'I love Germany' – how Maria Sureda builds bridges as a tour guide

'I love Germany' – how Maria Sureda builds bridges as a tour guide

From Manacor to Münster and back: Why her tours are so popular with residents

There are people on the island you recognize at once: friendly, punctual, with a backpack full of anecdotes and the calm that only someone who knows villages and church festivals like the back of their hand can have. Maria Sureda is one of those people. Born in 1970 in Manacor, she studied tourism at the University of the Balearic Islands and, three decades ago, decided to show the island to people – in German.

The path to that was not straightforward. At first Maria wanted to become an interpreter; at that time there was no such course in the Balearics. So she studied tourism, then spent seven months as an au pair in Münster – as practice for the language. She likes to tell memories from that time: November in the city, the Christmas market, the smell of roasted almonds, long bike rides through the region and strawberry fields along the way. 'I put Germany in my heart,' she says today. And: 'There I learned that language also creates closeness.' (How Spaniards See Germany: Competence, Order — and a Hint of Aloofness.)

Back in Mallorca, Maria discovered by chance the demand for German-language guided tours. A woman from Petra had told her about it; Maria began to study systematically. Later she refined her skills with private teachers and a simple trick: memorizing a lot of specialist phrases. She explains it like this: many technical terms come from Latin and feel more familiar to her than some everyday language of a native speaker. Added to that are patience and a joy in grammar – yes, in the different genders of words, which she now appreciates very much.

Since 2018 Maria has been particularly well known among German-speaking residents and second-home owners. (Between Welcome and Wariness: Germans in Mallorca — What's Really Happening.) The collaboration with German cultural manager Ingrid Flohr resulted from the Itinerem project, initiated by Diego Zaforteza, which connects country-estate routes in the Mediterranean. The tours range from quiet village walks to themed tours through Palma, from visits to gardens to country estate visits. When you are with Maria, you hear precise descriptions, historical contexts and small personal stories about families, festivals and crafts – all served with a smile and punctual like a train timetable.

The audience? Punctual, attentive, curious. For Maria these are ideal conditions. 'It gives me joy when guests feel that they are not only allowed to see, but to understand,' she says. Residents appreciate that the walks are not a drill, but a conversation: about Mallorca's stone walls, olive trees, ancient village structures and the island's modern development.

In everyday life Maria is a link between two worlds. She lives in Mallorca, but the memory of Münster remains alive: the cool mornings, the scent of wood and spices, the feeling of being welcomed as a stranger. You notice that on the tours: a slight German precision meets Mallorcan temperament. The result is groups that often return and give recommendations.

Why is that good for Mallorca? Such guides contribute to the quality of travel. They ensure that visitors and residents do not perceive the island only as a backdrop, but as a society with history. Local guides like Maria bring economic benefits to small businesses, promote knowledge of regional producers and slow down the typical sightseeing tempo.

As a small suggestion for the island: more support for bilingual cultural offerings would help to further expand these bridges. (German Unity at the Beach: Celebrating, Remembering — and the Question of Engagement.)

In the end there remains an image that is easy to visualize: a small square in a mountain village at midday, the scent of coffee and Pà amb oli, and a group listening attentively to a woman from Manacor who speaks with heart and hand. That is Mallorca's gentle strength: people who explain their homeland because they love it.