Palma de Mallorca 1957 vs 2025

Partially written with the help of Google Gemini AI

When I went through my collection of National Geographic magazines and viewed the May 1957 issue, I noticed a long article about the Balearic islands. Since I had recently visited one of them ... Mallorca, I was especially interested in the photo comparisons between 1957 and what I saw myself.

(National Geographic - May 1957)

The first photo I noticed in the article is this one from Palma de Mallorca, you can clearly see the cathedral with some small boats in the marina. A Window into Mid-Century Mallorca: The Harbor of Palma. The image captures a beautiful, nostalgic glimpse of life in the Balearic Islands and beautifully juxtaposes the everyday labor of local fishermen with the grandeur of one of Spain's most iconic architectural masterpieces. The Crown Jewel: dominating the background on the left is the Cathedral of Santa Maria of Palma, more commonly referred to as La Seu. This massive Roman Catholic cathedral is a stunning example of Catalan Gothic architecture, renowned for its towering height, expansive rose windows, and intricate flying buttresses. Construction began in the 13th century under the Crown of Aragon on the site of a Moorish-era mosque, and it wasn't completed until the 1630s. Its position is striking and unique, it sits right along the Bay of Palma, acting as a beacon for incoming ships. Compared to 2025 we can see that the buildings visible in the photo seem to be all still there and of course the cathedral is still the centerpiece of most photography, however, the marine has been expanded heavily since 1957 as you can see in a long distance photo I took from the roof of Bellver castle.

In the decades since the original photo was taken, the area in front of La Seu has undergone a massive transformation. While the cathedral remains the eternal anchor of the skyline, its relationship with the water has been completely redefined. The most striking difference you would notice today is the Parc de la Mar. In the 1960s and 70s, a new reclaimed roadway (the Ma-19) was built between the city walls and the sea to handle increasing traffic. To prevent the cathedral from losing its historic connection to the water, urban planners created a giant artificial saltwater lake in front of the walls. The "Reflection" Effect: This lake was specifically designed to mirror the cathedral’s silhouette, mimicking the way the Mediterranean used to lap against the stone footings of the city as seen in the photo. Some examples of this effect can be seen in these photos I took at this lake.

The second photo shows the long distance overview of the port of Palma. It provides a panoramic view of the city’s geography, likely also taken from the heights near Bellver Castle. The sprawling city of Palma is visible to the left, with the Cathedral clearly identifiable as the tallest structure near the shoreline. The long breakwater (Dique del Oeste) stretches into the bay, protecting the inner harbor where passenger ferries and cargo ships would dock. In the far distance, the silhouettes of Mallorca's mountain range provide a rugged backdrop to the coastal plains.

The Evolution of the Waterfront: since these photos were taken, the area in front of the Cathedral has been fundamentally altered. The lighthouse visible in the photo has a history tied to the massive expansion of Palma's harbor in the 20th century. While the city is famous for the ancient Porto Pí Lighthouse, the one shown on the breakwater in is a younger, industrial-era landmark, the lighthouse sits at the tip of the Dique del Oeste (West Dyke), a massive stone breakwater constructed to protect the harbor from the open sea. A project for a lighthouse at the end of the quay was presented by Juan Malbertí and it officially opened on November 1, 1903. It served as a primary navigational guide for most of the 20th century and originally used a light pattern of 2+1 occultations every 12 seconds. The station was electrified in 1918. From 1966 until its closure, it utilized a specialized electro-gas system. As the harbor continued to grow, the quay was lengthened again, making the old lighthouse's position obsolete. It was taken out of service in 1982 and replaced by modern beacons further out. In a rare move for industrial infrastructure, the building was dismantled stone by stone and rebuilt on the main thoroughfare of the commercial docks, where it now serves as an architectural landmark and office for the Port Authority.

From the site of Bellver castle, I was able to take the following shots, showing the drastic changes in Palma Harbor since this shot was taken around 1957, lots of extra space has been added and the lighthouse as it appears today as a historic landmark.

The photos on these pages show costumed players enacting the liberation of Palma from the Moors.

The article describes an annual summer festival written by American playwright Clyde Robinson. The performance reenacts the pivotal year of 1229, when the 21-year-old King Jaime I of Aragon led an invasion to free the Balearic Islands from North African Moslem (Moorish) rule. The photographs highlight several key moments and figures, in the top-left panel, the plumed Emir Abu Yahye is shown surrendering to the crowned King Jaime I. The "Moors" are depicted with crescent-decorated shields and flags, while the victors carry the red-striped gold standards of Aragon.

The bottom-left image shows trumpeters in 16th-century livery announcing the arrival of Emperor Carlos V in 1541, illustrating that the island remained a strategic military hub long after its initial conquest.

The bottom-right photo shifts focus to the "Ladies of the Majorcan court," showing women in period-accurate dress engaged in embroidery, a craft the text notes remained significant to the island's culture at the time of publication.

The festivities take place within the central courtyard of Bellver Castle. Built by Jaime II (the conqueror’s heir), the castle serves as an "authentic stage" for these amateur townsperson-actors. Interestingly, the text mentions that the castle, once a political prison, had been converted into a museum by the time this article was printed in 1957 and it still is today. Although I can't exactly pinpoint the exact place of these photos, I did view the interior and roof of the castle in 2025 as you can see in these shots.