El Born and the Muelle de la Riba, the sea path within the city

PalmUntil the Riera was diverted from its natural course within the city, this torrent—Puigpunyentí in origin—was the natural path for part of the waters of the Tramuntana River to the sea. This was due to the flood of October 1403, in which some 5,000 people died. La Rambla, Riera Street, Unió, and the Born form the fossilized imprint of this event. Back then, in the 15th century, the sea entered well inland, and up to the Plaza de la Reina, this urban promenade was a small bay, accessible by boat. The drying up of the Riera marked the birth of a new path, a public thoroughfare that constantly speaks to us, with its heart in its hand, of history and heritage, of natural disasters and festive celebrations, of life and death. The Born and the Muelle de la Riba dock are our urban walk to understand the city's relationship with the sea, of the memory of paths.

We don't detail schedules on this route, only elevation gain and maximum height. It's simply a flat, family-friendly stroll through streets and squares steeped in history, legends, and an immense architectural and cultural heritage that requires time and calm to explore unhurriedly and with all five senses. This is an initiative of the ARA Baleares newspaper and the Port Authority of the Balearic Islands to convey and publicize the secret heritage of our ports, with special mention to those of Palma, Alcudia, Mahon, Ibiza, and La Savina in Formentera. On this occasion, we depart from Palma's Plaza Weyler, heading towards the sea. EMT lines 3, 4, 7, 20, and 35 stop here. At the end of the route, you can return on foot or by bus, L-1 (emtpalma.cat).

The route

The opening of the Gran Hotel in 1903 marked a significant step forward in Palma's tourist accommodation offering. Today, home to the CaixaFòrum, we find ourselves before one of the jewels of Modernisme in Mallorca, designed by the Catalan architect Lluís Domènech i Montaner. "A large and beautiful five-story building, with an imposing façade and balcony windows overlooking the small central square of the city," was how the British writer Margaret d'Este, who stayed there with her mother in the spring of 1906, described it. Nearby, the Forn del Can (the Forn del Can) and the Pensión Menorquina (the Mercat Square) are other representative examples of Modernisme in our city.

From Plaça Weyler, we start walking towards Passeig del Born, along Carrer de la Unió. We turn left through what is popularly known as Plaça de las Tortugas, and enter Passeig del Born. This is the true artery that gives life to the city and also serves as the main portal for all those entering from the port. "It is the yolk of the island, it is where the meridian passes, it is the bone, the heart, and the soul," said the painter and writer Santiago Rusiñol.

Apart from all the ornamentation of the surroundings, the result of the intervention conceived and designed by Tomàs Abrines in 1833 as part of the project called The Princess's Hall, in homage to Infanta Maria Isabel Luisa de Borbón y Borbón, future Queen Isabel II, the Passeig del Born is "an urban delight, a street just for being," according to journalist and writer Josep Pla. Once, only the wealthy strolled through the center of the Born; now, everyone does. Between the Lonja and the Almudaina Palace, the sea penetrated almost to the confluence of Carrer de la Unió and Carrer de Jaume III. The drying up of this space in the 16th century transformed 250 meters of "muddy port" into a vibrant lifeline, unwittingly flowing through an immense and powerful heritage setting. Thus, we can contemplate the 18th-century Casal Solleric and some of the most emblematic buildings by the architect Gaspar Bennàssar y Moner, Can Ribas and the Cine Born, from the early 20th century.

We leave the old Princess Hall and we enter Plaza de la Reina. The monument to Isabel II, which gave the square its name, fell on October 16, 1868, as a result of the proclamation of the First Republic. On the left, we have a small garden designed by Josep Frontera in 1863 and a monument to Joan Alcover from 1927. The muse, a work by Esteve Monegal. On the right, it's worth taking a moment to look at Calle de la Mar. The Gabella de la Sal or Almodí gate, a vestige of the old medieval wall and the most authentic access to Palma from the sea, is a remnant of the old medieval wall. To the right, at the beginning of the street, on the wall of a former 16th-century military barracks, we find a plaque commemorating the presence in this area of the French writer George Sand (Aurore Dudevant) and the Polish musician Frederic Chopin, with her two children, Maurice and Solange, during the winter of 1898 to 1838, the absence of travelers in a city "so close to the great civilizations of Europe."

We resume our walk along Avenida de Antoni Maura towards the sea. We stop at the Hort del Rei gardens and take a look at the city's old royal port, at the foot of the Almudaina Palace. An old port infrastructure from the medieval Muslim period. We cross the Paseo de Sagrera, passing by the monument to Ramon Llull, built in 1967 by the sculptor Horacio de Eguia. We leave the Maritime Captaincy and Customs buildings on the left. On the other side of the promenade, at the beginning of the Muelle de la Riba, we find on the left the two buildings that make up the headquarters of the Port Authority of the Balearic Islands. The first and oldest, dating from 1933, has a more institutional function; next to it, another, more modern and functional building used as offices. On the esplanade where we are now standing, we have, on the right, the monument to Captain Toni (Remigia Caubet, 1972), Lieutenant General of the Navy Antoni Barceló y Puente de la Tierra, Illustrious Son of Palma and a great privateer of the 18th century. And just a few meters away, a section of railway track that connected Plaça d'Espanya with the port, first above ground and then underground, between 1877 and 1965.

Chapel of Sant Telm

We turn right, heading west, along the sidewalk facing the sea. We pass over the Royal Staircase of the Muelle de la Lonja (fish market). To the right, the Lonja (fish market) and the Consulado del Mar (sea consulate), now connected by the old Puerta del Moll (port gate), a consequence of the development of the port and its hectic activity between the 15th, 16th, and 17th centuries. We now head towards the fishermen's wharf and the Real Club Náutico de Palma (Royal Yacht Club of Palma), where we admire the sculpture by Lluïsa Granero y Serra. The genius of the islands, from 1986. Before ending our route, we stop at the 17th-century chapel of Sant Telm. Initially located on the corner of Paseo de Sagrera and Calle de la Mar, it was moved stone by stone to this new location in 1947. A place of worship, candle-making workshop, customs office, tobacco shop, and even a tavern, it is a key piece of historical heritage for understanding Palma and the sea. "In La Riba, the promenade was long and leisurely, within domestic reach, suitable for onlookers. [...]/...] La Riba was then one of the limits of Palma. Its lamppost, solitary like all lampposts, marked the end of the pier and, therefore, the beginning of the world outside of Mallorca" (Memory of Paths, by Miquel Rayó. New Muelle Publishing House, 2022).

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