Right on Plaza de Cort you’ll find Palma de Majorca City Hall: one of the four public administrations present in the city, along with the Spanish General Administration, the Government of the Balearic Islands and the Majorca Island Council.
It was built between 1649 and 1680 by the architects Pere Bauçá, Miquel Oliver and Bartomeu Calafat, and has one of the most beautiful façades in all of Spain. Indeed, it was listed as a site of cultural interest in 1931. Some of its outstanding features include the balcony that spans seven windows and the ‘Banc del si no fos’ (the ‘if it were not for…’ bench, in allusion to the slackers who would sit on it all day finding excuses not to do anything). The façade also has two doorways on either side with Baroque crests, and a clock at the top known by the name of ‘En Figuera’ (the fig tree). There is an interesting juxtaposition between the Baroque crests and the Gothic doorway.
Before its political functions, the city hall building was the seat of the Judicial Court of the former Kingdom of Majorca.
You cannot fail to notice the majestic olive tree situated in the middle of Plaza de Cort. At 8.5 metres tall and with branches stretching to a width of 7 metres, this venerable tree, known by locals as S’Olivera de Cort, is probably the most photographed tree in the city.
Another notable building in this area is Can Corbella, one of Palma’s gems of Modernist architecture, which is situated between Plaza de Cort and Calle de Santo Domingo.
If you want to use it, there’s a Saba public car park on Plaza de San Antonio. You can park your car there, in the city centre, just 10 minutes’ walk from Palma de Mallorca City Hall.
