Torre de Fornells: Tower with Hidden Entrance

Torre de Fornells: Tower with Hidden Entrance

Discover the mysterious entrance to this 19th-century martello tower built to protect Menorca's coast.

The Torre de Fornells, built between 1801 and 1802, is a martello tower, a type of defensive fortification along Menorca's coast. This troncoconic-shaped tower was built to guard the entrance of Fornells port under British rule. Its original entrance, located on the first floor, was accessible only via a removable wooden ladder. The tower has four levels: a cistern, a storage area, a living area, and a rooftop area with a small oven used to heat cannonballs. The tower's firing platform also had a small oven for heating cannonballs. The Torre de Fornells is included in the MTN50 map series of the Instituto Geográfico Nacional, which can be downloaded for free in digital format.

Sources: Wikipedia, OpenStreetMap, Wikidata, Wikimedia Commons

Written by Nik Frost

Discuss this with the author and others

No comments yet. Be the first to start the conversation.