In whose hands are the Mallorcan possessions?

Palm"The transformation of landholdings has deep roots. At the end of the 19th and beginning of the 20th centuries, there was a first major separation, when the territories were divided from the lineages that had historically owned them," reflects historian Tomás Vibot, one of the leading experts on the subject. "But at that time, their customs were still maintained. Back then, the Mallorcan nobility owned a lot of land, but they didn't have cashAs soon as many properties were sold to other Mallorcans, in some cases they went to the original owners, the tenants who had made enough money to buy them; others passed to the new industrial bourgeoisie or even to those who had made their fortunes in the Americas. The latter is the case of Raixa, which the Despuig family sold, almost gave away, to Navidades, who had become rich in South America. Now, a hundred years later, the second great disconnection is not between territory and surnames, but between territory and nationality and, above all, between territory and utility,” he reflects.

Vibot recalls that it was in the early 1990s, in fact, when the boom The buying and selling of many of these historic estates is booming, a trend that has multiplied exponentially in recent years. "Right now, we're seeing cases like Banyalbufar, where practically all the properties are in foreign hands. And I don't say all because there's one public estate, Planícia, and the estates in Deià are in a very similar situation," he says.

The change in ownership, however, is only one part of the radical transformation that the vast majority of these estates have undergone, almost always brought about by a change in their uses. "We have to remember that in the past, the manor houses were secondary: what sustained ownership was the land. Vineyards could be worth three times more than the houses, and now all of this has completely changed. Currently, you have to make the most of the buildings, you have to use the houses to maintain the land, and so on." Between these two things, then, a new shift has occurred, as Vibot defines it, resulting in three main models among current landowners: many are in foreign hands, others have become public, and there are still a few that remain linked to medieval times. In all three scenarios, there are, of course, examples of both good and bad management, according to several experts consulted.

Landholdings to Real Estate Companies

That foreign citizens are showing interest in Mallorcan properties is, in any case, not a new phenomenon: it's exactly what Archduke Ludwig Salvator did, acquiring several properties between the late 19th and early 20th centuries. In any case, in recent years we have witnessed a steady trickle of acquisitions of many of these estates by citizens of different nationalities—Germans, Swedes, and Danes, among others. "I have a sort of hobby," shares Tomàs Vibot, author of the comprehensive volumes PossessionsPublished by El Gall Editor, "which is to look in the windows of real estate agencies to see if I see any. And I usually find one. The last one was Montblanc, owned by María de la Salud, who has some wonderful houses. I went into many of the ones I've seen for sale in recent years, twenty years ago, and... Mallorcan lineages," he recalls.

Among those sold to foreigners in recent decades, some are used as private residences—almost like any other villa, but with the added appeal of historical significance—while others have been converted into agritourism establishments or rural hotels, and still others have managed to survive in some way. The estates of Es Rafal de Planícia and Son Bunyola, both in Banyalbufar, have undergone remarkable landscape restoration. Even more remarkable is Son Antem, an estate in Santa María del Camino owned by the Lidby family, who since 2014 have revived their vineyards and market their wine, which comes from a certified organic vineyard. At the other extreme is the medieval estate of Son Balaguer des Racó in Puigpunyent. After being acquired by foreign owners, a renovation was carried out that, in practice, involved the demolition of the original structures of the houses. The residents of the municipality protested once the facts came to light, and the City Council fined the owners in 2007 and forced them to rebuild the demolished buildings. The damage, in any case, had already been done. Beyond exceptional situations like this, however, the dangers of selling these properties are diverse today.

Son Reus de Randa

In late 2025, the case of the Son Reus estate in Randa came to light. These lands, which once formed part of a large farmhouse, came into the hands of the Reus family during the Middle Ages and remained in the hands of their descendants—now of the Socias lineage—until their intention to transfer ownership to the family became known. According to Tomàs Vibot, it is a very complete property, including a significant winery and an olive oil mill, as well as quarries and a road that is still used today to access Randa. "The estate's heritage value already suggests considering making it a public property. It's true that nothing remains of the original medieval structure; the exterior is from a later period. However, it has traditional outbuildings, and there is documented Islamic settlement on the land. But that's not the only reason why we should consider the rights that all the residents of Randa have," shares Dr. Miquel Àngel Capellà, an art historian and resident of Randa. In fact, it was in 1861 that the estate's owner, Pedro Antonio Socias, declared that he was ceding the quarries "forever to the residents of Randa and their heirs," as long as they lived, and granting them the right to cut firewood and fill stones, among other things. "What will happen to all this if it ends up in the hands of foreigners or people who don't know the context and the situation? It's painful to think about," Capellà points out.

Raja and public management

However, the fact that a former Mallorcan estate becomes public property doesn't always mean its problems are solved, far from it. Just look at the case of Raixa: four different experts agree that it was a "disaster," and three claim to have initially supported its acquisition by the institutions but later regretted their stance. "The preservation of the exterior has been positive, both in the gardens and the ethnological artifacts. However, everything that has been done with the interior is simply incomprehensible. We had the joy of owning the crown and we've turned it into something dystopian and senseless," says one of them, who believes that the experts have received a lot of criticism, and he doubts that something like this could ever happen again.

Among the successful examples of public management of traditional estates is, for instance, Planícia, in Banyalbufar. It was purchased in 2009, and since then, work has been underway to restore its land. "The problem is that these are long-term investments and interventions; they are slow," notes Tomàs Vibot, "and what you have to do is compare how it was when it was acquired with what state it's in ten or twenty years later. In a place like Planícia, there could have been 40 or 50 people working a hundred years ago in the Llevant Valley. In any case, when assessing whether an estate should be managed by the Administration, you shouldn't only consider the sale price, which is usually high, but above all, the maintenance costs, which is where a stable and constant investment is really required."

With the same lineage as centuries ago

And while they are a minority, there are still some estates in Mallorca that haven't changed hands in recent centuries. This is the case of Masnou, in Consell, which has belonged to the Puigdorfila family since the 13th century. Another prime example is Alfàbia, which was owned by the Bennàsar family in medieval times and is now owned by their descendants, the Zaforteza family, who also own Vinagrella, in Llubí. Son Cosmet, in Campos, and Son Vivot, in Inca, have also remained linked to the same lineages for centuries, as has Son Mayol, in Felanitx, which has been converted into one of the island's first agritourism establishments. "And then there are still some cases of Mallorcan businesspeople who have bought estates," Vibot points out, "like Tòfol Rosselló, of Olives Rosselló, who acquired Son Mesquidassa and has transformed it into a vast olive grove from which he produces oil."