The Consell Insular de Menorca, through the Agència Menorca Talaiòtica, has this week begun restoration work on several sections of the cyclopean wall at the Talayotic settlement of Son Catlar, located in Ciutadella. The Minister of Culture, Education, Youth and Sports, Joan Pons Torres; the Island Director of Culture, Jaume Reurer; and the Director of the Agència Menorca Talaiòtica, Antoni Ferrer, visited the site this morning.
This action,
scheduled to last one month, aims to preserve this significant heritage asset, which has been designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site. The company Catarqueolegs SL is responsible for the restoration, under the direction of conservators Bernat Burgaya and Margalida Munar, and archaeologist Cristina Bravo. The contract was awarded through a public tender process at the end of 2024.
The intervention forms part of the actions set out in the Son Catlar Master Plan, approved in 2019, and is funded through a direct
grant from the Ministry of Culture to the Consell Insular de Menorca. This grant, amounting to a total of €437,000, has been allocated to the Son Catlar restoration project (€48,291) and to the upcoming restoration and excavation of the central talayot at Torre d’en Galmés.
The main objectives of this intervention are twofold: on the one hand, to
halt the process of degradation affecting parts of the wall due to past vegetation growth—especially wild olive trees (ullastres)—and on the other, to improve visitors’ understanding of the original structures. The deterioration has caused several large vertical slabs to fall, exposing the wall’s internal fill and compromising the stability of this unique architectural element.
The restoration work includes the
removal of roots that have caused damage, the repositioning of fallen slabs to their original locations, and the
removal of blocks whose original placement cannot be identified and therefore cannot be reinstalled. When necessary, heavy machinery will be used to move large stone elements. The entire process adheres to the criteria established in Decree 14/2011 of the Balearic Islands, ensuring comprehensive documentation of each stage of the intervention and the recording of any archaeological materials discovered during the work.
Son Catlar is the most prominent archaeological site in component C2 of Menorca Talaiòtica. With a 900-meter-long cyclopean wall and a remarkable diversity of protohistoric structures, this settlement is a key site for understanding the final stages of Menorca's Talayotic society. The Consell Insular de Menorca acquired the site in 2018 and has since undertaken various conservation and outreach initiatives.
Once the work is completed, the Agència Menorca Talaiòtica of the Consell Insular will hold a press conference to publicly present the results of the intervention and highlight the improvements made to the site.