Johann Jackob Buttikofer is the most visible face of the family that manages the Naveta des Tudons site, owned by his maternal family for three generations. Being a professional gemologist, he's “done it all” during his carreer. Currently, he manages the Tudons and Torre Solí Vell estates together with his siblings.
What is the relationship of your family with the naveta des Tudons?
We have a matriarchal system here: my mother, Elisa de Olives, is the owner of the Tudons farm, where the naveta is located, and of the Torre Solí Vell farm, where we have an organic agriculture bussiness. My sibllings and I manage it all together, including this famous and spectacular site.
Since when is the naveta linked to your family history?
The Es Tudons estate already belonged to my grandfather, meaning that we are the third generation that manages it. Formerly the monuments were not taken care of, the cattle grazed where they wanted and everything was neglected. But my grandfather, to prevent further harm, had this dry wall built around the monument to preserve it. Somehow he already had the vision that he had to protect and take care of it.
What childhood memories do you have in the naveta des Tudons?
Well, when we were little we climbed it, we went inside… before there was no control or awareness. Nowadays, access is closed with a fence and climbing is prohibited for the conservation and protection of such an important monument.
And how did the idea of exploiting the site for tourism come about?
Tourists had always come here, excursions were organized by hotels, but there was no economic benefit for either the owners or the local administration. I think we were one of the first to exploit a prehistoric site in Menorca for tourism, and part of the money from the tickets went towards the conservation of Talayotic properties and archaeological research. This was 13 or 14 years ago, when we signed an agreement with the Consell Insular (Island Council) to organize visits, and we are very satisfied with the collaboration with them.
What happens is that more resources are needed for research and, above all, to recover all the great heritage that is deteriorating. There’s so much to do to fix all the monuments we have in the Menorcan countryside. The Consell has done a good job in recent years, but it must continue.
This is the most visited monument in Menorca, what does this mean to your family?
Well, it makes us proud, it’s an historical legacy and a world wonder that we are lucky to have at home. The most important thing is that everyone who wants to can enjoy it.
And in such an outstanding site, what challenges do you face to improve the visit?
Well, one of the improvements that could be made is to eliminate the disused electrical towers that we have on the property, it’s visual contamination. I think it is one of the pending issues.