Municipal Museum of Ciutadella, Ciutadella de Menorca, Spain

The Municipal Museum of Ciutadella is a general history and archaeological museum with a permanent exhibition on the history of Ciutadella and of the island itself from prehistoric times through to the Muslim era and the arrival of king Alfonso III in 1287. Visitors can take a tour through the island's various historical periods, represented by the archaeological remains and artefacts on display. The Historic and Artistic Museum of Ciutadella was officially opened in 1935 on the ground floor of the Town Hall.

The museum regularly holds temporary exhibitions to show particular historic periods not covered by the permanent exhibition, aspects of anthropology or recent acquisitions and new collections. The museum provides guided tours for groups, which should be booked in advance.

In 1995, it was moved to the Bastió de sa Font building which was one of five bastions built to protect the five entrances set into the walls around the town. The bastion originally served as a water tank and was filled by collecting rainwater. The permanent exhibition starts with the early settlers on the island and with a display cabinet on the pre-Talayotic period showing the way of life and customs of that era. After this, the Talayotic period is the subject of a large display dealing with the way of life, customs and relationships of this native culture of Menorca and Mallorca. The next section shows the Roman era. To end the exhibition on this period, there is a display cabinet on the origins of Christianity in Menorca and paleo-Christian basilicas. Lastly, there is an area on Vandal attacks, on the Byzantine Empire, the late Roman Empire and the beginning of the Muslim era in Menorca.

References:

menorca.es

User Reviews

Yojhan Carrero (2 years ago)
As the price of the tickets are in several languages, they should condition the contents of the museum to those languages. Remember that you live for tourism and putting everything in the local language is not a good idea

Carl James (2 years ago)
Small but also quite cheap. Free guide pamphlets in a variety of languages are available. Well worth a visit.

Ian Gordon (2 years ago)
Gives a nice overview of the islands history from pre Roman and through the Tayliotic period.

Phalonia : (2 years ago)
Small museum with €2.50 entry fee. A small but decent collection of artefacts that have been found in the area which date back thousands of years. Extremely limited information in English, one section had no translation available at all. Good way to spend an hour on a rainy day, though this would be impossibly boring for children.

The Moosehead Nebula (3 years ago)
We went on Saturday afternoon. It closed at 2pm, not to open again until the following Tuesday.

Featured Historic Landmarks, Sites & Buildings

Photo from Flickr, copyright Dan Lundberg

Historic Site of the week

Hagios Demetrios

The Church of Saint Demetrius, or Hagios Demetrios, is the main sanctuary dedicated to Saint Demetrius, the patron saint of Thessaloniki. It is part of the site Palaeochristian and Byzantine Monuments of Thessaloniki on the list of World Heritage Sites by UNESCO since 1988.

The first church on the spot was constructed in the early 4th century AD, replacing a Roman bath. A century later, a prefect named Leontios replaced the small oratory with a larger, three-aisled basilica. Repeatedly gutted by fires, the church eventually was reconstructed as a five-aisled basilica in 629–634. This was the surviving form of the church much as it is today. The most important shrine in the city, it was probably larger than the local cathedral. The historic location of the latter is now unknown.

The church had an unusual shrine called the ciborium, a hexagonal, roofed structure at one side of the nave. It was made of or covered with silver. The structure had doors and inside was a couch or bed. Unusually, it did not hold any physical relics of the saint. The ciborium seems to have been a symbolic tomb. It was rebuilt at least once.

The basilica is famous for six extant mosaic panels, dated to the period between the latest reconstruction and the inauguration of the Byzantine Iconoclasm in 730. These mosaics depict St. Demetrius with officials responsible for the restoration of the church (called the founders, ktetors) and with children. An inscription below one of the images glorifies heaven for saving the people of Thessalonica from a pagan Slavic raid in 615.

Thessaloniki became part of the Ottoman Empire in 1430. About 60 years later, during the reign of Bayezid II, the church was converted into a mosque, known as the Kasımiye Camii after the local Ottoman mayor, Cezeri Kasım Pasha. The symbolic tomb however was kept open for Christian veneration. Other magnificent mosaics, recorded as covering the church interior, were lost either during the four centuries when it functioned as a mosque (1493–1912) or in the Great Thessaloniki Fire of 1917 that destroyed much of the city. It also destroyed the roof and upper walls of the church. Black-and-white photographs and good watercolour versions give an idea of the early Byzantine craftsmanship lost during the fire.

Following the Great Fire of 1917, it took decades to restore the church. Tombstones from the city"s Jewish cemetery - destroyed by the Greek and Nazi German authorities - were used as building materials in these restoration efforts in the 1940s. Archeological excavations conducted in the 1930s and 1940s revealed interesting artifacts that may be seen in a museum situated inside the church"s crypt. The excavations also uncovered the ruins of a Roman bath, where St. Demetrius was said to have been held prisoner and executed. A Roman well was also discovered. Scholars believe this is where soldiers dropped the body of St. Demetrius after his execution. After restoration, the church was reconsecrated in 1949.

Do you know an ancient castle or magnificent church near you?

Why not share it with other people interested in history? You can add your own historic sites and attractions to SpottingHistory.com.

It's absolutely free, easy, and doesn't even need registration!

Upload data

Looks like you are a history fan!

Do you know an ancient castle or hidden ruins near you?

Why not share it with other people interested in history? You can add your own historic sites and attractions to SpottingHistory. It's absolutely free, easy, and you can do it even without registration (of course you an also create an free account)!

Municipal Museum of Ciutadella

Address

Details

More Information

Rating

Interesting Sites Nearby

User Reviews

Featured Historic Landmarks, Sites & Buildings

Most beautiful castles in Lithuania

Cultural Landscape of Sintra, Portugal

The Beauty of Cinque Terre

Historic Site of the week

Hagios Demetrios

Looks like you are a history fan!

Do you know an ancient castle or hidden ruins near you?