I. The windmills of Majorca
The Palma windmill workshop

Windmills have always been an integral part of Majorcan scenery. About three thousand windmills can be found on the island, six hundred of these being conventional corn windmills which have partly been already built in the 17th century. On the Balearic Islands, windmills have played an important role for agriculture. Most often, therefore, one finds water mills, especially around the Palma airport. Beside the windmills, scoop wheels and olive oil presses are also part of the Majorcan cultural heritage.

It is believed that the Persians brought windmills to the Balearic Island. After the Christian conquest in 1229, windmills have mainly been used for agriculture. They were most important in the 17th and 18th century, when the windmills ensured the watering of the fields by delivering ground-level water. With technical progress, however, windmills have lost their original function for agriculture. To maintain these cultural artefacts, Aina Serrano, the responsible coordinator from the Department of Environment, took several actions. She founded a windmill workshop near Palma, where the historic objects can be restored in the traditional way. Moreover, new qualified personnel, mostly young people, learn the old working processes, there.