Talayotic Menorca was the focus of attention today, January 19, with the presentation of the candidacy for UNESCO World Heritage 2022 at the International Tourism Fair (FITUR) in Madrid. The president of the Consell Insular de Menorca, Susana Mora; the Vice President and Conseller of Cultural Affairs, Miquel Àngel Maria; the Deputy Director for Management and Coordination of Cultural Assets of the Spanish Ministry of Culture, Pilar Barrero García; and the coordinator of the candidacy, Cipriano Marín, participated in the event held this afternoon at the Balearic Islands stand.
In his speech, the Conseller of Cultural Affairs highlighted the importance of Talayotic Menorca within the framework of the island's tourism strategy: “Menorca has been working for years to diversify and de-seasonalize tourism. One of the most effective stratagies to achieve this goal is through cultural tourism. We are convinced that Talayotic Menorca has the potential to attract tourists, out of high season, interested in our culture, landscape and the traditional values of the island lifestyle. The possible inscription on the UNESCO World Heritage List will be a boost to this strategy.”
The event ended with the screening of a four-minute summary of the documentary “Talayotic Menorca, an insular cyclopean odyssey.” The Consell Insular de Menorca promoted the production of this documentary in order to give support to the candidacy. The purpose of this film is to encourage people to get involved in the conservation of Talayotic heritage, discover and share the candiacy’s journey through a civilization that is still alive and present in every landscape of the island. Made by the production company Espiral Producciones TV SL, it was directed by Manu Balaguer, with a script by Laura Jurado and under the supervision of the archaeologist Amalia Pérez-Juez.
At what stage is the candidacy in?
The International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS) requested more information about Talayotic Menorca after the candidacy’s team defended it in front of the international ICOMOS panel last November 26 in Paris. The report will be sent on February 28. After this, ICOMOS will publish its final report in May. At the end of June, the World Heritage Committee is scheduled to be held in Kazan (Russia), where the inscription of Talayotic Menorca on the UNESCO World Heritage List will be decided.
You can see the documentary’s summary here.