La Llotja
La Llotja is one of the narrated stops on the self-guided Palma de Mallorca audio walking tour in Gingerguide. Plan about ~40 min here. Press play at the spot for its two to three minute story, or ask the AI guide anything about it.
- Type historic
- Suggested visit ~40 min
- Palma de Mallorca Palma de Mallorca guide
About La Llotja
A Gothic merchants' exchange built by Guillem Sagrera between 1426 and 1447, its hall roofed by six slender spiral columns that branch into the vaults like stone palm trees.
La Llotja, or Sa Llotja, is the old merchants' exchange of Palma, built by the Mallorcan architect Guillem Sagrera between 1426 and 1447 for the Col-legi de la Mercaderia, the merchants' guild, and finished by Guillem Vilasclar. It is a rectangular hall with octagonal corner towers, smaller turrets between them, and a crown of windows and stepped merlons. The east portal carries a carved Angel Guardian of Commerce in its tympanum, above the words that name the merchants who built it.
Inside, three naves of equal height are carried on six thin helical columns that have no capitals; the ribs spring straight from the twisting shafts and spread into the vault like palm fronds, a design later copied in the Llotja of Valencia. The south facade once formed part of the city's sea wall and was reflected in the water. Today the Govern de les Illes Balears keeps the building as a hall for temporary exhibitions and cultural events, so the interior can be visited when a show is on.
Did you know? The six interior columns are helical, twisted like rope and rising without any capitals, so that the vault ribs appear to grow straight out of them, like a grove of stone palm trees.
How long should you spend at La Llotja?
Plan about ~40 min at La Llotja. That is enough to take it in and hear its narrated story; stay longer if it grabs you. The tour is self-guided, so there is no rush.
Is La Llotja worth visiting?
La Llotja is one of the 13 sights the Gingerguide team researched and narrated in Palma de Mallorca, so it earns a place on a self-guided walk. Its story explains why it matters, and you can ask the AI guide anything the story leaves open.
Nearby stops in Palma de Mallorca
Day 1 of the Palma de Mallorca in 2 days itinerary →
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Hear the story of La Llotja
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