History of Fornalutx
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Fornalutx is located in the centre of the Tramuntana Mountains, which stretch from one end to the other of Mallorca. The town is surrounded by a deep valley that starts in the Puig Major and finishes in Sóller. Fornalux or “Fornalucem” derives from Fornel, Fornal (furnace) or Ferreira. The suffix –utx is the Mozarabic equivalent of the Romance place name suffix “ucem”. The origins of Fornalutx or "Fornalugi", as it is mentioned in old documents, date back to the Catalan conquest. Prior to the conquest it was an Arab farm as evidenced by the layout of its oldest streets. |
The history of the town has always been linked to the neighbouring city of Sóller. Both centres of population were part of the same municipality until 1813. The rights of Fornalutx as an independent municipality were recognised in 1837.
Fornalutx and the surrounding area can be considered without doubt a site of great landscape and architectural interest.
The number of different nationalities has grown in the past years with the increase in population, mainly foreign population. This is due to the tourist attraction of the town.
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In 1983 Fornalutx was awarded the “Placa de Plata por el Fomento de Turismo de Mallorca por la Defensa y Mantenimiento de la Villa" (Silver Plaque for the Defence and Presevation of the Village by the Mallorca Tourism Promotion Association) and the “II Premio Nacional de Pueblos Embellecidos y Mantenidos de España" (2nd National Award for Embellished and Preserved Villages of Spain) by the Tourism General Secretariat. In 1995 the village won the “Premio Alzina” for its endevour in the field of nature, an annual award given by the “Grup Balear d’Ornitologia i Defensa de la Naturalesa” (Balearic Ornithology and Nature Defence Group). |