Renovating the Sant Feliu Palace: The Exhibition

Jessika EkmanPalma21/09/2022 11:02

A new and very special gallery has opened on the ground floor of the newly refurbished “Townhouse” in central Plaza Cort, Palma. The photo exhibition is an in-the making documentation by Swedish photographer Anne Nyblaeus of the renovation of the Sant Feliu Palace.

The idea to make an exhibition about the working renovation process of the old palace in San Feliu was the brainchild of Swedish Art Director Lars Liljendahl and Swedish author Sara Paborn. Sara has written several bestseller books which have been translated into Spanish. The exhibition and the documentation about the Sant Feliu palace will be presented in Plaza Cort and curated by Lars Liljendahl.

Anne is one of the most trusted interior photographers from the Nordic countries and she comes with an extensive CV. She explains about the project: “Sant Feliu opened its arms and seduced me at first sight with its old soul and charm of a Grand Old Dame. For a year I have been photographing the progress of the buildings renovation and I am honoured and proud to be part of the wonderful team behind this substantial project.”

For project manager Elisabeth Ström, this was her second project in Palma. The beautiful townhouse where the exhibition is housed is the first fully completed project. Elisabeth has been a regular holidaymaker to Mallorca and after years of demanding jobs as a manager at various Swedish companies, she finally took the decision to get off the treadmill, do something new and different. It all started with a meeting with a representative of the investment company Frankenius Equity, from Borås, Sweden, who turned out to share Elisabeth's interest in design, interior design, and architecture.

Frankenius Equity is a company that invests in a wide range of projects. In addition to laying the groundwork for other companies to grow, Frankenius Equity is involved in several philanthropic projects, as well as encouraging the young. Paul Frankenius, who is the owner and founder, has for many years been personally involved in the renovation of old culturally interesting buildings.

When the property in Plaza Cort was taken over in 2017, the building, indeed the whole square, was in a very run-down state, even though it has always been a historically important place as the power centre of Mallorca and it was here that the Town Hall was built back in 1229. In the last year it has become one of the hottest addresses in the city, thanks in part to several newly opened hotels. Now Cartier is also moving into the square. In the centre of the square stands a magnificent 7-metre high, 800-year-old olive tree, a symbol of peace and communion with the earth. The tree moved Elisabeth so much that she chose the colour of its lightest leaves for all the interior walls of the property.