click to enlarge the image.")
_small.jpg "Tower Canyamel Mallorca - Canyamel Tower. Click to enlarge the image in Adobe Stock (new tab).")
.jpg "Tower Canyamel Mallorca - suckling pig restaurant Porxada its Torre (author Frank Vincentz). Click to enlarge the image.")
Other topics
