Formentera’s fascinating history

The first evidence of colonisation of Formentera is found close to the resort town of Es Pujols, where the megalithic burial site of Ca Na Costa dates to around 2000 BC. The Phoenicians, who settled Ibiza in 654BC, appear to have left Formentera untouched, and it was not until around 200 BC when the Romans arrived and built a fortress near to Es Caló that the island was given its name - Frumentaria (the wheat island in Latin). The island was successively occupied by Vandals and Visigoths, then in 711 the Moors arrived on Ibiza and Formentera. Much of Formentera’s current landscape – stone walls, irrigation systems is Moorish by design, while the flat-roofed fincas are replicas of those found in Ibiza. Formentera is small and much of the island’s history is easily accessible. The excellent Ethnographic Museum in Sant Francesc is fascinating.

One of Formentera's four defence towers built between 1762 and 1763 in strategic locations which were determined by Francisco de Paula Bucarelli y Ursúa, the then general captain of the Balearic Islands. The project was carried out under the guidance of military engineer José García Martínez. The constructions were used both for defence and – as was most often the case – surveillance until 1867. The angled tower is circular by design has three floors connected by a stone staircase. A gunpowder arsenal is located on the ground level, as is a section of ample floor space which was previously occupied by a stone staircase that united the ground floor with the central chamber of the tower. An aperture in the chamber wall was converted into what is today the main tower entrance, a feature that has permitted the tower's opening for public visit. The first floor is also the site of the original entrance, situated above ground level for questions of defence. The tower can be visited by the public.

This six-blade flour mill was built in 1778 and is a tangible link to the historical importance of wheat on the island of Formentera, as the cereal was the basic source of food for the island's population. This is one of three mills that were documented in the 18th century. In 1781, Francesc Serra Rempuixa and Josep Costa sold the mill to Bartomeu Mayans ‘Moliner’ and it stayed in the family's hands until 1993, when it was acquired by the Fundació Illes Balears (Foundation of the Balearic Islands). The windmill features on the cover of the seminal Pink Floyd soundtrack the film More, and is said to be the one that Bob Dylan lived in for a short period. It is open to the public.

This tiny chapel is rectangular in shape with a tunnel vault roof and was built in 1369 and dedicated to Saint Valerius. In those very early years the chpel served the tiny population of Formentera, devastated by the Black Death in 1348. In the 18th century, when the island was repopulated, the Saint Valerius chapel was connected to a larger building, Sa Tanca Vella, where the building gets its current name from. At the start of the 1980s the larger building, in ruins, was demolished to restore the chapel. It was declared a site of cultural interest in 1993 and is located in the protected area of the Sant Francesc Xavier historic complex.

The most spectacular megalithic burial site in the Balearics, built with geometric precision around a central circular chamber bordered with large vertical stone slabs, surrounded by three paved concentric circles and 22 radial stones, plus a corridor that leads to the middle of the construction. When the site was excavated following rediscovery in 1974, findings included human remains, bone buttons, and ceramics. The site is the oldest in the Balearics and was in continual use for around 400 years until approximately 1600 BC.

This coastal hiking trail is known as the Roman Road but was in fact built by the Augustinian friars in the 13th century. For centuries it was the only trail linking tiny La Mola with the rest of the island and it is known by locals as Sa Pujada. The route offers spectacular views of the island and passes various caves – some occupied by hippies in the 1970s – along with sites of historical interest.

The mysteriously beautiful salt pans of Formentera have existed since ancient times, although it was not until the 13th century that documentary evidence of their exploitation was left. In 1873 they were acquired by the Majorcan landowner Antoni Marroig and later by Salinera Española SA, which operated them until as recently as 1984. The labyrinthine canal system took advantage of the waters of the Estany Pudent – the largest of the two lagoons in Formentera – pumping the waters towards the ponds where the salt crystallized until its extraction. As in neighbouring Ibiza, the harvesting work was carried out by men and mules beneath a blazing sun before the salt was transported off the island in cargo boats bound for other countries.