Ciutadella de Menorca
Municipality in the Balearic Islands, Spain
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Ciutadella de Menorca (Catalan pronunciation: [siwtəˈðeʎə (ðə məˈnɔɾkə)]), or simply Ciutadella, is a town and a municipality in the western end of Menorca, one of the Balearic Islands (Spain). It is one of the two primary cities in the island, along with Mahón.
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Ciutadella de Menorca | |
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.svg) Coat of arms | |
 Interactive map of Ciutadella de Menorca | |
  Location within Minorca  Location within Balearic Islands  Location within Spain | |
| Coordinates: 40°01′N 3°49′E | |
| Country |  Spain |
| Autonomous community |  Balearic Islands |
| Province | Balearic Islands |
| Island | Minorca |
| Judicial district | Ciutadella |
| Government | |
| • Mayor of Ciutadella | Joana Mari Pons (2023-) (PP) |
| Area | |
• Total | 186.34 km2 (71.95 sq mi) |
| Elevation | 24 m (79 ft) |
| Population (2025-01-01)[1] | |
• Total | 32,431 |
| • Density | 174.04/km2 (450.77/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC+1 (CET) |
| • Summer (DST) | UTC+2 (CEST) |
| Postal code | 07760, 07769 |
| www | |
History
The earliest known human activity in the area dates to 2000 BC. Talaiots were constructed in the area around 1400 BC.[2] A necropolis in the area was used from the pre-talaiot culture to the 100s AD.[3]
Ciutadella de Menorca was founded by Ancient Carthage under the name Jamma and was one of three fortified towns on Menorca. The area was renamed to Lammona after the Romans conquered[4] it in 123 BC.[2]
The town became Medina Menurqa after being conquered by Muslims[4] in 903[2] and was the only city on the island due to the decline of Mahón.[4] The Crown of Aragon conquered the area in 1287.[2] James II of Majorca had walls constructed and expanded for the town in 1303, and these existed until demolition occurred starting in 1868.[5]
In 1558, the area was raided by the Ottoman Empire.[2] An obelisk was set up in the 19th century by Josep Quadrado in the Plaza d'es Born in memory of the offensive, with the following inscription:
Here we fought until death for our religion and our country in the year 1558[6][7]
Every year on July 9, a commemoration takes place in Ciutadella, remembering "l'Any de sa Desgràcia", or "the Year of the Disaster".[8]
The War of the Spanish Succession resulted in Great Britain gaining control over Menorca and the area was under British control for almost a century.[2] The General Chanzy, a French steamboat, sunk off the coast of the town on 9 February 1910, and killed all but one of its 170 passengers. The Punta Nati Lighthouse was constructed in response to this event.[9]
Geography and climate
Ciutadella de Menorca has a Hot-summer Mediterranean climate (Köppen: Csa) with mild, somewhat humid winters and dry, hot summers. Autumn is the wettest season and heavy rain is not uncommon during this season.[10]
| Climate data for Ciutadella de Menorca, 1981-2010 normals | |||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Month | Jan | Feb | Mar | Apr | May | Jun | Jul | Aug | Sep | Oct | Nov | Dec | Year |
| Mean daily maximum °C (°F) | 14.5 (58.1) |
14.7 (58.5) |
16.6 (61.9) |
18.7 (65.7) |
22.4 (72.3) |
26.6 (79.9) |
29.8 (85.6) |
30.1 (86.2) |
26.9 (80.4) |
23.2 (73.8) |
18.4 (65.1) |
15.5 (59.9) |
21.5 (70.6) |
| Daily mean °C (°F) | 11.1 (52.0) |
11.1 (52.0) |
12.7 (54.9) |
14.6 (58.3) |
18.1 (64.6) |
22.1 (71.8) |
25.1 (77.2) |
25.6 (78.1) |
22.8 (73.0) |
19.5 (67.1) |
15.1 (59.2) |
12.3 (54.1) |
17.5 (63.5) |
| Mean daily minimum °C (°F) | 7.7 (45.9) |
7.5 (45.5) |
8.8 (47.8) |
10.5 (50.9) |
13.8 (56.8) |
17.5 (63.5) |
20.4 (68.7) |
21.1 (70.0) |
18.6 (65.5) |
15.8 (60.4) |
11.7 (53.1) |
9.1 (48.4) |
13.5 (56.4) |
| Average rainfall mm (inches) | 41.6 (1.64) |
44.8 (1.76) |
30.1 (1.19) |
34.7 (1.37) |
30.1 (1.19) |
9.8 (0.39) |
3.3 (0.13) |
18.5 (0.73) |
53.6 (2.11) |
64.5 (2.54) |
69.4 (2.73) |
55.5 (2.19) |
455.9 (17.97) |
| Source: World Meteorological Organization[11] | |||||||||||||
Notable people
- Aina Moll Marquès (1930-2019), philologist and politician
- Albert Torres (1990-), track and road racing cyclist
- Severus of Menorca, bishop[4]
Sister cities
Córdoba, Argentina, Argentina
Oristano, Italy, since 1991
Long Beach Island, New Jersey, United States, since 2012
