Biosfera 36 Angles - Reserva de la Biosfera Menorca

TOURIST PRODUCT HANDBOOK
MENORCA BIOSPHERE RESERVE
Funded by:
Biosfera 36 Angles
AGÈNCIA RESERVA DE LA BIOSFERA MENORCA
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Lighthouse of Favàritx A
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Menorca Biosphere Reserve
Environment and landscape
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Menorca Biosphere Reserve
ENVIRONMENT AND LANDSCAPE
The Biosphere Reserve of Menorca has a
special connotation if we compare it to other
reserves in Spain. In Menorca this affects
an entire community and the whole of the
island territory that are declared a Biosphere
Reserve.
We are convinced that a territory of these
characteristics is the best place to implement
a sustainable development. It makes more
sense than ever with the aim of combining
the development of a community as a whole
to achieve a similar or better standard of living
than other communities by always keeping
the environmental conditions that should be
maintained and improved as time goes by.
We can think about the current landscape as
the outcome of natural and human actions
and factors and their interrelationships.
The natural factors that modelled the
landscape started in the Island’s own geology.
Menorca can be easily divided into two areas
with completely different geology; on the
north area known as tramuntana, there are
materials coming from the Palaeozoic, the
Triassic and the Jurassic; on the other hand,
the southern area or Migjorn is much more
homogeneous and mainly dominated by
materials coming from the Miocene period.
Almost all these rocks have been formed from
sediments (both sea and continental ones)
deposited in very diverse periods of time and
conditions.
Menorca’s history started about 400 millions
of years ago, at the end of the Primary
era, during the Devonian period. After the
Devonian Age came the materials from the
Carboniferous, when the first folding of land
occurred yielding the elevations present on
the Island.
From the Secondary era, we can find materials
belonging to periods such as Triassic, Jurassic
and Cretaceous. From the Tertiary era, we
can only find materials from the Miocene,
which occupies the entire southern area of
the Island.
Geomorphologic formations
Finally, we found some examples of the
Quaternary period, with a maximum age
of one million eighteen hundred thousand
years, resulting in the formation of dunes by
the action of wind, also called Aeolian dune
fields.
There are traces of the Palaeozoic in Sa
Mesquida, Favàritx and Binimel·là; of the low
Triassic in El Pilar and Addaia, with formations
made of a kind of clay called gres; of the
middle Triassic around the area of El Toro and
the Port of Addaia; of the Jurassic in El Toro
and Fornells, and of the Miocene around the
whole of the southern area of the Island.
Once we have defined the Island’s geology,
we can talk about the different elements that
model the landscapes. They can be divided
into geographical and anthropic factors. The
modelling of the landscape along with the
climate factors as well as the geographical
localization determines the flora and fauna
existing on the Island.
The main external factors that have modelled
the Menorcan landscape are, on the one hand,
the strong winds that in Menorca coincide
with the north wind or tramuntana, and on the
other, the precipitation rate and its physical
and chemical effects.
These external factors give shape to the
landscape through different processes such as
B Albufera des Grau lagoon
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Geomorphologic formations
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mechanical, chemical and biological weathering,
erosion, transportation and sedimentation.
Weathering is the fragmentation of rocks
caused by different meteorological agents.
This fact becomes very important in the
southern area of the Island, where, due to
chemical dilution, caves of karstic origin will
be formed as well as the deep ravines of the
southern area. The effect that living beings
have on the land, such as the roots effect, will
also contribute to weathering.
Another very significant factor in Menorca is
erosion, basically caused by the predominant
wind. The wind effect will determine different
plant formations and their adaptations.
As for geomorphology, the determining factors
to the formation of new materials are the
weathered material transportation and their
sedimentation. These factors will give rise to
the beach formations and the dune systems
related to them.
All these elements along with the geographical
location of Menorca and its climate and
isolation features will determine the Island’s
fauna and flora. These characteristics help
the appearance of many endemic or exclusive
species of the Mediterranean area or even
exclusive to this Island. The populations of
these species usually are few because of their
limited distribution.
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Out of more than 1,300 species of superior
plants existing on the Island, more than 6%
are endemic, among which are remarkable
for their rarity the well-known socarrells,
spiny bushes like small cushions that have
adapted to strong winds and salt conditions.
These salty conditions of the environment
will also condition peculiar shapes that make
bushes develop in the opposite direction of
the predominant wind direction, which is the
transporting agent of the salty aerosol.
There are two climate flora communities on
the Island: the oak and wild olive woods. Oak
woods are predominant in well-developed
and deep soils with favourable environmental
conditions, whilst wild olive woods appear in
poorer soils subject to other less favourable
environmental conditions. Each of these
communities has a series of shrub and herb
species closely related to them.
Almost all we have said about flora could be
repeated for fauna. At this point we also will
find a series of its own or endemic species,
mostly represented in the invertebrates
group. With regard to vertebrates, the most
remarkable species is the Balearic wall lizard
(Podarcis lilfordi).
If we focus on the general natural systems
on the Island, we could consider that in a
small territory such as this, about 700 square
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kilometres, there exists much environmental
diversity.
The most outstanding ecosystems that can be
found are:
Ravines in the southern area (Migjorn)
They have been formed throughout many years;
they are associated to fresh water currents, to
tectonic movements and to sea level changes.
Most of them have temporary water streams
related to intense rainfall periods, although
other ravines have permanent waters, such
as the ravines of Algendar or Trebalúger.
The course usually is winding where a great
diversity of flora and fauna species can be
found. We must bear in mind that ravines can
have about 220 flora species related to them,
of which 26 are endemic. These ravines are
extremely important when we talk about the
nesting of birds of prey and water birds.
About 40 ravines can be found, 12 of which are
more than 3 kilometres long.
The north area ravines are of less significance
and their water courses are temporary and
related to rains.
Wetlands
This system include temporary ponds, a kind
of ecosystem considered a priority by the
European Community that is in the process
of being declared community interest areas
in the Nature Network 2000. Temporary ponds
contain unique species related to drought and
flooding periods.
In Menorca we can also find coast wetlands
related to fresh water streams and to dune
systems. For instance, the lagoon of the
Albufera des Grau, which along with all its
surroundings was declared a Natural Park and
considered the core of the Biosphere Reserve
area.
Other important wetlands are the Prat de Son
Bou and the Prat de Lluriach. Furthermore,
other systems of lesser importance are La Vall,
Son Saura, Es Banyul, etc.
Dune systems
Menorca has eight well-constituted dune
systems, seven of which are found on the
north coast and only one on the south coast.
The southern one is related to the wetlands of
El Prat de Son Bou. It is a typical dune system,
that is to say, it runs parallel to the coastline.
However, the other seven ones, Es Grau, Son
Saura, Cala Tirant, Cavalleria, Cala Pregonda,
Cala Pilar and La Vall, are exceptional since
they run perpendicular to the coastline, but
parallel to the main wind direction.
Apart from the abovementioned systems,
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Ravine
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Temporary pond
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Coastal cliff areas
This coastal area is a very important element
from the botanical point of view, since it
shelters most part of endemic species related
to hard climate conditions. Among such rare
endemic plants we can find the socarrells,
spiny shrubs of low height and cushion-like
specially adapted to harsh conditions of high
salt levels and periods of strong wind. There
exist alternative solutions to adapt to these
periods, such as the reduction of size, growing
into other more resistant species, etcetera.
Dune system
we can find other ones of less importance
scattered around the coast: we can find dune
systems in Arenal d’en Castell, Binimel·là,
Mongofra, Macarella and Macarelleta.
Dune systems also involve a particular flora
related to them mainly represented by the
sea thistle, the white or common arum lily
(Zantedeschia aethiopica (L.) Spreng) and
the commonly called European beachgrass
(Ammophila arenaria), very important to fix
the mobile dunes.
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Beaches
In Menorca we should talk about coves rather
than proper beaches. Most beaches and
coves are related to water courses and dune
systems. The sand of these beaches comes
from the erosion of rocks of the surroundings
and its origin is mainly biotic.
One of the sea plants closely related to the
sand creation is the Posidonia oceanica, a plant
used as a shelter and dwelling of a number of
sea organisms carrying a calcareous shell on
top, whose skeletons are directly related to be
part of the sand in our beaches.
Menorca has about a hundred of beaches if
we count proper beaches, coves and pebble
beaches, with different sand composition
depending on the lithology and the
composition of the underwater fauna.
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Islets
The island of Menorca has about 35 islets of
different sizes surrounding it ranging from
the 550.000 sqm of the Illa d’en Colom up to
the 3,150 sqm of the Illa des Ravells. These
islets are very important because they have
remained virtually unspoiled by the human
influence, which has allowed them to keep
populations of the Balearic wall lizard, already
disappeared from the main island, as well
as they are of use for nesting purposes for
different sea birds species. In some of these
islets we can find hares and goats that can
also affect vegetation and the wall lizard
populations.
The islet of Illa d’en Colom is part of the
Natural Park of the Albufera des Grau lagoon.
Socarrell
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Inland plants
The natural vegetation of Menorca has
an approximate extension of 20.000 ha
and includes climate plants formed by the
communities of oak and wild olive woods,
coastal areas of shrubs composed of
Menorcan Daphne, savine woods, the myrtle
communities and spiny bushes.
Oak woods occupy areas with well-developed
soils and with favourable conditions,
protected from predominant winds and
saltiness. There are a series of species
associated to this community which are very
rich in bushy species. Historically, ilexes were
used as raw material to make vegetal coal and
as fuel in ovens to make caustic lime. Besides,
the autochthonous pigs from Mallorca -the
black Majorcan pigs- usually grazed in these
woods.
Wild olive communities are predominant in
poorer soils and in less favourable conditions,
where oak woods cannot develop. In general
they are dense woods of low height and
very rich in undergrowth. They have been
very important from the landscape and
commercial point of view, since they are the
raw material mostly used to build the typical
gates to divide plots and properties and in the
making of traditional utensils of the Menorcan
countryside.
Wild olive wood
Both communities of woods are protected by
law and are considered to have a high level of
protection.
Another community, which is a degradation
community for the other two, is the pine
woods, which cover a large area of the Island,
mainly in the centre and north-west area.
An exclusive pine species is prominent in
Menorca: the Pinus ceciliae.
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Ilex wood
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Culture
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CULTURE
Menorca has a complete cultural offer, both
open air and indoor activities.
With regard to the open-air cultural offer,
the Xarxa Menorca Monumental (Menorca
Monument Network) will allow the visitors to
get to know first hand the testimony of our
history, from the megalithic sites to the 20th
century collections, and also Paleochristian
basilicas and fortresses dating back to the
18th century.
All details about this Network are collected in
a guide designed both for the local residents
and for the visitors where, apart from pictures
of the monuments, it includes a description
of them, where they are to be found, their
opening hours and fees, if relevant.
27 monuments are covered under this
Network although it is always available for
updating. The 27 monuments included in the
Network are:
Trepucó talayotic village
It covers a surface of about 5.000 sqm that, in
the beginning, were surrounded by ramparts.
Nowadays, only a small sample of the
settlement has been kept where two talayots,
a taula enclosure and several dwelling remains
can be appreciated. Polilobular houses can
be found with a central patio and several
peripheral rooms. The village shows two
different parts: a community area and then
an area of domestic spaces. This settlement
was destroyed during the Second Punic War
and, thanks to the quick withdrawal, domestic
utensils have been kept that would otherwise
have been impossible to find.
Torre d’en Galmés village
On the road to Son Bou in the municipal area
of Alaior, this “tower” is settled on a hill. This
privileged place was perfect to keep control of
the territory of the major part of the Island’s
southern area. Its history dates back to the
1400 BC and survived until the Roman era
came. Its moment of glory came between the
1300 BC and the Roman conquest. The village
has a public area where several talayots and
the taula enclosure are found, the top piece
of which has fallen down. The private area
is made up of more or less round-shaped
dwellings. On the south part of the village
there is a hypostyle room attached to a circle
whose use cannot be still confirmed. The
village has a rainwater collection system.
The whole village was also surrounded by
ramparts. Torre d’en Galmés also has an
interpretation centre located some metres
before the access gate to the village.
Torralba d’en Salord village
It is located on the road from Alaior to Cala en
Porter. Its origin dates back to 1000 BC until
the Roman era although it still remained until
the Middle Age. Its most relevant features are
two talayots, the taula enclosure, a hypostyle
room, some excavated caves into the subsoil
and some building remains. The taula and its
enclosure are part of a horse-shoe-shaped
building for worship with lateral chapels
and the taula itself, erected with huge stone
blocks. Within this space different items
were found that are currently exhibited in the
Museum of Menorca. The golden age of this
village occurred during the commercial Punic
expansion.
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Taula de Trepucó
B Naveta des Tudons
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Naveta des Tudons
This talayotic monument is located at km 40
on the road from Maó to Ciutadella. It is a
funerary monument only found in Menorca. In
the construction of this monument a cyclopean
technique was used by which average-sized
stones were lifted and fixed with no mortar.
This kind of funerary monuments was used to
make collective burials. They are called navetas
because they remind us of inverted ships
(naves).
Son Catlar village
It is located at a distance of some 8 km on
the road from Ciutadella to Son Saura. This
village was founded in the pre-talayotic period
and continued until the Roman era. Its main
feature is that it is the only village that retains
the whole of its rampart system, erected with
great blocks of stone that surround the entire
village measuring 1 km long and about 2
metres wide. Attached to the rampart, we can
find the remains of several towers and in the
village, some vestiges of the taula enclosure,
five talayots and different rooms.
Torretrencada village
This site is located about 7 km from Ciutadella
on the Camí Vell. This village was populated
until the end of the Roman era. It still retains
a taula, a talayot, some excavated caves in the
subsoil and tombs excavated into the rock.
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Torrellafuda village
This village is located at km 37 of the Me1
road Maó to Ciutadella. This village has kept
remains of several talayots, burial caves
dated at the end of the talayotic era, a taula
and some remains of dwellings with attached
rooms. The taula is remarkable because of its
natural cover made of vegetation.
Cala Morell necropolis
This site is located next to the housing
development of Cala Morell in Ciutadella. It is
formed of 14 caves artificially excavated into
the limestone material along a small ravine
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Necropolis in Cala Morell
that flows in to the cove of the same name. It is
one of the biggest necropolises of the Island.
It was used from the pretalayotic era until the
end of the 2nd century AC.
Fornàs de Torelló basilica
This building is located on the road to Torelló
between the road to Sant Climent and the
Me1. It is a small Paleochristian basilica whose
origin was in the 6th century AC when the
Byzantine army had conquered the Balearic
Islands. It has a nave tiled with a mosaic
depicting geometrical images, birds and two
lions facing a palm tree.
Son Bou basilica
This basilica is located on the beach of Son
Bou. It seems to belong to the 5th century AC.
Outside of its perimeters we can find burials
and other buildings probably of monastic
origin.
Cathedral of Ciutadella
This gothic church was founded by Alphonse
the Second the Liberal after the conquest
of Menorca in 1287. The construction took
the whole of the 14th century and was sited
on a spot previously occupied by a Muslim
mosque. The Cathedral, built with only one
nave, shows different artistic styles, one of
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the most representative examples of which
would be the Capella de les Ànimes [the
Souls’ chapel] dated (on the) 1670 and built
according to a Baroque style.
Fort Marlborough
Located at Cala Sant Esteve cove in the municipal
area of Es Castell, this Fort was erected by the
British between 1710 and 1726 along with the
Saint Philip’s Castle and the Stuart tower. All
these fortresses were used to protect the mouth
of the port of Maó. Almost the entire fortress
has been excavated in the rock and it offers an
exhibition setup that makes visitors feel as if
they are living in the times of fort sieges.
S’Hostal quarries
Tower of Fornells
This tower is found in the bay of Fornells. It was
built by the British at the beginning of the 19th
century with the aim to protect the entrance
to the bay. The shape of the tower is conical
frustum and has a cistern, storage, a floor to
accommodate the garrison and an artillery
platform. The museum elements depict and
place the visitor at the beginning of the 19th
century and explain the tower features as to
construction and defence.
Castle of Sant Nicolau
This building is situated on the mouth of
the port of Ciutadella, in the Plaça Ferragut
square. It was erected at the end of the 18th
century with the intention to protect the city
from sea attacks. Its shape is of a truncated
pyramid with an octagonal layout and it was
built with limestone material found around the
area. Outside the tower there is a ditch which
is eight metres wide and two metres deep.
are the result of a mechanical extraction of
materials. Some of the old quarries have been
restored and now sustain several gardens.
Molí de Dalt de Sant Lluís
This mill is found at the entrance to the village
of Sant Lluís. It is a flour mill driven by the wind
that was built at the end of the 18th century
during the short French rule of the Island. This
mill is worth a visit that can be divided in three
parts: the machinery, recovered with original
pieces; then the sails of the mill and its
complex system of ropes; and finally a small
museum where old tools of high ethnological
interest are exhibited.
Machinery of the Farinera de s’Arangí
This is a flour factory located in the municipal
area of Es Mercadal at km 20 on the Me1 road.
This flour factory was built in 1905 and was used
until 1999 Here we will find an exhibition of the
old machinery used.
Pedreres de “marès” de s'Hostal
These limestone (marès)
marès) quarries are found
marès
on the Camí Vell road near Ciutadella. They are
a group of restored quarries and represent an
important part of the ethnologic heritage of
Menorca. Within them we will find the oldest
quarries, which were worked manually, along
with more modern ones. Modern quarries
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Museum of Menorca
Municipal area of Maó, in the Pla des Monestir
square. The museum is situated in the old
18th century Franciscan monk cloister. It is a
general museum where history of all human
settlements on the Island is depicted. The
rooms devoted to prehistory, old history
and the 18th century Menorca are the most
outstanding ones.
Municipal museum of Ciutadella
This museum is located in the municipal
area of Ciutadella in the Plaça de Sa Font
square. This museum is situated within the
old ramparts surrounding the village. It is a
generic museum that shows a permanent
exhibition about the history of Ciutadella
from prehistoric to the Muslim periods. The
museum offers guided visits and teaching
workshops aimed at students.
Diocesan museum of Ciutadella
This building is located at the Carrer del
Seminari. It occupies an old Sant Agustí
convent, an architectural complex of relevance,
according to the guidelines of the 17th century
where the cloister and the church of Herrera
style are to be highlighted. The museum
shelters an archaeological exhibition up to
the Roman era, a section devoted to the 17th
and 18th century paintings, the Renaissance
church of El Socors with wall paintings dated
at the end of the 18th century and its organ
1793, several samples of liturgical objects
and silver and goldsmith pieces of the 17th
to the 20th centuries, as well as a painting
collection.
Military museum of Menorca
This museum is found at the Esplanada des
Castell square. It forms part of an old military
engineers’ barrack. It includes fifteen rooms of
military exhibition about the Island: canons,
fortresses models, mock-ups devoted to La
Mola, map collection and engineering tools.
Cap de Cavalleria Ecomuseum
It is located in the farm of Santa Teresa in
Es Mercadal. It uses rooms of Santa Teresa
farm as an exhibition hall where it informs the
visitors about the natural and cultural heritage
of this site.
Hernández Sanz-Hernández Mora Museum
This municipal museum is situated on the first
floor of the cloister of El Carme church. It is
a museum about Menorcan people founded
thanks to the donations made by Joan
Hernández Mora and Francesc Hernández
Sanz. This museum seeks to recreate
the inside of a typical Menorcan house,
complemented with graphic works of the 18th,
19th and 20th centuries.
Painter Torrent’s museum-house
In the municipal area of Ciutadella in Carrer
Sant Rafel, there is a small museum where one
can find about a hundred works of the painter
José Torrent along with personal objects and
information about the artist’s life.
Talatí de Dalt village
This village is found on a turn off at km 4 of
the road Me1. It is one of the most outstanding
prehistoric villages on the Island. It still keeps
an elliptic ground talayot and conical frustum
cross section, the taula enclosure, a sector
of dwellings which still have their roofs and
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Diocesan museum
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some caves. The talayots and the sanctuary
represent the public part of the village and the
rest of buildings the private one. This village
started its activity at the end of the Bronze era
and went on until well after the starting of the
Roman era.
Aljub des Mercadal
This cistern is located in the Pla de Ses Eres
in the town of Es Mercadal. It is a large tank
to collect the rainwater that falls on the higher
roof with a capacity to collect 273.000 litres.
This building dates back to British rule and
construction began in 1735. This construction
was aimed at supplying the troops with water
on their way between Maó and Ciutadella
as well as supplying water to the town of Es
Mercadal.
Likewise, apart from the abovementioned
Network, Menorca offers a theatrical space
network such as the Orfeó Maonès theatre,
the Sala Multifuncional (multipurpose hall) in
Es Mercadal, the Principal Theatre in Maó and
the Casino 17 de Gener theatre in Ciutadella.
Furthermore, as cultural offer, we also have
the library network that links the premises
in Alaior, Ciutadella, Es Castell, Es Mercadal,
Es Migjorn Gran, Ferreries, Fornells and Sant
Lluís. Maó has a public library that is not
part of the library network since it belongs
to the State and is managed by the Balearic
Government.
Regarding our cultural heritage we must
mention:
Isabel II fortress
Menorca. It is located in the municipal area of
Ferreries, in the property of the same name.
The Fortress of Elizabeth the Second in La
Mola, located at the mouth of the harbour of
Maó. It was erected between 1848 and 1875
after great British pressure.
The Ateneu de Maó was founded as a people’s
university extension with the intention to
delve into the scientific knowledge and the
artistic and literature studies and knowledge.
The Ateneu remained open continuously, even
during the worst years of our history and its
activities are still available to everybody along
with the scientific and cultural institutions of
Menorca, with whom it works very closely.
Rodríguez Femenias Reception and Interpretation
Centre of the Natural Park of the Albufera des
Grau lagoon. It is located at km 3.5 from Maó
on the road to Es Grau. It is open to the public
and it organises visits to observe the fauna,
guided outings, leisure activities or teaching
material.
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Town Hall in Maó.
Can Salord as a good example of the noble
Ciutadella.
Can Saura and its Baroque palace.
The Castle of Santa Àgueda, which represents
the most important testimony to the Muslim
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Arts & Crafts
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ARTS & CRAFTS
The arts & crafts sector in Menorca has
strongly contributed to the award of Biosphere
Reserve to the Island. This sector has helped
to model the territory to the extent of making
it unique, thanks to the building construction
with limestone - and therefore the reason why
Menorca is known as the limestone island
- dry-stone wall constructions to create an
immense network of hundreds of kilometres,
wild olive wood gates, etc.
Nowadays, there are still artisans devoted to
the manufacture of wild-olive wood gates, to
erect dry-stone walls and to build houses of
limestone, although only in a decorative and
testimonial way.
The current arts & crafts in ceramics, jewellery,
shoemaking… is a legacy of those old craftsmen
and still keeps intact those old values transferred
through new creations. The natural and cultural
richness of the Island and its preservation are
the result of the work of these artisans and of the
involvement of those who have found the perfect
balance between traditional and modernisation,
between customs and innovation and between
countryside society and the 20th century society.
Menorca has an Arts & Crafts Centre conceived
as a meeting area between the craftsmanship
world and society. It is located in the old
military barracks in Es Mercadal, which is also
characterised for its historical impact.
The Centre seeks to commit to the design,
brand, image, management, new technologies
and, above all, the quality. Apart from offering
arts & crafts items, it tries to keep alive old
jobs as part of the historical memory of the
Island.
The Centre is divided into four visitors’ areas:
Popular arts & crafts garden. It is located
outside the building where a series of typical
elements of the traditional Menorcan arts &
crafts can be found and also several elements
typical of the Menorcan countryside in an
environment surrounded by autochthonous
plants.
Exhibition in the hall-corridor. Here we can
find exhibited the prize-winning works of the
last editions of the arts & crafts awards and
the last editions of the Arts & Crafts Fair of
Minorca.
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Avarca sandals
Arts & Crafts Centre of Menorca
B Master arader (carpenter)
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Audiovisual room. In this room we can watch
several documentaries about old traditional
jobs and subjects about traditional arts &
crafts.
Shop. A place to purchase craftsmanship
items, all of them made by different artisans.
Reception. This area is used as the arts &
crafts information point. The visitors can
obtain here any information available about
the artisans in Menorca.
This arts & crafts centre is open throughout
the year from Monday to Saturday.
Glassmaking
The artisans included within this catalogue
are: Food (food and drinks), wood and similar,
light and heat, music, cleaning, stone, leather,
plastic arts, fibres and fabrics, time measuring
items, clay, iron and similar, paper and
cardboard, clothes and shoe wear, glass and
decoration.
The Department of Economy of the Island
council of Menorca has created a guarantee
brand called “Artesania de Menorca” (arts
& crafts of Menorca) aimed at recognising
the artisan pieces made on the Island and
at identifying the professional artisans who
deserve to represent the arts & crafts of
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Arader (carpenter)
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Menorca depending on the quality of their
pieces. Likewise, those premises that market
the products of at least five artisans who have
this brand will be authorised to use the brand
for their commercial use. Currently 19 artisans
and 3 shops have joined the brand.
With regard to fairs and markets, every year
through the General Office of Commerce,
a calendar is published of the following
different fairs that usually are held throughout
the year:
January
Birds Fair of Menorca morphological contest
“Hen of Menorca” in Es Mercadal.
Sant Antoni Fair of Food and Arts & Crafts in
Ciutadella.
Arts & Crafts and Agricultural Fair in Es
Castell.
February
Partridge fair in Es Mercadal.
Stocks Fair in Alaior.
March
Stocks Fair in Maó.
Countryside, agricultural and arts & crafts Fair
in Alaior.
April
Leisure, sports and health fair (GAUDEIX) in Maó.
Gastronomic Show in Es Mercadal.
Book Fair in Maó.
Sant Jordi Fair in Es Castell.
May
Romeria (traditional parade) in Es Mercadal.
International Fashion Jewellery Manufacturers
Fair (EUROBIJOUX & ACCESSORIES) in Maó.
Menorca horse Fair and Morphological contest
in Es Mercadal.
July
Arts & Crafts Fair of Menorca with exhibition
and sale of artisan products in Es Mercadal.
August
Brocanters Fair, art and collecting with
exhibition and sale of antiques in Es
Mercadal.
Antiques fair in Ciutadella.
September
Gastronomic Fair for the Patron Saint of the
Festes de Gràcia in Maó
Artistic, food and Agriculture arts & crafts in
Ferreries.
Second-hand cars (FERIAME) in Maó.
October
Sustainability Fair (ECOMEN) in Es Mercadal.
November
Second-hand cars Fair in Ciutadella.
Fair devoted to the construction, decoration
and interior design and new technologies for
dwellings (HABITAT) in Maó.
December
Christmas Fair with exhibition and sale of
Christmas products and food in Ciutadella.
Christmas Fair with arts & crafts products in
Es Castell.
Christmas Fair with Christmas products in
Maó.
Winter Arts & crafts market with exhibition
and sale of handmade products only made by
artisans in Ciutadella
Christmas Fair with shops and local artisans
in Alaior.
Christmas fair with traditional Christmas
products in Ferreries
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June
Ecological agriculture Fair of Menorca,
exhibition and sale of ecological products in
Es Mercadal.
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Art & Crafts market
Furthermore, in Menorca we can find weekly
street markets: on Monday in Es Castell, on
Wednesday, in Es Castell and Alaior, on Thursday
in Alaior, on Friday in Ciutadella and on Saturday
in Ciutadella and Ferreries.
There are also summer street markets in:
Alaior
From May to October on Monday and Thursday
we (will) find the travelling market in Cala en
Porter. In July and August on Wednesday there
is the arts & crafts Night Market along the main
town streets of Alaior.
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Es Castell
From June to September you will find a daily
market in Calesfons and from June to August, on
Monday there is a creative arts & crafts market.
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Ciutadella
From June to September, daily, Capllonch
market. From July to September, arts & crafts
market in the Cathedral square.
Maó
From June to August, market in El Carme square.
Es Mercadal
From May to October, on Saturday and Sundays,
there is a market, on the Carrer de la Mar in
Fornells. From May to October, on Thursday
there is a market on the Carrer de les Roques in
Fornells. From the end of June to the beginning of
September, on Thursday there is another market
in the Pare Camps square in Es Mercadal.
Es Migjorn Gran
From the 6th of July to the 7th of September, on
Tuesday, there is a night market along the main
streets of the village.
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Agriculture
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AGRICULTURE
The island of Menorca covers 701.84 square
kilometres, measures 53 km from East to
West and 23 km from North to South. It
is divided into eight municipal areas and
has an approximate population of 88,000
inhabitants.
A majority of this population lives in the
towns or cities and only a small part lives in
the countryside, although over recent years
a new housing development model in rural
areas has begun. Likewise new activities ever
less related to agriculture have come to put
pressure on the land and farm exploitations.
A result of this pressure was the drafting of
the PTI (Island Territory Plan) that only permits
agricultural activities in the countryside.
From a physical point of view, the Island shows
a horizontal and flat terrain with a maximum
elevation of 357m, at Monte Toro.
Geologically, Menorca can be divided into
two well-differentiated parts, the North or
Tramuntana and the South or Migjorn. The
northern area has the highest elevations
and is separated from the southern area by
a fault that goes from the harbour of Maó to
Algaiarens.
Given the fact that there are no mountains in
Menorca like those in the North of Mallorca,
Farm house
the strong northerly winds affect the Island by
severely limiting its agricultural possibilities.
In the North, apart from the predominant
winds, we can find the most abundant
presence of woodland areas on the Island as
well as the largest agricultural exploitations
and the lowest levels of population.
Contrary to the North, the South of Menorca
is quite flat, only elevating 100m above sea
level, dotted only with a series of ravines. The
flat nature of the land, sufficient drainage,
and farming facilities make this land the
best on the Island for carrying out intensive
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Ox sheds surrounded by crops
B Ravine in Trebalúger
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agriculture. This fact has caused greater
property separation and the appearance of
one of the most picturesque features of the
Island: the elaborate grid of dry stone walls.
The countryside holds the most important
part of the Island’s heritage, natural resources
and cultural and ethnological legacy.
In order to understand the current situation
of the countryside in Menorca and its future
challenges on an island awarded with the
Biosphere Reserve label, we must be aware of
its agricultural foundations and the structure
supporting it. Only this way the Island’s
development toward a primarily stockbreeding
model can be understood. This model, which
started at the end of the 19th century and
continued throughout the 20th century,
overshadowed other farm production present
on the Island to such an extent that it wiped
out an important part of the old agricultural
diversity and diminished the adaptability
of the sector to new challenges. Agriculture
became a rigid system with a short capacity
to generate added value. An increasing
dependence on the exterior and a strong
focus on exportation on an island with many
disadvantages already caused by a double
insularity have resulted in Menorca covering
70% of the Balearic Islands milk quota.
Currently, the agricultural sector finds itself in
Aubergine plant
a process of a reduction in number of family
farms and stagnant employment. Furthermore,
this sector is characterised by an increase
in the average surface area of farms by
means of concentration, intensification and
industrialisation. The result is an increase from
an average of 80 hectares per farm in 1989 to
about 120 ha in 2007. A consequence of this fact
has been the augmentation of the agricultural
useful surface area from 55 to 74 ha. Therefore,
the total agricultural surface area used has
increased to as much as 75% of the Island’s
territory, which is of about 69,440 ha.
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Cheese from Menorca
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Typical cold sausages
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Forage crops
Menorca has about 330 professional farms,
most of which are stockbreeding farms and
175 produce milk with a total of 60 million kg
of quota per year.
Over the last 25 years, Menorca has gone from
farms with an average of 10-12 cows and a
production of 30-35 litres of milk per animal a
day, to 60-70 cows with a production of 40-45
litres currently. It has also increased the milk
yield with a number of productive days that
exceeds 300 per year.
Garden produce
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The negative consequence of all this is a
higher exterior dependency on compound
feed, organic and chemical fertilizers, and
higher energy and watering needs.
In any case, the contribution of the agricultural
sector to the Island can be taken into account
from two different approaches: on one
hand, the productivity of the farm as a way
to make agricultural products to be sold in
the markets, and on the other, as a way to
shape the landscape and as another type
of environmental country service. Farmers
are the largest group managing the natural
resources of the Island. Nature is the main
cultural heritage source of Menorca, also of
natural resources and the largest ethnological
legacy. The entire society benefits from this
heritage.
In hopes of solving the problems represented
by the model followed over recent years,
several initiatives are now being developed
so as to increase the farm products’ added
value:
-Increase and consolidation of ecological
farming. Since 1996 Menorca has gone from 50
ha devoted to ecological farming to 3,000 ha in
2007. Since 2008 there has been a cooperative
called Cooperativa Agrària Ecològica de
Menorca, which strives to promote its members’
products, make collective purchases and
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Menorca Biosphere Reserve
Orchards and vegetable gardens
offer commercial and technical assessment to
improve the products.
-Recovering traditional cultures with the
intention of yielding production with higher
added value and quality guarantee. The wine
label Vi de la Terra Illa de Menorca could
be highlighted with a production that has
increased in four years from 3,000 to 60,000
litres. Also deserving attention is Mel de
Menorca, with more than 120 small producers
of honey. And of course, the Gin de Menorca as
a geographical indication.
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- Menorcan sheep. It is a rustic breed, of elongated
proportions and average size, weighing between
45 and 65 kg, with white hair and open
sheepskin; it is good for milking and is very
prolific. It has also had a genealogical book
since 2001 and from all 86 farms breeding
sheep, more than 3,000 animals are of this
breed.
- Black hen of Menorca. Although the situation
of this breed is still weak, it is recovering little
by little. It is urgent to draft a plan of action to
settle this breed genetically. Currently there
- Recovering of endemic breeds, animals
adapted to the physical features of the Island:
- Red cow of Menorca. This is a clear example
of a typical animal of the Mediterranean
landscapes, which for many years was the
predominant breed on the Island and that was
gradually abandoned until 2002, when it was
in danger of extinction. It is a strong, rustic
and calm breed with high maternal instinct.
It is a medium sized animal with an average
weight of 500 kg for females and 900 kg for
males. Currently, this breed has an association
and a genealogical book dedicated to it.
Cows from Menorca
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is a breeders’ association and an important
centre of purity at Sa Granja, which belongs to
the Economy and Environmental Department
of the Island Council of Menorca.
- Menorcan black horse breed. For the time
being, and thanks to the importance of horses
in the traditional village festivals, this breed
has been able to remain differentiated. Until
recently, horse breeding was not a productive
activity on its own but complementary to
other stockbreeding activities. In 1988, the
Associació de Criadors i Propietaris de Cavalls
de Raça Menorquina association was founded
and today has about 400 members mainly
living on the Island.
- CARB (Biosphere Reserve Farming Contract).
This type of contract, which is voluntary
between the Administration and the farm,
began in 2005 with the aim to compensate
farmers who complied with a series of
requirements in benefit of the environment.
Since its inception, the number of farms signed
on has gone from 53 to 146, which means an
investment of 262,455€ has increased to
1,262,087.29 € in 2009.
Sheep
feasibility on the farm and the preservation
of environmental values possible. In 2008,
there were 13 farms in Menorca with custody
agreements covering 1,363 ha, throughout the
Island’s territory.
To adhere to these CARB allowances, farms
must comply with a series of compulsory
requirements such as: having a farmer, having
a stockbreeding load not exceeding 1 UBM/
ha, taking on one UTA (full-time professional
farmer), not planting transgenic crops,
complying with environmental regulations,
attending a 30-hour training course, keeping a
farm journal to record any actions performed,
following a rational fertilizing plan on the
basis of soil analysis and depending on
cultures, and correctly managing the residues
generated on the farm.
Territory custody agreement. These are
voluntary agreements between a farm and
the GOB ecological group with the intention
of fostering farm management systems
that make the balance between financial
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Ecological crops
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Tourism
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TOURISM
Tourism as an economic activity started in
Menorca much later in comparison than
in the rest of the Balearic Islands. When in
1968 Mallorca welcomed 1.2 million visitors,
Menorca barely knew what mass tourism
meant.
It was not until 1979 that Menorca exceeded
200,000 visitors although, even today,
Menorca is still behind the other islands
regarding mass tourism.
The development of the economic process
coming from tourism in Menorca, though
late, has followed the same line as the other
islands of the Archipelago until today. This
kind of process called “balearisation” came to
an end during the period when the Island was
declared Biosphere Reserve.
This type of tourism has several characterising
features:
“Sun and beach” tourism that is, inevitably,
strongly seasonal and mainly focused on the
summer months.
The fact that development was more present
in certain places and started later, has allowed
the Island to remain better preserved with
regard to its landscape and natural resources.
A high standard of living has been achieved as
well as high quality service and infrastructure.
Proximity of demand since this tourism is
based essentially in Europe and air transport
is relatively simple.
A higher number of extra hotel bed space
compared to ordinary hotels.
Low use of resources other than the “sun and
beach”, such as monumental and cultural
options.
A protectionist development of the land
against excessive development planning.
This conventional tourist system in Menorca
is organised around a hotel sector association
that intends to establish bonds of cooperation
and collaboration among employers of the
sector to eliminate disloyal competition
and the deterioration of prices. It also
aims to fix common services of a technical,
informative and legal nature to improve the
associate members’ interests, as well as
take part in federations or confederations
of employers and intervene in the regulation
of the relationships between employers and
employees of the sector.
This tourism supply is based on quality
premises, comprehensive complementary
offer and pampered environmental conditions.
Menorca offers about ninety swimming areas,
including beaches, coves and others. Besides,
every year new blue flags are awarded as
a distinction for service and environmental
quality.
Apart from this type of offer, it is necessary
to enhance the advantages of Menorca
in comparison with the rest of the
Balearic Islands so as not to fall into the
aforementioned “balearisation” that would
depend on a non-competitive model inside
this market situation.
These advantages must include the
preservation of the environment as a result of
the delay in tourism development in Menorca,
since the Biosphere Reserve award and,
subsequent signing of the Territory Plan. The
limits of this kind of offer guaranteed by the
Territory Plan will allow focusing on its own
quality.
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Cala Galdana cove
B Cala Macarelleta cove
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30
A sustainable tourism strategy shall be based
on the cooperation between private and public
agents to ensure the environmental quality of
the services offered.
Taking this philosophy by the hand, the
Fundació Destí Menorca (FDM) was founded
and constituted with the initiative of the
Island Council of Menorca with the following
objectives:
To promote and develop tourism in Menorca
and overseas.
To develop new tourism products.
To foster and promote businesses and tourism
premises outside the Island in order to attract
new investors.
The FDM’s activities are:
The management of the tourist information
offices in Menorca.
The management of several cultural interest
premises and the coordination of the Menorca
Monument Network.
To foster and develop permanent improvement
of the Island through the Comprehensive System
of Spanish Tourism Quality on Destination, or
other similar quality improvement systems.
To promote and develop tourist products
such as: nautical resorts, horse products,
convention bureau and any other product that
can be created in the future.
The study, research, documentation, information
and spreading of Menorca’s image.
Collaboration with any kind of action with
tourist promotion purposes.
Management of funds, aids, allowances,
credit lines or any kind of incentives that
can be of interest for the development of the
tourism activity.
The Assessment Council of the Fundació
Destí Menorca is expected to be constituted,
which will be made up of associations from
the tourist activity sector and by the town
halls around the Island, whose mission is to
submit or suggest proposals of those actions
considered relevant before the board.
Those products managed by the Fundació
Destí Menorca are:
Convention Bureau
The Menorca Convention Bureau hopes to
promote the Island as a conference, congress
and incentive trips destination by offering
organisers free information and assessment
service. Furthermore, foreign organisers are
offered assistance regarding application for
permits and licenses required in developing
their activities, as well as providing statistics,
market studies, trends, etc.
The creation of the Convention Bureau is
described as follows:
Convention destination is a branch of tourism
that can help diversify the offer.
It is aimed at a high-expense level sector,
which usually triples the conventional tourist
level expense.
It helps to diversify from seasonal tourism.
It represents an activity that requires a number
of services available.
Equestrian product
The FDM is responsible for managing the
equestrian product called Producte Eqüestre a
l’illa de Menorca, which is funded with the credit
awarded by the Financial State Fund for the
Modernisation of Tourist Infrastructures (FOMIT).
Equestrian tracks
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With regard to this initiative, several actions are
being developed to improve and renew public
infrastructures that shall include conditioning
projects of roads and accesses. These actions
hope to foster those activities related to the
Menorcan horse and the development of a
project of tourist signposting around the Island
to include equestrian activity. This project also
includes content drafting and communication
tasks related to the Camí de Cavalls (horse
tracks) so as to promote it as a main route for
trekking, mountain biking and horseback riding.
This track has been included within the natural
route network as “GR” (Long distance).
The main purpose of the equestrian product
is to emphasize the equestrian activity offer
connecting it to the Camí de Cavalls, and the
improvement of tourist signposting and on
private premises to offer equestrian routes
and stays.
Nautical Resorts
In Menorca there are three Nautical Resorts.
They are located in Ciutadella, Fornells and
Maó. They are non-profit associations whose
intention is to unite the nautical product
on the Island, and promote it locally and
internationally. Likewise, it intends to diversify
from seasonal tourism and to make the sea
available to everyone.
In order to achieve these objectives, Menorca
is already represented at national and
international fairs with promotional material.
Furthermore, the intention is to make a more
specific fair only for Nautical Resorts.
Menorca is also taking part in the promotional
activities fostered by the Spanish Association
of Nautical Resorts.
With regard to the information regarding
Nautical Resorts, there are several staffed
offices thanks to agreements with different
administrations that try to duly inform visitors
about all the activities that can be practised
at the resorts in Menorca as well as supply
general information.
Tourist Information Office Network
This network is made up of six offices located
in: the port of Maó, the Airport, Ciutadella,
port of Ciutadella, and Fornells. Apart from
the common tasks of all tourist information
offices, they are currently trying to sell several
products related to Menorca such as the
Menorca Monument Network Guide and the
Postcard DVD.
Cultural tourism
The Fundació Destí Menorca will manage
areas of cultural interest that, until recently,
still depended directly on the Island Council,
such as:
Naveta des Tudons
Torre d’en Galmés, village and interpretation
centre.
Fort Marlborough
Tower of Fornells
Trepucó
All these monuments have information
panels where their characteristics and main
features are described. Fort Marlborough and
the Tower of Fornells also have a museum
exhibition. The Torre d’en Galmés village is
complemented with an interpretation centre
supplying visitors with basic information
about what they are going to see.
Canoe routes
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Menorca Biosphere Reserve
All these premises have tourist information
service, public toilets for handicapped visitors
and information staff at the visitor’s disposal.
The Network includes about thirty monuments
of archaeological and ethnological interest as
well as museums.
SICTED
The FDM is working to develop a quality
system in Menorca related to the Spanish
Tourist Quality Plan (PICTE), whose main goal
is to achieve a homogenous quality level at the
same destination. For this purpose, the global
implementation of inter and subsectorial
quality parameters is sought for as well as
the incorporation of the subsectors project,
not necessarily tourist, with the final goal of
improving company services and the human
touch offered to customers.
Currently, there are fifty destinations in Spain
taking part in this project, which are at the
same time divided into different types: urban,
cultural, “beach and sun”, etc.
Menorca was one of the nine destinations that
collaborated with the project’s design and is
included within the “sun and beach” typology.
It includes 140 participating companies from
different industries: restaurants, hotels
and apartments, shops, car rentals, travel
agencies, tourist interest centres, leisure and
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sports companies, tourist information offices,
craftsmen, guides, taxis or beaches.
Companies and administrations to join this
national scope project are supplied with free
assessment and technical assistance from the
Council before they are inspected and receive
the quality certificate approval.
Film Commissions
The FDM has applied for the inclusion into
the Spain Film Commission Network with
the intention to diversify the offer and
design new products to face new demands
and competition. Besides, this could help
diversification from seasonal tourism on the
Island.
Should this application be confirmed, the
following activities would be developed:
The promotion of the Island as a filming
location, its attendance at fairs, presentations
and festivals of the sector.
Location assessment.
To assist with the shooting license proceedings.
To be the link between foreign producers and
local associate producers.
To supply information about accommodation
and service companies.
To monitor filming carried out in Menorca.
To promote the development of local industry
and a commercial way to include audiovisual
products made by producers within the
Menorca Film Commission by attending
international markets.
Collaboration with other organisms to
promote local industry.
Other products managed by Fundació Destí
Menorca are the Arts & Crafts Centre, the
Island Games and several cycling tours.
Apart from the activities in which the FDM
takes part, in Menorca there are other types of
tourism that could be considered alternative
which are related to private initiative.
Fort Marlborough
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Lighthouse of Favàritx
Cycling routes
Currently there are six well-signposted cycling
routes, from Ciutadella to Ferreries, Ferreries
to Mercadal, Mercadal to Alaior, Alaior to Maó,
Maó to Es Castell, and Es Castell to Sant Lluís.
Trekking routes
Such as the route from Punta Nati to Cala
Morell in Ciutadella, or the route between Els
Alocs and Muntanya Mala, or from Maó to Cala
Sant Esteve, amongst others.
Routes related to nature tourism
Here we will find the different stretches of the
horse track (Camí de Cavalls), an old military
route, now turned into part of the natural
route network 200 km long, a great route that
surrounds the whole of the Island’s perimeter,
crossing different ecosystems and beaches.
Another nature tourism offer is the S’Albufera
des Grau lagoon Natural Park, which offers the
option of self-guided or guided visits through
several interpretation routes. There are also
related centres such as the Nature Centre of
Menorca in Ferreries, which is managed by the
ecologist group GOB.
Apart from these official offers, Menorca also
offers occasional canoe outings, hunting
tourism, gastronomy, and more.
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Horse track (Camí de Cavalls)
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B Sa Mesquida beach
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TOURIST PRODUCT HANDBOOK
MENORCA BIOSPHERE RESERVE
Published by:
Departament d'Economia i Medi Ambient
i Agència Menorca Reserva de Biosfera
T and pictures:
Text
Portus Nura Consultores
Printed by:
Disseny i impressions
Spanish legal deposit:
PM 160-2011
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