Ariany: Windmills, Paths and Village History

Landscape and paths around Ariany

From Carrer Auberg, you can see Puig de Randa, Puig de Bonany and the Serra de Llevant. Cereal cultivation predominates in the surrounding countryside between Ariany and Santa Margalida. From there, you can also see the central section of the Serra de Tramuntana, including Puig Major, Massanella, Puig Roig and Puig d’Alfàbia. These viewpoints and landscapes offer different ways to explore the surrounding area.

At the edge of town, in the direction of Maria de la Salut, two former windmills can be seen from the road. They were once used for flour production. The windmill towers are not all alike: some stand in the landscape as preserved structures, while others are reminders of an earlier use.

For a walk to Petra, the D’Ariany a Petra route passes through Pou Jurà and Pou Bo. It is 6.4 km long, entirely flat and easy; the walking time is approximately two hours. These details can help you work the route into your day’s plans. The Pla de Mallorca hiking guide is a separate resource: it offers eight routes for experiencing the Pla’s natural and cultural heritage in municipalities such as Ariany.

Another historic path is the Camí de sa Marquesa, an old paved route that, according to tradition, connected S’Auberg with Son Sureda de Manacor. Its traditional connection sets it apart from the Petra route described above; the two paths offer different ways to explore the area.

Windmills and village history

The seven surviving windmill towers each reveal different historical details. Molí d’en Marinero dates from the late 18th century and is the widest windmill tower in the municipality of Ariany. Molí d’en Rigo is one of the oldest windmills in the area; a niche contains a depiction of Saint Anthony. Molí d’en Guillem Gener, meanwhile, was the last windmill built in Ariany.

The dates also distinguish the structures: Molí d’en Bernat Gener was built in 1910 and operated until 1934. Molí de Ses Comunes, also known as Molí d’en Xarop, is an abandoned windmill that retains remnants of its machinery. A fragment of the windmill tower remains at Molí d’en Piuló; it was abandoned in 1919 because there was too little wind there.

In the town centre stands Sa Creu, a cross made of Marès sandstone in the Neoclassical style in 1856. S’Auberg is the house from which Ariany’s town centre developed. Its portal has a rounded arch and sandstone voussoirs. The two buildings thus tell different stories about the town’s appearance and development.

Traditions and wells

The Encontre is celebrated at Sa Creu at Easter; olive branches are blessed there on Palm Sunday. Ariany’s municipal independence day falls on the third Saturday in July. Celebrations include a Tramponada and a night market featuring local handicrafts. These events bring religious tradition and community celebrations into the town’s annual calendar.

The old ethnological wells of Pou Bo and Pou Jurà are also interesting features of the surrounding area. Both are less than one kilometre from Ariany. Until not so long ago, Pou Bo still had troughs for watering livestock. Pou Jurà has livestock troughs and washing places beneath a roof. Their different facilities make the wells distinct destinations for anyone interested in earlier forms of water use.

Discover more places

If you would like to include more destinations in your plans, you can also find Petra, Cala Tuent, Palma De Mallorca, Calvia, Vallgornera, Santa Eugènia, Ses Salines and Porto Cristo Novo here.

For the main travel overview: Mallorca.