Bronze Bulls’ Legacy: Discovering Costitx’ Allure

The heart of the bull beats softly in the timeless village of Costitx on the central plains of Mallorca.

A traditional settlement, Costitx is about half an hour’s drive from Palma and ten kilometres from Inca.

Vineyards

Primarily focused on agriculture and livestock, the village is renowned for its vineyards and extensive cereal crops and has minimal industrial activity.

The surrounding countryside is very charming, with many pleasant walks and tracks for mountain bikers.

The village square offers restaurants providing traditional Mallorcan cuisine, and a Saturday market held in front of the church.

The town is also the administrative centre for the picturesque hamlets of Ruberts and Jornets.

Observatory and planetarium – nights in the museum

Costitx has a rich history and is famous for its astral observatory and the Costitx en Flor flower festival. There is also a very interesting natural history museum with permanent displays of the most significant natural science collections in the Balearic Islands, including dioramas of fauna in their habitats.

Documented history goes back a long way in the area, starting prior to 500 BC and the archaeological site of Son Corró, which is a protagonist at village festivals, when giant versions of the iron age bulls’ heads are paraded. There is a wine festival in September, among many others.

Just south of the town is the Astronomical Observatory of Costitx, which opened in 1991 and is the Spain’s easternmost observatory. It is a pioneer in tracking asteroids with robotic telescopes and has discovered several which could present a threat to planet Earth, such as one found in 2003 named after Mallorcan Tennis star, Rafa Nadal.

The observatory is also committed to promoting public awareness.

The integrated planetarium offers friendly guided tours (which must be booked in advance), during which visitors can enjoy an audio-visual presentation on the Big Bang and explore the impressive facility housing 10 telescopes.

There are also occasionally nighttime observations open to the public when major astronomical events are occurring, and many academic institutions run summer schools there, including the Open University.

Costitx is a peaceful haven, a great place for nature lovers, star gazers or anyone looking to slow down and enjoy the view.