Germans in Mallorca
Mallorca is often referred to as Germany's "17th federal state" — a cliché that, like all clichés, contains a kernel of truth but greatly simplifies reality.
History of German Tourism
Germans discovered Mallorca as a holiday destination in the 1960s, when charter flights from Düsseldorf, Hamburg, and Frankfurt made the island affordable. Tourism pioneer Neckermann first offered package tours to Mallorca in 1963 — two weeks for 399 DM, including flight and hotel. It was the beginning of a love story.
In the 1970s and 1980s, Playa de Palma developed into the epicenter of German mass tourism. Ballermann 6, Bierkönig, Oberbayern — an infrastructure emerged tailored to German needs: schnitzel, beer, pop music, sun. This image still shapes Mallorca in Germany today — although it represents only a tiny fraction of the island.
The German Community Today
An estimated 30,000 to 60,000 Germans live permanently in Mallorca (the numbers vary greatly, as many are not officially registered). They form the largest foreign community on the island. The German infrastructure is impressive: There is a German-language daily newspaper (Mallorca Zeitung), German doctors, lawyers, tax advisors, German-speaking kindergartens and schools (the German School Mallorca in Palma), German church services, German supermarkets, and even a German butcher in Santa Ponsa.
Reality vs. Cliché
The German community is much more diverse than the Ballermann cliché suggests. Yes, there are the party tourists at Playa — but also the entrepreneur running a boutique hotel in Arta, the cycling pro training in the mountains, the artist in Deia, the retiree in Santanyi, the young family in Soller. Many Germans speak fluent Spanish (some even Mallorcan), are integrated into clubs, and feel part of the island community.
The relationship between Mallorcans and Germans is complex: Gratitude for the economic contribution, but also unease about rising property prices (Germans are among the most active property buyers), cultural frictions, and occasional accusations of arrogance — in both directions. Overall, coexistence works surprisingly well, especially in smaller places away from the tourist centers.