Torre des Matzoc
| Torre des Matzoc | ||
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 South-west side of the Torre des Matzoc |
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| Alternative name (s): | Torre d'Aubarca (Albarca) | |
| Creation time : | 1751 | |
| Conservation status: | ruin | |
| Construction: | Limestone - masonry | |
| Place: | Morro d'Aubarca, Artà | |
| Geographical location | 39 ° 45 '47.7 " N , 3 ° 24' 11.6" E | |
| Height: | 67 msnm | |
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Torre des Matzoc ("Tower of Es Matzoc ", also Torre d'Aubarca or high - in Catalan Torre d'Albarca ) is a guard and defense tower from the 18th century on the northeast coast of the Spanish Balearic island of Mallorca . Throughout history it was also called Torre de sa Falconera and Torre de San Fernando . Today the Torre des Matzoc is classified as a “Good of Cultural Interest” ( “Bé d'interès cultural” - BIC). It is located in the municipality of Artà , about nine kilometers northeast of the city of Artà.
Location and description
The Torre des Matzoc stands on the Morro d'Aubarca , a rocky cape between the Cap de Ferrutx in the north-west and the south-east Cap des Freu . South of the tower, the Torrent des Matzoc , also Torrent de s'Aladron , a torrent ("torrent") that only carries water when it rains heavily , flows into the Mediterranean Sea at Cala des Matzoc ("Bay of Es Matzoc ") .
The hinterland is made up of the Aubarca (also Albarca ) and sa Duaia estates , both of which are publicly owned. Aubarca is part of the natural park of the Llevant peninsula (Parc natural de la península de Llevant) . The stretch of coast where the Torre des Matzoc is located is practically uninhabited. Opposite the tower, 0.4 nautical miles off the coast of the Morro d'Aubarca , lies the cliff of Aubarca (Faraió d'Aubarca) , a small rocky island in the open sea.
The conical round building of the Torre des Matzoc is about eleven meters high and thus reaches a height of 67 meters above sea level . The two-story tower, built using limestone and mortar, shows signs of weathering on the outside. On the south-west side is the ground level entrance, which was not originally there. When the tower was erected, the entrance was on the upper floor for safety reasons. From there a stone spiral staircase leads down to the ground floor with its three rooms, including the former powder room. The gun platform can be reached from the dome-shaped single room on the upper floor via a narrow, stone spiral staircase and a wooden ladder. One of the three cannons originally used there for coastal defense is still lying on the tower , which is covered with rust from the weather.
history
The Torre des Matzoc is one of the 85 towers along the coast of Mallorca that were built in visual contact with each other for observation and defense purposes against the attacks by North African corsairs . It is more recent than its two neighboring towers from the 16th century, the Talaia de Son Jaumell in the southeast and the Talaia Moreia in the west. In 1751, at a height of 56 meters, not too high and erected directly on the coast, it was possible from here to fight enemy landings at Cala es Matzoc directly using the cannon . At the same time, like the tower of Son Jaumell (height: 271 meters) and the Talaia Moreia (height: 432 meters), it was used to observe the sea and to transmit enemy ship movements to the inland settlements and via the other towers to the military headquarters Torre de l 'Angel in Palma . It was there that the decisions regarding the dispatch of the necessary troops were made.
When the dangers of the sea ended in the 19th century when the balance of power in the Mediterranean changed in favor of the European powers, the coastal towers were no longer needed. Now with no guards, their decline began. This also applied to the Torre des Matzoc . However, smuggling increased on Mallorca's coasts, which is why the Carabiners were founded in 1829 . This police unit was supposed to combat the illegal importation of goods, mainly from the western Mediterranean, such as Marseille , Genoa or the coast of the Maghreb . In the 20th century, the Torre des Matzoc was also used by the Carabiners until it was dissolved after the Spanish Civil War . The coastal path from Cala Estreta to s'Arenalet des Verger (also s'Arenalet d'Aubarca ), which leads past the tower of es Matzoc , is still known today as Camí dels Carabiners .
- Views of the tower
Original entrance
Stairs in the interior
Wooden ladder to the platform
Gun platform
Access
From Artà, the Torre des Matzoc can be reached from the MA-15 road in the direction of Cala Rajada on the road to Cala Torta that begins there . At the junction on the right to Cala Torta, follow the straight course of the road towards Cala Estreta . This is where the poorly maintained road ends at its end and the Camí dels Carabiners coastal footpath leads west to the Torre des Matzoc .
Another option is the nature park's hiking trails, which start near the road from Artà to Ermita de Betlem at s'Alqueria Vella d'Avall . There you choose the marked path running south to the Aubarca estate , from where the Torre des Matzoc can also be reached via further paths northeast to the coast .
Individual evidence
- ↑ a b Bartomeu Amengual Gomila: Coastal travel guide from the air - Mallorca , Verlag geoplaneta, p. 44, ISBN 84-08-02931-2
- ^ A b Jaume Alzina Mestre, Jaume Guiscafrè Danús: Artà, Living Cultural Heritage - Lost Beaches , Edicions de Turisme Cultural. ( Memento of March 23, 2010 in the Internet Archive ) ISBN 84-95572-15-X
- ^ Bill Clements, William Holliwell Clements: Martello Towers Worldwide . Pen & Sword Books, 2011, ISBN 978-1-84884-535-0 , pp. 56 ( limited preview in Google Book search).
- ↑ Miguel Ángel Álvarez Alperi: Comprehensive beach guide Mallorca + Cabrera , El Cohete Ediciones, 1st edition 2001, p. 159, ISBN 84-87933-08-4
