The new Talayotic Menorca space at the Museu de Menorca was inaugurated this morning, May 18, on the occasion of International Museum Day. This space explores the
exceptional values for which UNESCO awarded Menorca World Heritage status. It is the result of collaboration between the Balearic Government and the Consell Insular de Menorca, through the Talayotic Menorca Agency and the Museu de Menorca.
The event was attended by the vice-president and conseller for the Environment of the Consell Insular, Simón Gornés; the director general of Cultural Affairs of the Balearic Government, Ricarda Margarita Vicens Schluhe; the director of the Museu de Menorca, Carol Desel; and the director of the Talayotic Menorca Agency, Antoni Ferrer Rotger.
Conseller Gornés stresses that this new room is a fundamental complement to the visit and knowledge of the sites of Talayotic Menorca: "Here we can see their magnitude, we are talking about more than 1,500 archaeological sites, which means a minimum of two per square kilometre. This room will help visitors to learn about the main characteristics of the World Heritage inscription, what it means for Menorca, and the management challenge to be faced. We must do better, because we are a mirror of what UNESCO defends: the values of integration of landscape, culture and heritage".
Antoni Ferrer also points out that "one of the objectives of this room is to awaken visitors' interest in learning about the sites. On the other hand, we must bear in mind that the peculiarities of the objects typical of the Talayotic culture, many of which are kept by the museum, also played a role in defining the exceptional nature of Menorca's prehistoric heritage, which was inscribed on the World Heritage List".
New permanent room
The aim of this new space is to raise awareness of the exceptional values for which Talayotic Menorca received this recognition last September 2023, and to complement it with the knowledge about prehistory and, more specifically, the Talayotic culture, which can be found in the museum's permanent rooms.
An audiovisual piece on the main characteristics of the Talayotic Menorca World Heritage opens the exhibition, followed by a large map of Menorca on which visitors can locate the island's main prehistoric sites. The most outstanding figures and the criteria of universal value recognised by UNESCO are other of the contents of this new permanent space, which also includes replicas of
some of the most emblematic pieces of the Talayotic culture that are kept in the museum, such as the statuette of Imhotep from Torre d'en Galmés or the bull from Torralba d'en Salort. To complete the experience, visitors will be able to try on reproductions of
Talayotic clothing and immortalise the moment in a photocall.