LA GRANJA, situated 15 Km from Palma, is a beautiful 10th century mansion, surrounded by lush vegetation, beautiful gardens and natural fountains.
Greatly valued in Roman times for the vast quantity of water which flowed there, it still has a magnificent natural spring, thirty feet high, as evidence of its power. It was also of great interest to the Moors, who dominated the island from the 10th century until the 13th century. With the Christian conquest of 1229 a new phase begins, with a brief period of feudal possession, until in 1230 it was handed over to the Cistercian monks, who held it for 200 years, until it became the property of D. Mateo Vida. This family owned it for another 200 years, after which it was passed to the Fortuny family. The present owner is D. Cristóbal Seguí Colom.
La Granja – the result of many periods and changes – is a mixture of stately and rustic style, because, as well as being used as a residence, it was also an estate dedicated to agricultural production, which at one time had more than a hundred workers. This is what gives it the inexplicable charm of a well-preserved old building which maintains a very appropriate style of its own – but at the same time has the most decisive elements of our rich cultural past. Today it is a genuine living display of Majorcan customs through ages.
Along the way you have the opportunity to see the typical flora. There are pines, holm oaks, strawberry trees, shrubs, rosemary, asparagus etc…
A couple of magestic conifers rise up in the centre of the garden, however, the central attraction is the yew tree which proudly stands at one end of the pond. Throughout the centuries the yew was very much prized for its hard wood but at the same time feared, due to its deadly fruit.
The yew which grows in La Granja is one of the very few examples left on the Island, being a thousand years old with an ornately shaped trunk and interweaving branches.
We find a selection of animals usually found on a farm, such as pheasants, ducks and geese and others from the forests, like African partridges and deer.
The "porc negre" - black Majorcan pig, deserves a special mention as its meat is fundamental for making the islands' best quality sausages - "sobrasada, llengonissa, botifarra, camaiot" etc.
Some animals that inhabit this area are the Majorca goat, rabbits, hares, kites, kestrels, pigeons, partridges, turtledoves, quail, shrikes, sparrows, goldfinches and, if you're very lucky you may catch sight of the graceful glide of a black vulture.

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