Castell de Bellver is located 3 km from the center of the city of Palma and 112.6m. high above sea level, overlooking the bay and much of the island of Mallorca. Among the buildings erected throughout the history of Mallorca, Bellver Castle, is undoubtedly one of the most original and emblematic. The castle was built between 1300 and 1311 by direct order of King Jaime Jaume II of Mallorca and is located about 3 kilometers from the center of the city of Palma, on a hill 112 meters high. The enclosure responds to a very concrete and original plan. It consists of a perfectly circular Gothic style building, which is organized around a central circular courtyard, with four large towers facing the four cardinal points. The so-called major or tribute tower, in the north direction, is exempt from the rest of the complex, while the rest of the towers are embedded in the main body. Although attempts have been made to find precedents of circular castles in which Bellver could have been inspired, everything indicates that the Mallorcan work is a genuine innovative work. The material used in the construction of Bellver Castle is marès, a type of sandstone that is easy to work and is frequently found throughout the Balearic geography. Much of the stone comes from the caves under the castle, as well as other quarries in the same forest, Portals Vells and Santanyí. The construction of Bellver Castle was the result of a planned organization of defensive actions by the Casa Real Mallorquina. From the top of the mountain there was an unbeatable perspective for the control of foreign threats that could arrive by land and sea. Bellver was also conceived as a fortress palace where rulers could safely take refuge in case of danger. In any case, despite its defensive nature, the interior presented an elegant and refined taste, worthy of a royal residence, ideal for the recreation of the privileged who inhabited it.
