Punta de n'Amer

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Punta de n'Amer southeast of the town of Cala Millor

Punta de n'Amer is a peninsula on the east coast of the Spanish Mediterranean island of Mallorca . It is located between the towns of Cala Millor and Sa Coma in the municipality of Sant Llorenç des Cardassar in the region ( Comarca ) Llevant . The peninsula is a nature reserve, the only one in the municipality of Sant Llorenç des Cardassar.

Geographical location

Punta de n'Amer extends on the north east coast of Mallorca about two kilometers east into the sea. The highest point is 43 meters above sea level ( msnm ) in the western part of the peninsula. Punta de n'Amer separates Cala Nau on the bay of Son Servera ( Badia de Son Servera , also Badia d'Artà ) in the north from the beach of Platja de sa Coma on Cala Moreia in the south. The largest north-south extension between Cala Nau and Cape Clot d'en Rotger on the south side is about 1250 meters.

North coast of the peninsula

The easternmost point of the peninsula is known as Na Corbana Alta . It is located roughly in the middle between the more northerly Na Jordana Baixa and the southern Sa Punta de ses Crestes , where the coastline swings towards the west towards the island. The northernmost point of Punta de n'Amer is the bay of Cala Nau , the southernmost is Cape Sa Proa , which is located east of Cape Clot d'en Rotger towards Sa Punta de ses Crestes .

description

The 199.88  hectare peninsula, which is privately owned, was declared a nature reserve by the island parliament in 1985 and on January 30, 1991, according to the Natural Area Act 1/1991 of the Government of the Balearic Islands ( Govern de les Illes Balars ) as a "nature reserve of special value "(" Àrea natural d'especial interès ") of the ANEI type. Since then, building has not been allowed there. Today, Punta de n'Amer is the only undeveloped stretch of coast in the municipality of Sant Llorenç des Cardassar. The development of the municipalities of Cala Millor and Sa Coma extends to the border of the protected area. The western limit of the nature reserve is the Carrer de Baladres road , which connects Cala Millor and Sa Coma. In the northwest it extends to Carrer de Castell , in the southwest to Avinguda de les Palmeres , including the "Rancho de Sa Coma" .

Es Castell on Punta de n'Amer

At Punta de n'Amer , dunes , shrub and rock heath and pine forest alternate. Among other things, remains of the original dune landscape can still be seen here, which once comprised a large part of the area around the northern Badia de Son Servera near Cala Millor. The dunes shape large areas of the rocky coastal zone of the peninsula. Mastic bushes ( Pistacia lentiscus ), gorse ( Genista ), daphne family ( Thymelaea velutina ) and Phoenician juniper ( Juniperus phoenicea ) grow between them . The juniper plants hold the sand of the dunes together with their roots. Smaller plants such as the white funnel-shaped daffodils ( Pancratium maritimum ) and rosemary ( Rosmarinus officinalis ) benefit from this.

Stone markings on the coast
Sa Caseta des Moix
Marès quarry

In the direct coastal area, on the rocks up to 50 meters from the sea, only a few low plants grow that can cope without soil and with the salty spray of the sea surf. These include rock samphire ( Crithmum maritimum ), beach Lilac ( Limonium ), gold coins ( Asteriscus maritimus ) and a Moosflechte ( Verrucaria Adriatica ), which gives the rocks a black appearance. In the interior of the peninsula, especially in the eastern area and at Cala Nau , there is a zone of bushland, la Garriga . In addition to the mastic bushes, there are three types of rockrose ( Cistus ), olive trees ( Phillyrea angustifolia ), heather ( Erica multiflora ), sweet grasses ( Ampelodesma mauritanica ) and dwarf palms ( Chamaerops humilis ).

The area south of Cala Nau is a specialty. Not so long ago, like the rest of the western part of Punta de n'Amer , there was a closed forest area here. After a fire, only the extreme western and southern parts of the forest towards Sa Coma remained. It is currently beginning to regenerate at Cala Nau , so that the first Aleppo pines are growing again in addition to the bushes that once lived in the forest . The pine forest spared by the fire extends partially to the south coast of the peninsula, but is also interrupted by open terrain. It is home to various types of orchids that are strictly protected.

Animals are rarely found on Punta de n'Amer . Birds such as the Mediterranean gull ( Larus michahellis ), the shag ( Phalacrocorax aristotelis ), the blue alder ( Monticola solitarius ) or the partridge can be observed most frequently . Among the few mammals, the wandering hedgehog ( Atelerix algirus vagans ) should be emphasized, a subspecies of the Algerian hedgehog (Atelerix algirus), which is native to North Africa . At Sa Coma, some of the horses and chickens from the “Rancho de Sa Coma” have free exercise.

The only structures in the nature reserve are the buildings of the former Sa Coma estate ( Cases de Sa Coma ) on Carrer de Baladres , the ruins of the house sa Caseta des Moix (also sa Caseta d'en Sagrera ) on the southwestern edge of the sea, a few bunkers from the time of the Spanish Civil War (1936-1939) east of the Clot d'en Rotger and at the transition to the Platja de Sa Coma and the fortified tower Castell de sa Punta de n'Amer in the middle of the peninsula, completed in 1696 .

Some hiking trails lead through the protected area to the Castell and the rocky coast. The main paths to the east of the Castell are passable. The coastal paths are partly marked by "cairns". In some places there are old walls from the time of the peninsula cultivation, but they do not represent any obstacles to the hiking trails.

At the southeastern tip of Punta de n'Amer is the sa Cova de ses Crestes cave , which was used as a residential cave in prehistoric times . The cave was designed so that it could be accessed from both land and sea. Further west, between the southernmost point of the peninsula, Sa Proa , and Cape Clot d'en Rotger , there is an old quarry right by the sea. In it, natural stones ( Marès ) were extracted as building material, which were used, among other things, in the construction of the Castell 450 meters away .

history

Punta de n'Amer has always been an important strategic place on the east coast. Since around 1500  BC Chr. The caves were ses Crestes and ses Pedreres on the south coast of the peninsula used as living caves. Pottery found there indicates a pre-Talayotic settlement. But there are also Talaiot sites from later times in the center of the peninsula, such as the remains of a Talaiot Tower, known as Tancat de sa Torre , about 350 meters southwest of the Castell .

Not quite 700 meters from the easternmost point of the peninsula, the castle-like defense tower Castell de sa Punta de n'Amer was built in the 17th century . As early as 1585, against the background of the constant attacks and raids by pirates and North African pirates on Mallorca's coasts (15th to 18th centuries), the viceroy Lluis Vich, as part of a general inspection, indicated the need to build a defense tower on Punta de n ' Amer established. After another major attack in 1611, the council of the city of Manacor, to whose area the peninsula belonged at that time, decided to build the tower in 1617, which, however, could not be realized for cost reasons.

restaurant
Drawbridge of the castle

The construction of the Castell began in 1693 , after the captain of Muro ( Capità de Muro ) was captured in one of these raids on the island on September 4, 1688, in addition to some fishermen , and the General Council of Mallorca then supported the Baus agreed. The tower, completed in 1696, served not only as a direct defense for the residents of the east coast, but also as an observation and reporting tower. It was part of the coastal fortress network of Mallorca, consisting of a large number of towers, on which the corps of tower guards was deployed. The castell also had an outbuilding which is now a restaurant. As the threat of attack decreased in the middle of the 19th century, the tower was auctioned off and became private property.

During the Spanish Civil War from 1936 to 1939, the Punta de n'Amer peninsula was an important base for the army. The Castell served as a news location for the national eavesdropping network and as a repository for the nationalists. On August 16, 1936, the republican armed forces landed on Punta de n'Amer and Porto Cristo in the " Battle of Mallorca " and occupied parts of the east coast. After the loss of air superiority due to the support of the nationalists on the part of the Italian air force, the republican troops had to vacate the areas of Mallorca that had been conquered shortly before on September 12, 1936. On the south coast of Punta de n'Amer , bunkers were built during the war to ward off attacks from the sea.

Access

The nature reserve of Punta de n'Amer is freely accessible. You are asked to stay on the paths. Driving quads is prohibited on the peninsula, as is lighting fires. Signposted parking spaces are located at the south end of Cala Millor or at the north end of Sa Coma. The distances from there through the dunes and the forest to the Castell are around 1100 meters (Cala Millor) and 1500 meters (Sa Coma).

supporting documents

See also

Web links

Commons : Punta de n'Amer  - collection of images, videos and audio files

Coordinates: 39 ° 35 '  N , 3 ° 24'  E