Torre d’en Galmés. A prime example of the island’s rich prehistorical heritage

Torre d’en Galmés. A prime example of the island’s rich prehistorical heritage

C.M.W.Maó04/05/10 0:00
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Menorca is taking the first steps towards applying to be included in the list of nominations to become one of UNESCO's World Heritage Sites. The process is lengthy, taking up to ten years to complete, with the national government first having to approve the application before it can be submitted for consideration by the World Heritage Committee.

The candidature will start with a proposal supported by all the political parties in the Island Council. There will then be an initial selection of sites from the almost 1,500 Assets of Cultural Interest which include 300 Talayotic villages and 1,000 archaeological sites catalogued on the island and a work group will be set up. New information centres on the Talayotic culture (the most well known remains being the 'navetas', 'talayots' and 'taulas') will have to created.

The project will need support from the Balearic Government which will be responsible for forwarding the proposal to the State Government for inclusion on the list to be submitted to UNESCO.

Once a site receives the status of a World Heritage Site, its preservation and conservation becomes the responsibility of the whole world and not just the country where it is located, so that it is preserved for future generations. Spain already has 41 such sites, including the Alhambra, the Generalife and the Torre de Hércules, whilst the U.K.'s list includes sites as diverse as Stonehenge and Avebury, the City of Edinburgh and Blaenavon Industrial Landscape.