What to see in Montuïri

Archaeology, architecture with clear medieval traces and traditional culture are just some of what Montuïri has to offer. Places to visit, landscapes to enjoy and traditions to experience are the main reasons to get to know Montuïri up close.

Within the municipality we highlight five areas of interest, which you can explore on your own or discover on the Montuïri guided tour:

a1 - Son Fornés Museum and Archaeological Site

Montuïri, the land of windmills, has long been tied to cereal growing and flour production, and the archaeological site of Son Fornés bears witness to that link. This publicly owned site covers more than 3 hectares, of which around 15% has been excavated. It lies on the Ma-3200 road towards Pina, 2.5 km from the village centre.

Since 1975, numerous excavation campaigns led by the Autonomous University of Barcelona have uncovered more than 1,500 square metres of monumental architecture, fully restored and open to visitors.

Here you can trace how a settlement changed over time, from its Talayotic core —with the largest talayot (Bronze/Iron Age stone tower) in Mallorca, 17 metres in diameter and over 4 metres high— to the central area with two Roman-period "twin" sanctuaries. These buildings are linked by a network of streets leading to a drainage system that is unique in the Balearic archaeological record.

The Molí des Fraret, an 18th-century flour mill, has housed the Son Fornés Archaeological Museum since 2001. This single-site museum displays, across three exhibition rooms, a fine selection of original finds from the excavations (pottery, bone tools, stone implements and bronze and iron objects). They document a long period of Mallorca's prehistory during the first millennium BC, with special focus on the Talayotic period (900-550 BC).

The site and museum offer guided visits all year round and are part of the "Tour of prehistoric and traditional Mallorca", which also includes a flour mill and a traditional Mallorcan house. See the guided tour page for full details.

Museum opening hours: Wednesday to Saturday, 10 am to 2 pm. On the last Sunday of each month there is an open day (10 am to 2 pm). Always check the latest opening times on the museum's official website.

www.sonfornes.mallorca.museum

Entrance to the Son Fornés Archaeological Museum

Sanctuary no. 2 (4th century BC) at the Son Fornés Archaeological Site

Classical-period room of the Son Fornés Museum

a2 - Plaça Vella and Carrer Major

Montuïri was founded as a town in 1300 by a Settlement Charter granted by King James II of Mallorca. Following the king's Ordinacions, the village was laid out on a regular plan along the axis joining the two original settlements on the highest part of the hill, forming Carrer Major and Carrer Pujol. The other streets were drawn parallel and perpendicular to them, creating the characteristic "Quadrat".

The old town is an excellent example of 14th-15th century medieval town planning.

Carrer Major is home to the most important heritage houses. At the start of the street, on the right and above street level, stand the manor houses of the Son Rafel Mas estate, with a large round-arched doorway.

The stepped alley of Son Rafel Mas leads up to Plaça Vella, set on very rocky ground. It is documented in the early 14th century as the butchers' square (plaça de la Carnisseria) and later under other names such as plaça del Mercat, d'en Roca or de sa Quintana.

The centre of the square is occupied by two small blocks of houses built in the 16th century, which define its current layout. Some of the oldest buildings in the village survive here, with typical features of traditional architecture: round-arched doorways, roof windows for loading straw, tiled cornices and gargoyles.

In one corner stands a remarkable building, the house of the doctor Miquel Ferrando Obrador (early 20th century), in regionalist style and designed by the architect Guillem Forteza. Its garden, with interesting Modernista details, is also worth a look.

Steps of the Son Rafel Mas alley leading to Plaça Vella

Detail of a building on Plaça Vella

Façade detail on Carrer Major

a3 - Plaça Major

Plaça Major was the seat of the old local government (the Universitat). Today it is home to the Town Hall and the parish buildings.

Work on the church of Sant Bartomeu began in the early 14th century. The roof was rebuilt in 1515 and construction of the bell tower started in 1552. In the late 16th and early 17th centuries the church was widened and lengthened, and in the 18th century the vaults of the chapels and presbytery were built.

The church stands in front of a paved esplanade reached by a flight of steps known as els Graons (1813). To the right is a bust of Father Antoni Martorell i Miralles (Montuïri, 1913-2009), an internationally renowned musician named an illustrious son of Montuïri in 1985. To the left stands Ca s'Escolà (1553), the former mortuary house until 1823, when the cemetery was moved outside the village.

The Rectory (17th century) is a handsome two-storey building with Gothic elements and a gabled roof.

Plaça Major is the stage for two events close to the hearts of the people of Montuïri:

- The feast of the patron saint, Sant Bartomeu, on 24 August, when the Cossiers of Montuïri, accompanied by the Lady (Dama) and the Devil (Dimoni), dance through the village. The dance is a symbol of local identity, and the group received the Ramon Llull Award from the Balearic Government in 2012.

- The Partridge Fair (Fira de sa Perdiu), whose unique feature is its call-partridge contest, held on the first Sunday of December.

Every Monday from 8 am to 1 pm the square also hosts the weekly market with local and craft products, fruit and vegetables.

Church of Sant Bartomeu

Detail of the church sundial

a4 - Es Molinar

Es Molinar, the oldest and highest part of the village, begins at Plaça de ses Tres Creus, named after three wooden crosses set into the wall of a house. In the middle of the square stands a stone wayside cross, the Creu del Calvari (17th-18th century), on a circular two-step base. Formerly called plaça de la Quartera, this was where cereals and pulses were bought and sold.

As early as 1248 a church dedicated to Santa Maria and a rectory are documented here; after the town was founded under James II's Ordinacions, they were replaced by the present church of Sant Bartomeu.

Carrer des Molinar was a road out of the village which, taking advantage of the hilltop, became a typical quarter of flour windmills — essential to village life during the economic growth of the 17th century. The wind turned the sails to grind the grain grown in the fertile local fields into flour for the staple food: bread. Farming continued to shape life in Montuïri through the 18th and 19th centuries; when electricity arrived, the windmills were replaced by mechanical flour mills.

Eight windmills survive on Carrer des Molinar: d'en Vermell, d'en Nofre, d'en Serra, d'en Ferrando and d'en Perons and, at the end of the cobbled street, those of n'Andreu, d'en Tevet and d'en Rigo. The recently restored Molí d'en Nofre is one of the stops on the guided tour.

The Molí d'en Ferrando is part of a new public building, Es Molinar, with a large open-air terrace offering spectacular views of the surrounding countryside.

Panoramic view of the Molinar quarter

Les Tres Creus

Plaça de ses Tres Creus

a5 - The countryside

The municipality of Montuïri has the classic landscape of the Pla de Mallorca, the island's central plain: wide fields where a strong tradition of cereal farming on small family holdings still prevails.

The flat landscape is broken by a few hills, such as the one the village stands on and Puig de Sant Miquel. The higher ground also hides many natural caves.

The countryside is dotted with traditional water structures that made it possible to farm large fields — conduits, ditches, streams, terraces and waterwheels (sínies) — always built with dry stone.

In a land with little rainfall and weak springs, only wells could guarantee water during the dry summer months. Five public wells remain: sa Cova, es Dau, es Torrent, d'en Socies and, most notably, the Pou del Rei (on the road from Montuïri to Pina), which together with its washhouses forms a remarkable ensemble.

Among the rural flour mills, those of d'en Fraret (home of the Son Fornés Archaeological Museum), d'en Gospet, the Son Manera estate, Can Comelles, Son Costa and Can Socies stand out.

Puig de Sant Miquel, a protected Natural Area of Special Interest (ANEI), is a superb viewpoint over the plains and hills around Montuïri. At the top stands the hermitage of the Mare de Déu de la Bona Pau (1396). Every year, on the Tuesday after Easter, the villagers walk up to celebrate the Dia d'es Puig, a much-loved traditional pilgrimage.

The Pou del Rei

Hermitage of the Mare de Déu de la Bona Pau

Waterwheel (sínia), a traditional rural feature

How to plan your visit to Montuïri

A good way to explore the village is to start at the Son Fornés Museum and Archaeological Site (2.5 km from the centre) and then continue on foot through the old town: Carrer Major, Plaça Vella, Plaça Major with the church of Sant Bartomeu and, finally, the Molinar quarter, which offers one of the best views of the Pla de Mallorca.

If you visit on a Monday, don't miss the weekly market on Plaça Major (8 am to 1 pm). If you come in August, at Easter or on the first Sunday of December, check the fairs and festivals calendar. Signposted car parks are available at the main entrances to the village; see about Montuïri for directions. For lunch or somewhere to stay, browse the directory of places to eat and stay in Montuïri.

Frequently asked questions

What are the must-see sights in Montuïri?

The Son Fornés Talayotic site and museum, Plaça Major with the church of Sant Bartomeu, the medieval old town (Carrer Major and Plaça Vella), the Molinar quarter with eight windmills and Puig de Sant Miquel with the Bona Pau hermitage.

When is the Son Fornés Archaeological Museum open?

Wednesday to Saturday from 10 am to 2 pm, with an open day on the last Sunday of each month (10 am to 2 pm). Please check the museum's official website for the latest times before you go.

When is Montuïri market day?

Every Monday from 8 am to 1 pm on Plaça Major, with local and craft products, fruit and vegetables.

How much time do I need to visit Montuïri?

Half a day is enough to see Son Fornés and stroll around the old town and es Molinar. Add Puig de Sant Miquel or lunch in the village and it makes a great full-day trip.