Rehabilitation of the Sanitja defence tower

The project

The Sanitja Tower stands on the edge of a small cliff on the rocky tip that forms the entrance to Sanitja port, in the municipality of Es Mercadal. This tower once formed part of the island's defence system, designed towards the end of the 18^th century and built by the English at the beginning of the 19^th century.

The project proposes to carry out work on the tower to ensure its solidity, safety and continuity and, at the same time, to guarantee that this military construction remains what it is today in the 21^st century, a milestone on the landscape of northern Menorca and a visual reference point on existing walking routes.

In this way, the first restoration objective is to halt its deterioration with the second objective being to restore its structures by replacing the existing stones around the tower and giving it the appearance it originally had. Finally, work will be done on the interior to prevent the entry of rainwater and all the original elements that have been damaged will be reconstructed.

A study has been carried out on the island's other towers to analyze the work carried out in recent years and the original elements that have been preserved. This study has helped to define some keys points and parameters for better intervention work. The activity that will be carried out will focus on the restoration, consolidation and cleaning of the Sanitja defence tower. During all these actions, an archaeologist will carry out a general control, study the parameters and then make reports.