MERCAT MUNICIPAL

This regionalist-style building was built by the architect Francesc Roca i Simó during the Second Spanish Republic. The republican government of the time approved a project to remodel the town centre. The building was inaugurated on the 19th of July 1936, one day after the Civil War began.

It was built right in the historic centre of the town, where previously there had been the hospital and the Sa Quartera house, both of which demolished. The steep site on a slope conditioned the design of the structure and the façades of all the buildings around it.

To address the difference in height, Francesc Roca designed a partially underground floor, thus levelling out the main floor. The side façades keep in line with the slope of the street; it is noteworthy that the main façade is lower than the rear façade.

The building, in the regionalist style which was popular at the time of the Republic, was built using a range of materials, such as stone, concrete and cement. The main façade is fronted by a portico, consisting of three large, round arches on columns. The main portal, shaped as a semi-circular arch, is flanked by two large windows, also shaped as semi-circular arches, thus creating a certain symmetry and consistency with the portico. The side façades are structured into three sections: the first one with windows, which provide light to the basement; the second one with large windows in the shape of half-height arches; and a third, lower part made of a number of small polygonal columns, reminiscent of the porches of the old Mallorcan mansions.

The interior space is a huge, square hall with a hipped roof on large, octagonal columns.

The market hall is open from Tuesday to Sunday, from 8:00 to 13:30 h, and features stalls with fruit and vegetables, flowers, meat, and a café.