Sa Llotja (La Llotja de Mallorca)

Sa Llotja, also written La Llotja de Mallorca, is a Gothic merchants' exchange on the Plaça de la Llotja in the La Llotja-Born district of Palma, on the island of Mallorca in Spain's Balearic Islands. The architect Guillem Sagrera designed it, and it was built between 1426 and 1447 when Palma was a major Mediterranean trading port. It is regarded as the best surviving example of Mallorcan late Gothic civil architecture. From outside, the building reads as a crenellated rectangular block with tall traceried windows and corner turrets, standing at the head of the Passeig de Sagrera waterfront. The interior is a single large hall whose slender, spiralling columns rise without capitals into the vaults, an effect often compared to a stone forest. The building is used mainly for exhibitions and events rather than regular daily opening, so interior access depends on what is on, and entry prices vary by show. The exterior and the surrounding arcaded square are accessible at any hour, which makes Sa Llotja an easy stop on a walk through the old town. A visit to the outside takes 20 to 40 minutes; time inside depends on the exhibition. The facade is best photographed in the evening, when it is lit and the nearby Passeig del Born and the streets of Sant Pere fill with people at cafes and bars. It is about a five-minute walk from the Passeig del Born and ten minutes on foot from the cathedral. Visitors interested in the interior should check the current exhibition programme through the Palma tourism office at visitpalma.com before going. Midday is quiet, and the area is liveliest on weekend evenings.