Mallorca Orient is the youngest member of the Memorial Club, for since the beginning of February, about 20 inhabitants, a mountain village in the municipality of Bunyola is now a Bien de interés cultural (BIC). The guards looked left and right of the main road up the slope and runterkriechenden streets with stone houses, but before the award. But now East is a historical village with the church of Sant Jordi, also officially listed.
The square is located at 450 meters high above the street, there are grouped around a small square in the old village school, a country hotel, an apartment house and the church of Sant Jordi in the 18th Century. In the lower district one finds the architectural remains of a wash house, the place is now also covered under public guardianship. "That's nonsense," says Marc Colom, scion of an old established family in the East, which had managed only ten acres of olive groves, the Land Hotel Son Palou. "Orient previously well protected." For building was allowed only one who could produce at least 50,000 square meters of building land - a rarity. "The new award will only everything more complicated and bureaucratic," says Colom. When Coloms want to renew, for example, the roof of her 600 years old country hotels, they now have to first make a request to fill several requests and wait for the approval of the conservation authority. "For the inhabitants of the East, it would be much more help if the Serra de Tramuntana was honored as world heritage," says Colom. Then subsidies would go with which one could manage and maintain the landscape. For the earth between the Serra d'Alfàbia and the Puig d'Alaro is among the most fertile on the island. "We can bury the only reason 25,000 euros each year in the olive harvest, because we are the hotel," says Colom. Many farmers could no longer afford the costly management of their fields, however, more and more land would be neglect.
One day in February, but that does not fall on further. From the terrace one can enjoy the panoramic view of the valley, through meadows, olive trees, pines and picturesque farms. Only almond trees that's not up here.
"With the help of preservation can be achieved in the East lot," believes the other hand, Nicolas Bennassar and is lomo con col and patatas bravas to the table. The Majorcan who owns the restaurant Ca'n Juan and Chairman of the sociedad d'Orient is delighted that his and the efforts of other 20 members of the association and a half years after the East had success. "About 20 people from the village have applied for conservation," said Bennassar. With the BIC in their pocket they could now ask the community to small favors, such as a repair fallen wall in the village or the non-public way to the waterfall Torrent
de Coanegra officially legalize and make them accessible to visitors.
The fact that the village will change fundamentally because of the new award, does not believe even born in the East Bennassar. "East is East, a sleepy village, which will be folded up at seven clock the sidewalks." And when it's cold outside, also like a good hour earlier.