Torre de Canyamel
| Torre de Canyamel | ||
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 West side of the Torre de Canyamel |
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| Alternative name (s): | formerly Torre d'en Montsó | |
| Creation time : | 1237 | |
| Conservation status: | Preserved essential parts | |
| Construction: | Limestone - masonry | |
| Place: | Canyamel ( Capdepera ) | |
| Geographical location | 39 ° 40 '3.2 " N , 3 ° 24' 42.3" E | |
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The Torre de Canyamel (in Castilian Torre de Cañamel , sugar cane tower ) is a former escape and defense tower from the 13th century near the east coast of the Spanish Balearic island of Mallorca . It is located in the municipality of Capdepera , about four kilometers southwest of the city of Capdepera. Until the middle of the 15th century, the Torre de Canyamel was called Torre d'en Montsó, after the Montsó family who had it built . Today, a small museum is housed in the tower surrounded by farm buildings.
location
The Torre de Canyamel stands at a height of almost 50 meters in the Valle de Canyamel ("sugar cane valley "), which was called Valle de Gabellí in the Middle Ages . Even today, the inhabitants of Capdeperas call themselves Gabellín , the tower is closely linked to the history of the city. The fertile valley between the mountain ranges of the Serra de Son Jordi and the Puig Negre lies south of Capdepera, irrigated by the Torrent de sa Farinera (also Torrent de Canyamel ), a torrent , in Catalan Torrent , with its tributaries.
The Torrent de sa Farinera flows into the Mediterranean about three kilometers southeast of the Torre de Canyamel . In front of the local tourist settlement of Canyamel is the beach called Platja de Canyamel . It is located on a bay between Cap Vermell and Cap des Pinar , the stretch of coast that the Torre de Canyamel was built to protect . To the west, the valley widens along the Torrent de sa Farinera to behind the city of Artà , which was the main town of the Yartân district in Moorish times , and then the seat of the large municipality of Artà, which until 1858 also included Capdepera and the neighboring Son Servera to the south . The Coves d'Artà caves on the coast near Canyamel are still named after the former municipal capital.
description
The medieval building of the Torre de Canyamel made of stone, mortar and clay in the Gothic style is about 23 meters high and has three floors. Its base area, each 16.5 meters in length and width, forms an exact square. The outer walls are around 1.0 meters thick on the ground floor and around 0.7 meters thick on the upper floor. From the entrance of the tower on the southeast side you enter the seven meter high ground floor. It is divided into three rooms by two walls running in the same direction parallel to the outer walls. There are gothic pointed arches on the ceilings , the outer walls have several loopholes . A recess 1 meter wide and 2.5 meters high can be seen on one of the outer walls at a height of two meters. For safety reasons, this original entrance to the tower was only accessible via a ladder that could be pulled up.
A narrow spiral staircase leads to the upper floor, which is also divided into three rooms. Due to the 30 centimeters narrower outer walls, the floor space of the rooms is slightly larger here than in the basement. In addition to the loopholes, there are also windows in the outer walls of the upper floor. Originally there were no stairs to the top floor, a recess in the ceiling was only accessible via ladders or ropes. In order to provide better access for visitors, a small staircase to the roof terrace has recently been installed.
The parapet of the attic is provided with battlements on all four sides of the tower . In the middle of the roof terrace protrudes about five meters high smaller tower, which is also reinforced with battlements. In contrast to the actual tower structure, the dimensions of the tower top are not square, but form a rectangle measuring 4.5 meters × 5.25 meters. From the height of the small tower on the top floor you have a wide view, to the southeast to the coast. In the past, this prevented surprise attacks, which is why the Torre de Canyamel was considered impregnable. Legend has it that it never fell into enemy hands.
history
After the conquest of Mallorca by King Jaume I for the Crown of Aragon in 1229, the lands were divided among the Catalan nobles who took possession of the island. The Nunis and Montsó families received land in the eastern part of the Yartân district , the area of today's Capdepera municipality. In order to protect the island against attacks from the sea, the new landowners built defense towers along the coast. These included the Torre d'en Nunis within the later "fortress" of Capdepera (Castell de Capdepera) and the Torre d'en Montsó in the Valle de Gabellí . The latter stood on the estate of the Montsó family and was built in 1237, possibly on the foundations of a previous Moorish building .
Mallorca's defensive towers served less to defend against attacks by larger enemy forces than to protect and defend the Catalan new settlers on the island from pirates who plundered the coasts of the western Mediterranean. The towers were soon no longer sufficient as places of refuge, so that Jaume II , King of Mallorca from 1276 to 1311 , ordered the foundation and fortification of the town of Capdepera in 1300. A fortification wall was built around the Torre d'en Nunis , which was completed by 1387. Within the protective wall, new houses were built and, since 1316, a church, the Nuestra Senyora de la Esperanza chapel , which was initially consecrated to St. Peter and which was rebuilt and expanded several times until 1703. The importance of the four kilometers southwest of the Torre d'en Montsó decreased, but after its use it remained a refuge for the residents of the immediate vicinity.
This changed in the 15th century with the decline of chivalry and the invention of firearms , which the tower fortifications had less to oppose. In addition, the risk of attacks by pirates decreased significantly during this time. The Torre d'en Montsó was converted into a residential building, but also served as a warehouse for the sugar cane, which was temporarily grown in the surrounding fertile valley, or as storage space for agricultural equipment. For the various types of use, there were frequent conversions and additions that can still be recognized from the basic structure of the ceilings and walls. From the sugar cane, which was cultivated by the local landowner for seven years from 1428 after being granted a concession by King Joan II of Aragón , the tower received its name, Torre de Canyamel , which is still used today . The word Canyamel is derived from the Catalan canya de mel (Castilian cana de miel ) and literally means "pipe made of honey".
Farm buildings were built around the Torre de Canyamel in line with its predominantly agricultural use. Most of these are still in the present, others, including those attached to the tower, have been removed. Today there is a restaurant in the building of the former oil mill southwest of the tower. The ground floor of the Torre de Canyamel houses a private museum of small agricultural implements as well as household and kitchen appliances. In addition, various products such as honey, olives, olive oil, schnapps and wines from the farm that is still in operation are offered for sale. On the upper floor there are some larger exhibits, such as an old loom with accessories. Several ancient weapons such as sabers, swords and knives can be seen on the walls.
Access
The road between Son Servera and Capdepera, the MA-4040, crosses the MA-4042 about three kilometers before Capdepera from Artà. If you go on this to the south-east towards the coast and do not follow the main road turning to the left, but stay on the straight road, after almost one kilometer you will reach the location of the Torre de Canyamel on the left . There is free parking in front of the farm buildings that surround the tower.
Individual evidence
- ↑ The Tower of Canyamel. Retrieved October 15, 2010 .
- ↑ a b La torre de Canyamel. Archived from the original on September 21, 2013 ; Retrieved October 17, 2010 (Spanish).
- ↑ a b c The old fortress of Canyamel. (No longer available online.) Archived from the original on September 27, 2009 ; Retrieved October 18, 2010 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ Pueblos de Mallorca. Retrieved October 16, 2010 (Spanish).
- ↑ Notes on the history of Capdepera. (No longer available online.) Formerly in the original ; Retrieved October 16, 2010 . ( Page no longer available , search in web archives ) Info: The link was automatically marked as defective. Please check the link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ Capdepera. (No longer available online.) Archived from the original on August 26, 2014 ; Retrieved October 16, 2010 . Info: The archive link was inserted automatically and has not yet been checked. Please check the original and archive link according to the instructions and then remove this notice.
- ↑ Sights in and around Canyamel. Retrieved October 19, 2010 .
Web links
- The Canyamel Tower
- La torre de Canyamel ( Memento of September 21, 2013 in the Internet Archive ) (Castilian)