We continue our route through the Talayotic Menorca without a break. This time, we head in the direction of the south coast. On the way to the beach of Son Bou, and not far from the municipality of Alaior, we find the largest Talayotic settlement in Menorca: Torre d’en Galmés. Being 66,240 square metres, it is one of the best places to understand the Menorcan Talayotic culture. There is evidence that Torre d’en Galmés was populated from the naviform period in the Bronze Age (between 1700 – 1400 BC), until medieval times (12th century AD); although it seems that it’s moment of glory was from 1300 AD up to Roman times. From its enviable position on a small hill it has good views of the south coast of Menorca and the nearby Cami de Cavalls. Its location, together with three talayots, has led experts to believe that this village could have been of greater importance than the others.
As well as the three talayots, in Torre d’en Galmés we can walk through a taula site and a fascinating set of houses of the circular-shaped Postalayótico. The most famous, of 145 square metres in size, was baptized Casa Cartailhac and was inhabited between III and II BC. Although there are currently eight buildings that can be visited, you can see the remains of another 27 in the area, structures that were identified when the first works were carried out in 1974. It also highlights the well conserved ingenious system of collection and cleansing of the village water, a hypostyle hall and four funeral hypogeums.
With the possibility for tourist visits, Torre d’en Galmés has a centre where some archaeological objects are on view, as well as didactic information on Talayotic culture.
Municipality: Alaior
Ownership: Ministry of Culture since 1974
Phone: 971 157 800
There is a carpark.
