SPAIN IS GRANTED 50TH WORLD HERITAGE SITE BY UNESCO

Spain now has 50 World Heritage Sites recognised by UNESCO, following the addition of the Talayotic Menorca to the list, which has been recognised for its cultural importance.

This recognition was granted by UNESCO to the Talayotic as it considered to be a testiment to prehistoric culture and heritage on the island, with an exceptional number of monuments that demonstrate the different stages of prehistoric Menorca. The site is of particular importance given the impressive standard of the preservation of the monuments, thanks to conservation efforts, as well as the number that have been preserved. The constructions are unique to Menorca and include funerary naves, circular houses as well as structures such as taulas and talayots – they are considered by UNESCO to be an exceptional example of Cyclopean architecture and of its evolution over fifteen hundred years. They are an important source of knowledge about the life of the Talayotic people and the Bronze Age and the Iron Age.

The distinction will mean that the prehistoric heritage of Menorca is more widely recognised internationally and is expected to help secure new resources for the conservation and scientific research of the monuments and Talayotic culture. This declaration also highlights the great conservational work that is being done in the Balearics to preserve prehistoric sites.

The Balearic Islands have four more UNESCO distinctions: Serra de Tramuntana and the Song of Sybil in Mallorca, Menorca protected by the UNESCO as a Biosphere Reserve, and Ibiza for its fortified acropolis (around Dalt Vila) and its marine ecosystem, comprising prairies of oceanic Posidonia (seagrass).