Municipality
Mancor de la Vall
Photo: Araceli Merino · CC BY-SA 3.0 · Wikimedia Commons · cropped
Mancor de la Vall is a small village at the foot of the Serra de Tramuntana, in the Raiguer, between Selva, Lloseta, Alaró and Escorca. It was part of the municipality of Selva until 1925, and its territory was formed from four alquerías of Andalusian origin that still name the areas of the municipality. For those seeking housing, it offers mountain village houses at inland prices, with the mountains literally starting just behind the town centre and Inca just a few minutes away.
The municipality occupies a valley at the junction of the plain and the mountain, with terraced fields, olive groves and oak forests rising towards the peaks. According to the history published by the town hall, during the Islamic period the area belonged to the district of Inkan and was formed by four alquerías —Mancor, Benorio, Maizarella and Benizen— which are the current Mancor, Biniarroi, Massanella and Biniatzent.
The most recognisable heritage piece is the chapel of Santa Llúcia, documented in the 14th century and built between the alquerías of Mancor and Biniarroi to serve some residents who, until then, had to go down to the church of Sant Llorenç de Selva. The municipality's heritage catalogue also includes the parish church, the possessió of Massanella and its surroundings, and the tafona of Son Morro.
The village of Mancor concentrates services and almost all urban housing: terraced houses, streets on a slight slope and some recent 19th-century extensions with single-family homes. The former areas of Biniarroi, Massanella and Biniatzent are now rustic zones with scattered houses and mountain fincas, where the most unique products are found, albeit with more complicated access and supplies.
The town hall maintains a municipal library and municipal archive, in addition to the basic services of a village of this size. For secondary schools, regional hospital, large retail outlets and administration, Inca is just a few minutes away; Palma is a short journey from there. There is no noticeable tourist seasonality: it is a municipality with a permanent population, although it receives mountain visitors on weekends.
There is no coast. What exists is the mountain: from the municipality, access points to the Tramuntana and its central massif begin, with paths and hiking routes that are the main attraction of the municipality and the reason for much of its weekend influx.
The annual event is the Fira de l'Esclata-sang i de la Muntanya, the autumn fair dedicated to mushrooms and the mountains, which the town hall organises with its own call for participants. The chapel of Santa Llúcia, overlooking the village, is the classic short walk.
Mancor is connected by road to Selva, Lloseta and Inca. It does not have a train station: the nearest are those of Inca and Lloseta, just a few minutes by car. The bus links the municipality with Inca. A car is necessary, and it is advisable to note that the roads to the mountains are narrow and slow.
Terraced village houses, often made of stone and with a patio, in the town centre; some single-family homes with plots on the outskirts; and country houses and mountain fincas in the areas of the municipality. New builds are scarce. A large part of the municipality is within the scope of the Serra de Tramuntana, with a protection regime that conditions building and rehabilitation in rustic areas: it is advisable to verify what is allowed before purchasing with a project, in addition to checking access and supplies.
A very small market, with low turnover and limited published offers at any one time. Demand is local and regional, with outside buyers interested in houses with views and mountain fincas, which are the ones that sustain the highest prices in the municipality. Long-term residential rentals are scarce. Tourist rentals are subject to regulations that have changed several times and are particularly restrictive in protected rustic areas: it is advisable to confirm them for the specific property.
It suits those who want the Serra de Tramuntana at their doorstep without paying the price of the more well-known villages in the mountains, and those who work in Inca or need to go to Palma with some frequency. It is important to consider the absence of the sea, the limited services, the scarcity of offers, the cost of renovating in stone and on slopes, and the protection framework of the mountains, which maintains the environment while also restricting what can be done with a property.