La Llotja is widely considered the finest secular Gothic building in Spain and ranks with the great merchant exchanges of Valencia and Barcelona as a monument to the prosperity of medieval Mediterranean trade. Built between 1426 and 1456 by the Mallorcan architect Guillem Sagrera, it served as the main trading hall of Palma's merchant community until the island's commercial decline in the sixteenth century. The exterior presents a rectangle of elegant stone, punctuated by turrets and slender windows, with gargoyles along the cornice.
The interior is even more impressive: a single undivided hall whose vaulted ceiling springs from six twisted columns of extraordinary elegance, creating a space that feels simultaneously Gothic and almost organic. La Llotja now serves as an exhibition space and is open when exhibitions are running; entry is often free. The building stands in the Sa Llotja neighbourhood near the waterfront, surrounded by some of Palma's best bars and restaurants. Even if no exhibition is on, the exterior is worth a detour.