In front of you is the Gran Hotel, the building with which Palma introduced itself to the world as a tourist destination. It was designed by Lluís Domènech i Montaner, the architect of Barcelona's Palau de la Música Catalana, and opened at the beginning of 1903.

1Cutting-edge luxury

For its time it was almost science fiction. It generated its own electricity, with batteries that lit 450 light bulbs, and it had central heating, a lift and hot water. Until the Ritz opened in Madrid, it was considered the most luxurious hotel in Spain. The façade, with ceramics, sculpture and wrought iron, heralded the Modernisme that would spread through the city in the years that followed.

2The birth of tourism

The hotel opened just as Mallorca was beginning to attract travellers. In 1905 the Fomento del Turismo de Mallorca was founded. Half a century later came the great change: in 1960 the island received around 500,000 visitors and, by the end of the century, several million a year. That tourism transformed Palma's economy, landscape and way of life.

The building that started it all closed as a hotel in 1941.

It passed to the state, underwent alterations that erased part of its decoration and, in 1993, was bought by the Fundació la Caixa, which restored it as a cultural centre. It usually hosts temporary exhibitions and a collection of works by Anglada-Camarasa.

3What to look for

  • The corner tower, with its crown.
  • The curved bay windows and ceramics of the façade.
  • Can Casasayas, on nearby Plaça del Mercat: twin Modernista buildings from 1908-1911.
Old advertising poster for the Grand Hotel in Palma de Mallorca
French poster announcing the opening of the Grand Hotel.
Old black-and-white photograph of the Gran Hotel façade
The Gran Hotel in the early 20th century.

Documented

The Gran Hotel, by Lluís Domènech i Montaner, opened in 1903, closed as a hotel in 1941 and has belonged to the Fundació la Caixa since 1993.

Sources and credits

CaixaForum Palma, history of the building (caixaforum.org); Fomento del Turismo de Mallorca; Gran Enciclopèdia de Mallorca, entry «Gran Hotel».

Photos:

  • Modernista façade of Palma's former Gran Hotel, now CaixaForum: Pérez, CC BY-SA 4.0.
  • Old advertising poster for the Grand Hotel in Palma de Mallorca: Jl FilpoC, CC BY-SA 4.0.
  • Old black-and-white photograph of the Gran Hotel façade: Lluís Marià Vidal i Carreras, Dominio público.

Spotted a mistake? Drop us a line and we’ll look into it.